The misdemeanor case of the mother of Club Q shooter Anderson Aldrich may be dismissed because of her ongoing competency issues.

Laura Voepel, 47, is facing misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct after police told Voepel on Nov. 20, 2022, that her child, Aldrich, had been arrested hours earlier in connection with the Club Q mass shooting. 

Aldrich, who killed five people at the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ nightclub, pleaded guilty to 51 charges and was sentenced to 2,208 years in prison as part of a plea agreement in a state-level case. 

In June, Aldrich was sentenced to an additional 55 concurrent life sentences and 190 years in prison while accepting a plea agreement in the federal case, which included 74 charges. Notably, the possibility of the death penalty was voided by the plea agreement.

Voepel’s misdemeanor case is now more than two years old after findings by mental health professionals that she is incompetent to proceed and in need of restoration treatment. 

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On Tuesday, Voepel’s attorney, Carrie Thompson, filed a motion in court to dismiss the misdemeanor case against her client due to the continued incompetence findings. 

Thompson stated that the evaluator reported in the most recent assessment that Voepel’s mental health status was regressing despite treatment. Because the evaluator stated that it wasn’t clear when, if ever, Voepel would be restored to competency, Thompson motioned for the court to dismiss the case. 

Prosecutor Andrew Vaughan objected , arguing that Voepel’s evaluations and restorative treatment in Florida have not met the standard of Colorado law, and that Voepel remains a danger to the community. 

Voepel’s case has stalled significantly since she moved to Florida in 2023 to live with her parents. 

Vaughan continued that he has concerns over Voepel because of alleged death threats that she made about Vaughan during the evaluations. 

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Clearly frustrated, Thompson, while pacing back and forth in the courtroom, argued that the case should be dismissed Tuesday afternoon and that the prosecution’s concerns over Voepel’s mental health were “disingenuous.” 

“I don’t think he (Vaughan) has ever cared what happens to her (Voepel),” Thompson said to the court. “He would prefer she lives on the streets.”

Vaughan has argued since Voepel’s move to Florida last year that her absence has caused the case to stall, and has requested in the past to have her transported back to Colorado. 

“Nobody is trying to throw her in prison,” Vaughan said to the court on Tuesday. 

Judge Yolonda Fennick denied to rule on the motion to dismiss Tuesday, but set a hearing for Dec. 10. Fennick stated that she would hear arguments from both sides, as well as allow the evaluator to speak at the hearing. However, Fennick said she was looking at the portion of the Colorado statute that allows for dismissal of cases due to incompetency findings in which the high charge is a level two misdemeanor, such as Voepel’s. 

Voepel appeared to Tuesday’s hearing virtually from Florida. 

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