DENVER (AP) — The shooter who killed five people and endangered the lives of over 40 others at a LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs was charged with federal hate crimes Tuesday.
Aldrich, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, also pleaded no contest to state charges for hate crimes charges under a plea agreement.
The plea was an acknowledgment there was a good chance Aldrich would be convicted of those crimes without admitting guilt.
The federal charges follow an FBI investigation into the shooting that was confirmed after Aldrich’s sentencing in state court.
At the time, District Attorney Michael Allen said the threat of the death penalty in the federal system was a “big part of what motivated the defendant” to plead guilty to the state charges.
Persons:
Anderson Aldrich, Aldrich, Michael Allen, ”
Organizations:
DENVER, Q, Associated Press
Locations:
Colorado Springs