The suspect’s plea comes just seven months after the shooting and spares victims’ families and survivors a long and potentially painful trial.
The suspect in a at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ nightclub last year has pleaded guilty in the attack. Monday’s plea by comes just seven months after the shooting and spares victim’s families and survivors a long and potentially painful trial.
The suspect pleaded guilty to five counts of murder and 46 counts of attempted murder. The accused gunman also pleaded no contest to two counts of bias-motivated crimes, one a felony and the other a misdemeanor.
The defendant faces life in prison on the murder charges under the plea agreement.
« I intentionally and after deliberation caused the death of each victim, » the defendant told Judge Michael McHenry.
People in courtroom wiped away tears as the judge explained the charges and read out the names of the victims.
The plea entered during a court hearing follows a series of jailhouse phone calls from the suspect to The Associated Press expressing remorse and the intention to face the consequences for the shooting.
Several survivors told the AP about the plea agreement after being approached about the alleged gunman’s comments to AP. They said prosecutors had notified them that the suspect, who is nonbinary and uses they and them pronouns, would plead guilty to charges that would ensure a sentence of life behind bars.
The suspect originally was charged with more than 300 state counts, including murder and hate crimes. The U.S. Justice Department is considering pursuing federal hate crime charges, according to a senior law enforcement official familiar with the matter who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing case.
The attack at Club Q came over a year after the suspect had been arrested for threatening their grandparents and vowing to become « the next mass killer. » But, charges were ultimately dropped in that case.
Victims’ family members and survivors are expected to speak at Monday’s hearing about how their lives were forever altered by the terror that erupted just before midnight on Nov.
