The perpetrator of an LGBT+ nightclub shooting in the western United States was sentenced to life in prison on Monday after pleading guilty in a harrowing hearing.
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The perpetrator of an LGBT+ nightclub shooting in the western United States was sentenced to life in prison on Monday after pleading guilty in a harrowing hearing.
Armed with a pistol and an assault rifle, Anderson Lee Aldrich opened fire on November 19, 2022 in the “Q Club”, in Colorado Springs, killing five and injuring 18, just after a drag queens show .
This 23-year-old, who according to his lawyers identifies as non-binary, had been overpowered by two clients who had tackled him to the ground and disarmed him.
Justice had brought 305 charges against him, including those of murder and attempted murder.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, bearded and corpulent, appeared before a judge in Colorado Springs on Monday to plead guilty, which avoids a trial.
Relatives of his victims then testified to their pain. “I will never forgive you for your heinous crime”, notably launched Sabrina Aston, whose son Daniel died in the Q nightclub.
At the end of this hearing, Judge Michael McHenry imposed a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
“Like so many other people in our culture, you sought the power behind the trigger of a firearm,” the magistrate told him, according to comments reported by the ABC channel.
The sentencing shows “that such an act cannot be tolerated and that the LGBTQ+ community is as much a part of the human family as you are,” he added.
Since the tragedy, details have emerged about the chaotic life of the killer, whose parents were drug addicts and who experienced a childhood marked by instability. But his motive is debated: the prosecution mentioned homophobia, which the defense disputes.
The bloodbath had reignited the fears of the American LGBT+ community six years after the worst killing in its history: on June 12, 2016, an American of Afghan origin killed 49 people in a gay club in Orlando, Florida.
He also illustrated once again the danger of firearms in the United States, where there are more guns than people.
More than 20,000 people have died, including by suicide, since the start of 2023, according to the specialized site Gun Violence Archive.