
After many hours of testimony, Joseph Archambault, one of Aldrich’s public defenders, declined to address the victims. Instead, he gently placed his hand on their shoulder and sat with them, next to their lawyer.
Archambault expressed, “They feel a profound sense of remorse and regret for the lives they have taken.” “They acknowledge that no action can undo the harm caused, but they genuinely want everyone to understand their remorse and Mx. Aldrich humbly requests the court to consider accepting the plea deal and imposing a sentence.”
‘We mourn this loss of life and we affirm the worth of all the individuals in our community. Fairness necessitates nothing less’
In closing remarks, prosecutors talked about the big acts of bravery that took place in the minutes during and after the shooting.
He was stating that there were individuals who were more severely injured than him. James quickly stood up and hopped off when he was later placed on a stretcher to be transported to the hospital. Aldrich shot James in the stomach, and as they attempted to pass through a door with their semi-automatic firearm, Tom, who was on the smoking patio and happened to be the first person to tackle Aldrich, displayed heroic actions. Tom James, an active duty officer for the U.S. Navy, exhibited great bravery during this incident.
Allen said, “If that isn’t inspiring, I don’t know what is.” “Inside the club, each person had the right to live. They were people. They were not ideological pawns in some game, nor were they political slogans or targets inside the Q Club.”


Judge Michael McHenry expressed, “Your behavior exemplifies the most profound malevolence originating from the human heart. Hate crimes surpass other criminal acts … Your behavior exemplifies the most profound malevolence originating from the human heart.” While imposing multiple life sentences and over 2,000 years in prison for Aldrich’s attempted murder of all individuals present at the club, the judge stated, “The foundation of this nation lies in the belief that every individual is equal, and that God does not make errors.”
Justice requires nothing less. We assert the importance of every individual in our community. We mourn this tragic loss of life. “You will now spend the remainder of your life incarcerated,” McHenry stated. “For the act of ending these five lives, and endeavoring to end 46 additional lives.”
In this instance, the organization released a statement expressing their anticipation of achieving justice on Club Q’s Facebook page. The possibility of a settlement was both a relieving and tiring and aggravating aspect leading up to the hearing on Monday.

It is quite evident that the defendant deserves to live life in prison without the possibility of parole, which will allow survivors and victims to begin finding peace and foster healing, and it is our hope that justice will deliver the closure they seek.
Matthew Hayne, the owner of Q Club, said that he plans to re-open the club in the same location following the shooting on its one-year anniversary. He expressed his hope to have metal detectors in place and be ready to go.
Several queries remain unresolved.
Aldrich has been imprisoned since their apprehension last year.
It is still unclear whether federal prosecutors will file federal hate crime charges for the attack. Adrian Vasquez, Chief of Police in Colorado Springs, declined to comment on the ongoing federal investigation during a press conference. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also stated that they would not release any investigative documents related to the case.
Prosecutors have confirmed in a press briefing after the hearing that they have opened a federal investigation into Aldrich, specifically looking at hate crime charges. They say that something in the case could carry the death penalty. Special Agent Mark Michalek of the FBI’s Colorado office stated this.

“There is only one capital punishment choice and that’s at the federal level, and I’ll leave it at that,” Allen said.
It is unclear whether the state’s Department of Corrections will send Aldrich to a women’s prison or a men’s prison, and comments for answering questions immediately were not made for the corrections department.
Allen said that Aldrich believes he was using charges as a way to get out of the biased motivation. Allen said that Aldrich identified that way because there was no evidence before the shooting, and he didn’t believe that Aldrich was nonbinary.
“I wish for him to complete his sentence in the tiniest, most unpleasant cell in Colorado,” Allen stated.

After the hearing, Jeff and Sabrina Aston, the parents of Daniel Aston who was shot while working at the Club Q bar, expressed their desire for Aldrich to have had the bravery to speak to the victims.
Jeff Aston said, “I hope they receive an even more severe punishment than the monster deserves, and I hope they press charges and continue investigating this case. We are grateful that the federal government is still investigating.”