The suspect accused of killing five and wounding at least 17 people at a Colorado LGBTQ club has been formally charged with over 300 criminal counts.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, appeared in person at a hearing in a Colorado Springs courtroom, where he was charged with murder and hate crimes.
Aldrich was already charged with murder, but prosecutors deemed it important to charge him with additional counts of ‘bias-motivated crimes’ to send a message of support to the community.
Aldrich was charged with a total of 305 counts, including first-degree murder, assault, and hate crimes. If convicted, he faces life in prison without parole.
Colorado does not have the death penalty, but Aldrich could still face a death sentence if he is convicted on federal charges.
On November 19, a gunman wearing body armor and armed with an AR-15 style rifle entered Club Q in Colorado Springs and opened fire. The attack was only stopped when a club patron was able to grab the attacker’s own weapon and subdue him with it.
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