He remained seated during the hearing, and spoke only to confirm his identity. Anderson Lee Aldrich appeared in court on Wednesday. The 22-year-old suspect is accused of being the author of the shooting that left five dead and 18 injured at an LGBT + nightclub in Colorado.
Details about his personality have been revealed. His lawyers explained that the suspect defined himself as non-binary, that is to say that he does not recognize himself in either the masculine gender or the feminine gender. They added that Anderson Lee Aldrich used the non-gendered pronouns in English “they/them” (“iel” in French).
According to American media, the first name of the accused was Nicholas Brink, before he took the surname of Anderson Lee Aldrich as a teenager. His parents, both drug addicts, separated when the child was two years old. They are both known to the police (traffic offences, possession of drugs, drunkenness on the public highway).
A suspect raised in a climate of violence
Aaron Brink, her father, who describes himself as a former porn star turned conservative Republican, told a local San Diego newspaper that his ex-wife, Laura Voepel, assured him several years ago that their child was dead.
Until her child called her a few months ago. Aaron Brink also told the New York Times that he had “expressed a strong disapproval of homosexuals when his child was younger”. His father also said he praised Anderson Lee Aldrich for his violent behavior as a child. “I told him it worked. It’s instant and you have immediate results,” he said.
The accused is kept in detention, his indictment should not be pronounced before ten days. He could be prosecuted in particular for murders and hate crimes, and faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole. This is the 601st mass shooting in the United States.