Anderson Lee Aldrich, the man accused of murdering five people and injured 17 others in a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, over the weekend, has now been confirmed to self-identify as “non-binary” by his public defender in court filings.
The public defenders referred to Aldrich as “Mx. Aldrich” in multiple customary papers filed on his behalf on Tuesday.
The motions deal with problems like unsealing papers and gathering evidence, not Aldrich’s name, and there was no further explanation of the bizarre prefix. However the prefix “Mx.” is commonly used by individuals who believe they are non-binary.
The motivation for the shooting is still unknown.
Aldrich currently faces both murder and hate crime charges.
Hate crime charges would necessitate demonstrating that the gunman was motivated by bigotry, such as prejudice against the victims’ real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Something that could be complicated by the revelation that the alleged perpetrator believes he is non-binary.
Prosecutors have not yet filed official charges against Aldrich, though they are expected to in the very near future.
It was also disclosed Tuesday that Aldrich changed his identity as a teenager after submitting a legal petition in Texas to “defend himself” from a father with a criminal background, including domestic abuse against Aldrich’s mother.
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