The young man who killed five people and injured more than a dozen at an LGBTQ nightclub, in Colorado, in the United States, in 2022, accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 55 simultaneous life sentences.
Anderson Lee Aldrich pleaded guilty to each of 74 counts of violating the provisions of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, as well as firearms offenses in the Club Q shooting. .
According to ABC News, District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney accepted the plea agreement that avoided the death penalty, sentencing Aldrich to 55 concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole.
"He went into the safe space of this community and mass-murdered people," Sweeney said, adding that it was appropriate to sentence him to life in prison during LGBTQ Pride Month (June), which honors this community.
According to the judge, "this community is much stronger than you, stronger than your armor, stronger than your weapons and, certainly, stronger than your hatred"
Remember that Daniel Davis Aston, Kelly Loving, Derrick Rump, Ashley Paugh and Raymond Green Vance were killed in the attack.
During the sentencing hearing, several victims and their families spoke, some of whom said they wanted the death penalty, while others took the opportunity to tell Aldrich about the pain they felt in the aftermath of the shooting.
The case dates back to November 2022, when the young man entered, armed, the Club Q nightlife establishment before midnight local time (7am in mainland Portugal), and immediately began opening fire on those present.
Two individuals present at the scene ended up interrupting the attacker's attack, disarming him. As a result, five people died and 18 were injured.
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