Suspect in Club Q mass shooting appears in court, faces 305 charges
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The suspect in the Club Q mass shooting is set to appear in court for the first time Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.
On Nov. 19, just before midnight, a gunman entered a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub and opened fire. Five people were killed and dozens more were injured.
The accused killer, Anderson Aldrich, heard the formal charges during Tuesday's court appearance.
During the court appearance, it was announced the accused killer faces 305 charges. Those include Murder in the First-Degree, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and bias-motivated crime-causing bodily injury.
The arrest affidavit is set to be unsealed by the end of the day on Wed. Dec. 7, 2022.
KRDO was able to stream the reading of the formal charges below. The following court proceedings were not available to stream.
13 Investigates is in the courtroom for the rest of the court appearance. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen spoke following the court appearance.
According to Allen, the next court appearance for the suspect is on Feb. 22, 2023. This is a preliminary hearing/proof of evidence presumptive hearing. During that time, prosecutors will present enough evidence to move this case forward toward a trial.
From there, the DA's office will ask the suspect to continue being held without bond. However, that will be a judge's decision.
Following that hearing will be an arraignment. That's when the suspect will enter a formal plea. Allen said it's likely the defense will push the arraignment date out beyond February.
Once the suspect is arraigned, the DA's office has six months to take a case to trial. However, Allen said the defense could ask for a continuance, which would push the trial back.
Allen said it's not uncommon for criminal cases like this to take a long time.
"I would be surprised if we get to an actual jury trial sometime in 2023. I suspect it'll be sometime later than that," said Allen.
Watch what was said during the press conference below:
