Club Q shooting suspect is nonbinary, defense attorneys say

[Jose Garcia]

Source: Denver Post

The person suspected of killing five and wounding 18 after opening fire in a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs is nonbinary, their defense attorney wrote in court filings Tuesday.

Joseph Archambault and Michael Bowman, the state public defenders for suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich, filed a slew of motions Tuesday and included a footnote about Aldrich’s identity.

“Anderson Aldrich is nonbinary,” the footnote states. “They use they/them pronouns, and for the purposes of all formal filings, will be addressed as Mx. Aldrich.”

They are scheduled to make their first court appearance virtually from the jail on Wednesday.

Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.denverpost.com/2022/11/22/anderson-lee-aldrich-club-q-shooting-non-binary/amp/

[hlthe2b]

1. sigh...

I don't know what to say. for the victims.

[NotHardly]

52. It's called "shooting the moon" in defense jargon ... e.g. bullshit and ploy

[LittleGirl]

2. Of course

Who would hate so much? One of their own who hates they self.

[BlackSkimmer]

3. "One of their own."???

WTH is this?

[LittleGirl]

5. They hate themselves because of culture wars

That’s what I meant. Sorry you misunderstood me.

[BlackSkimmer]

26. "They" hate themselves? Um, not this gay woman.

I’ve been gay my entire life, and I’ve never “hated myself” nor known anyone who did.

And I came out long before it was accepted. As did most of my friends.

[LittleGirl]

30. Was I referring to you?

No, I was referring to the gunman who is barely old enough to know what life is like.
He probably hates himself because he’s been raised in a “conservative” echo chamber.
If he considers himself as non binary, then he is already not someone who thinks he can conform. I’m just babbling now. My comment wasn’t meant to offend anyone.

[BlackSkimmer]

31. The shooter's sexual identity likely had zip-all to do with his violent act.

Believe you me, if gay and transgender people felt the need to kill others because of our toxic culture, there’d be a lot more dead people.

Not sure how many mass killers have been gay or transgender, but I’m guessing they're not in the majority.

[LittleGirl]

32. I'm so sorry that this turned so badly

Murderers seem to be young men with identity issues, untreated mental health, which is typically American! No other country in the world has mass shootings like this. I’m wanting to move back to the states but no where is safe anymore and it’s really dragging me down. I want to come home. We have to get those weapons of war off the streets!

[certainot]

33. exactly, and the RW is going to stress the 'non-binary' and scream once again "it's not the assault

weapons!"

[LittleGirl]

41. We all know it IS the assault weapons. nt

[certainot]

45. turn on any rw radio station and you'll hear all the blowhards and all their callers, some of which

might be calling from the NRA basement, and they will be explaining and rationalizing that it is not the gun, it's the shooter. they're all well trained to do it after every mass shooting in between the "hunter biden" and "liberal deep state" BS

[LittleGirl]

46. thankfully, I don't live in the states so I'll take a pass. nt

[certainot]

51. funny thing, some of the louder stations reach canada and mexico. it's part of the plan that

the blowhard liars on rw radio can be heard south of the border telling everyone that dem presidents like biden have opened the borders, help immigrants get derivers licenses and welfare and jobs and then help them vote illegally........ how much does that add to the 'caravans' that they then use to scare republicans into voting for racists and their walls

fox tv sends that message of open borders all over the world

[RobinA]

64. No, We Don't

ALL know it’s the assault weapons. I, for one, think assault weapons are one piece of a fairly large pie.

[llashram]

22. This is more than likely

a BS RW approach. The spin here is obvious.

[certainot]

39. that's what 1500 radio stations always do, while they comfort the NRA and make sure no GOP pol

can possibly sign on to any assault weapons ban, while explaining it as it's all about the shooter..... and then coming up with some way to call them 'liberal'

[irisblue]

37. Delete this & quickly.

[LittleGirl]

42. why?

[Polybius]

40. He was very self-hating

Similar to how Clarence Thomas is.

[betsuni]

4. So what.

[ismnotwasm]

27. Exactly my thought

[vercetti2021]

6. I don't give a shit

They are a murdered. Why do I gotta a feeling they are using that as a cop out to say. HEY LOOK THEY KILL EACH OTHER TOO! LOOK SEE SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NullTuples]

43. It matters much, if the lawyer's ploy successfully negates the hate crime charges with the jury

And I have a feeling that's what this is. Why else would that be the very first announcement from his attorney?

[IronLionZion]

7. There's no excuse for this mass murder

he's a hateful POS with a gun and a history of violence.

[tulipsandroses]

8. Interesting. There are 5 biased crime charges

Had to be some evidence of hate towards the LGBTQ community. Jessica Watkins is a trans insurrectionist. Jessica blames now blames Alex Jones for her becoming a traitor. She said hating herself made her want to listen Jones.
Anything is possible, I don’t think that defense is going to work for Jessica and it won’t work for this killer. At the end of the day, 5 people are dead, numerous still recovering from gun shot wounds. The emotional wounds will be there for a lifetime.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. Perhaps "they" are actually binary & just trolling court & us. Anything show up in background yet?

[Mortos]

14. My first thought a defense strategy or the murderer trolling victims

I will be anxiously awaiting any pre-mass-murder evidence that Aldrich was non-binary. The pronouns I will use for Aldrich are coward, murderer, and ass.

The right-wing media will eat this up.

[Ilsa]

54. Exactly. I'll believe that lawyer's commeehen I see proof

that they thought of themselves as nonbinary.

[Yonnie3]

55. Here is something I'm reading

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/11/club-q-shooter-used-anti-gay-slurs-frequently-attack-lgbtq-bar/

I have no confirmation and have not yet sought other sources.

Club Q shooter used anti-gay slurs frequently before attack on LGBTQ bar
"He used the term 'fa***t' a lot," a neighbor said. "Most of the time it came from a place of anger.”
By Alex Bollinger Tuesday, November 22, 2022

People who knew Anderson Lee Aldrich – the alleged Club Q shooter who has been arrested in connection with the mass shooting at the LGBTQ bar that left five people dead – say that he frequently used anti-gay slurs.

Twenty-two-year-old Aldrich has been arrested and charged with five counts of murder and five hate crimes charges in connection to the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado this past Saturday night. Xavier Kraus, 23, said that he used to be friends with Aldrich and they lived in the same building near the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

“There would be times where he and his mom would get into fights, arguments, because he would be saying hateful things about whoever he was angry with,” Kraus told The Daily Beast. “He said things sometimes that probably should have been alarming to me. He used the term ‘fa***t’ a lot. Most of the time it came from a place of anger.”

=====snip=====

[Paladin]

10. Sounds like a bullshit defense move to me.

And a slap in the face to genuinely nonbinary individuals.

[bronxiteforever]

11. +1 exactly. A footnote in a defense attorney motion

I imagine the hate crime charge is something the killer’s team would like to get tossed out.
I will wait for the arrest warrant to be unsealed and see what the investigation reveals.

[AngryOldDem]

13. It's outrageous.

Let’s say he truly is nonbinary. If he has personal issues with his identity, that’s still NO defense to walking into a bar and killing five people.

I realize attorneys have to do their jobs. But trying to claim that because he in some way identifies with the clientele is a mitigating factor? If I were on his jury and I heard that, my objectivity would be GONE. Vote to convict.

(I hope this excuse is a pretty high bar to clear for any mental health evaluation, too.)

[Paladin]

17. Well said. (nt)

[NullTuples]

44. It's not a defense for shooting them, only to negate the hate crime charges

Interesting that it was the first thing the lawyer said to the press about his client...

[The Grand Illuminist]

49. BAM! Right there.

Exactly what it is.

[area51]

38. +1 n/t

[Earth Bound Misfit]

12. Sounds like a horse-hockey defense maneuver

[grantcart]

58. So their are homophobic binaries? BS regardless of pronouns

[IronLionZion]

15. He might lose some conservative supporters

[RevBrotherThomas]

18. Oh I disagree...

The right is going to hook onto this wholeheartedly:

"SEE WHAT THIS 'TRANSGENDER' NONSENSE DOES TO SOMEONE???? Turns you into a mass murderer!!!"

[IronLionZion]

21. I really despise that narrative

Too many on the right claim mental illness is the excuse for mass murder. Then they claim that LGBTQ, Feminists, and anyone else they don't like are all mentally ill and therefore dangerous.

[Mawspam2]

16. Said a Public Defender who never met their client.

It's a BS filing.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

19. Prob maneuver to avoid hate-crime add-on to the charges

Trying to say he is just screwed up, not acting out of "hate" for LGBTQ

[The Grand Illuminist]

50. He knows he is facing the death penalty.

nt

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

20. Is there previous evidence that Aldrich identified as non-binary,

or did Aldrich decide to identify as non-binary when Aldrich's attorneys told Aldrich to identify as non-binary, while Aldrich was sitting in jail?

The attorneys could try to use this as a point to argue that the shooting was not a hate crime.

[Jose Garcia]

28. That is the million dollar question

Their lack of presence on social media is odd, especially for a young person.

[intheflow]

23. Like that excuses his behavior?

This reeks of gun-humping claims of "black on black crime".

[Beastly Boy]

24. Pronouns don't kill people. People with guns kill people.

Last edited Wed Nov 23, 2022, 01:38 PM - Edit history (1)

Whether Aldrich is binary or not has no relevance to the crime. No doubt that this footnote was added to generate publicity, which it did, and has no legal merit. I would expect such stunts to come from tabloid media, but coming from lawyers makes me question their competence. And if it turns out that their statement is not true, they are in deep trouble.

[70sEraVet]

25. A defense attorney is obligated to do everything in their power to defend their client.

And if somebody CLAIMS to be non-binary, how, exactly, do you prove otherwise?
My guess is, Mx. Aldrich never thought of being non-binary until 'their' defense attorney suggested it.

[sdfernando]

34. I'm going to need a hell of a lot more than a footnote on his lawyers filing....

I call BS. Likely a way to possibly influence proceeding and jurors.

I'll retract if proven wrong.

[Bayard]

35. Say what?

I had never heard that term before.

It doesn't matter. He shot 23 people. No excuse.

[Mz Pip]

47. Interesting

I’m not saying this isn’t true but I’d want more corroboration than just the word of a defense attorney.

I can easily see the shooter saying this to not only muddy the waters but to further sully the LGBTQ community.

Mz Pip

[Igel]

56. If he's wrong, as an officer of the court defense misrepresenting facts to the court.

That can be serious. You don't make claims you know are false if you want to continue to practice at the bar.

Only out: His client told him something and that "something" wasn't subject to disconfirmation, so the defense attorney was in the dark.

Think of it as "under oath". That matter's sometimes. "He said it, but it wasn't under oath!" Defense has obligations to be truthful, to the best of their ability.

[sakabatou]

48. And yet, Anderson still murdered people.

What does Anderson's orientation have to do with this?

[Temeret]

53. Lawyer trying to dodge hate crime charge

slick.

[yourmovemonkey]

57. He's mocking his victims

As if we didn't need more reason to despise this deranged little shit. He's probably chuckling to himself about forcing the court to refer to him this way. Think about how despicable a person would have to be, lying in a hospital bed facing the death penalty, and still thinking of a way to "own the libs". I'm sure he's fantasizing about how conflicted we are now with feelings of sympathy over his "struggle".

Screw this little psychopath. I'm not buying it one bit.

[AZLD4Candidate]

59. Dude committed a mass shooting. Nonbianary, demisexual, asexual, don't care. People are dead because

of him.

Nuff said.

[LudwigPastorius]

60. Well, they got their ass kicked.

Good job, Club Q heroes and heroines.

[muriel_volestrangler]

62. Sporting a beard and mustache is an odd way of being nonbinary

to my way of thinking. Is that politically incorrect?

[Maeve]

61. If there is any previous example of their use of they/them, fine

If there is not, the whiff of BS is strong

[Marthe48]

65. So has no courage of his convictions

Does the little bastard think declaring he is nonbinary will get him out the hate crimes charges (if they are/have been brought)

His family is into generationl hate of gays. The killer probably has daddy and granddaddy issues and thought his murderous attack would fix whatever lack he lives in.

[stollen]

66. and therefore.....what?

I don't care what someone's sexual identity is as long as no one is being hurt.

[Takket]

67. Thry can rot in hell, then