Colorado judge in 2021 case calls Club Q shooting suspect a ‘terrible man’ – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
(CNN) – A year before the deadly shooting at Club Q in November, a Colorado judge called the suspect a “terrible person” during a hearing into a bomb threat at their grandparents’ home.
According to a court transcript obtained by CNN, Anderson Aldrich was present in the courtroom for a hearing about Aldrich’s 2021 bomb threat involving their mother when Colorado Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Robin Chittum made this statement.
During this hearing, the defense argued for a lower bond. “What concerns me is that… it’s clear that you have something else planned, and it’s not something that – I’m going to – it has nothing to do with your grandma and grandpa,” thought the judge.
“It’s about saving all these guns and trying to make this bomb, and making statements about other people involved in some kind of shooting and a big deal. And then that’s kind of of what it is,” Judge Chittum said, according to the transcript.
Judge Chittum also expressed concern about Aldrich’s mental health.
“Yes, a million dollars is a lot for a bond. And I don’t think it’s appropriate to leave it, but I have a very, very serious charge of threats, abduction and imprisonment of your grandparents. And then things went awry. And it seems worse because you planned for it to be worse. I need to show that you have plans to cover mental health; that you have plans for where to go and what to do to get you well those issues if you come out, but wow. It’s just really scary,” Chittum said.
Aldrich promised the judge, “I will not access any firearms and will not attempt to do so in the future.”
Despite the concerns, the judge lowered bail to $100,000 and also changed the protective order in place so Aldrich could contact their mother, Laurel Voepel. If Aldrich is granted bail, the judge said they must live with their mother, participate in treatment and continue their medication.
According to the transcript, Judge Chittum had concerns saying, “If we’re going to have slips and falls and messes on this one, it’s going to be really bad. So I won’t risk it.
CNN previously reported that an unsealed file revealed details about what happened in the 2021 bomb threat incident that led to Aldrich’s arrest.
Aldrich’s grandmother told dispatchers that Aldrich was upset about the recent sale of her home and planned to move to Florida with her husband.
“Die now, and I will take you with me. I am full and ready. You’re not calling anyone,” Aldrich told his grandparents while drinking a bottle of vodka, holding a gun and loading the magazine, according to the affidavit.
The grandmother also allegedly told officers that Aldrich told her that if they moved to Florida “it would interfere with his plans to carry out shootings and bombings,” according to the affidavit.
When officers responded to the scene, Aldrich said they had an explosive called Tannerite, which they would shoot at the walls, and a gas mask and armor-piercing bullets, according to the affidavit.
Aldrich was later arrested following the incident, but Judge Chittum dismissed all charges against them on July 5, 2022.
At a press conference in December, Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen said the charges against Aldrich were eventually dropped because after nearly a year of legal proceedings, the family did not want to testify against Aldrich.
“If we can’t produce a witness, none of these statements will be admissible in a criminal courtroom,” Allen said. “If witnesses cannot be produced in a trial and we are against a speedy trial, it is common for a court to dismiss the case.”
Aldrich – whose attorneys say they identify as non-binary and use pronouns – faces life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder following the Nov. 19 shooting at Club Q left five dead and 25 injured at the LGBTQ club.
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