Key takeaways:
- Detective Rebecca Joines testified that Anderson Lee Aldrich had run a neo-Nazi website, used racial slurs, posted an image of a rifle scope trained on a gay pride parade, and used a homophobic slur.
- The three-day trial will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed with hate crime charges against Aldrich.
- If Aldrich is found guilty of hate crime charges, he could face up to life in prison.
On the first day of a three-day trial to determine if hate crime charges should be brought against Anderson Lee Aldrich, Detective Rebecca Joines of the Colorado Springs Police Department testified that the 22-year-old suspect had run a neo-Nazi website, used racial slurs while gaming online, posted an image of a rifle scope trained on a gay pride parade, and used a homophobic slur when referring to someone who was gay.
The trial is in response to a mass shooting that occurred last November at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, which left five people dead. Xavier Kraus, a former neighbor and friend of Aldrich, told NBC News in an exclusive interview last year that an FBI agent had asked him about two websites at an FBI field office in Colorado Springs.
The three-day trial will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed with hate crime charges against Aldrich. The prosecution is expected to call several witnesses to testify, including a computer forensic expert, a firearms expert, and a mental health expert.
The trial is being held in the 4th Judicial District Court in Colorado Springs. If Aldrich is found guilty of hate crime charges, he could face up to life in prison. The trial is expected to conclude on Friday.
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