Aaron Brink is a former mixed martial arts fighter and adult film performer with the stage name “Dick Delaware” who is the father of accused Colorado Springs mass shooter Anderson Aldrich.
Anderson Lee Aldrich was born Nicholas Brink. Heavy has confirmed the name change via public records in Texas. The case was filed in Bexar County, Texas, because Aldrich, then 15, was living in San Antonio, where Aldrich’s mother Laura Voepel had moved, at the time. Aldrich was also known as “Nick Brink” before the name change with the full name of Nicholas Franklin Brink.
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, a New York Times reporter, wrote on Twitter, “In new court filing, public defenders for the suspect in the mass shooting at a Colorado gay club that left 5 people dead say that their client is non-binary and that ‘they use they/them pronouns.’ The lawyers refer to their client as Mx. Anderson Aldrich.”
Aldrich’s dad has a colorful and checkered history that includes crystal meth addiction, mixed martial arts, porn, and time in prison. The name change petition, obtained by the Denver Gazette, and written by Aldrich’s maternal grandmother Pamela Pullen, reads, “minor wishes to protect himself and his future from any connections to birth father and his criminal history. Father has had no contact with minor for several years.” ”
Texas court recordsAnderson Aldrich court record
The name change was filed in April 2016 in the 37th District Court. The case summary reads “Nicholas F. Brink to Anderson L Aldrich.” The judge granted the change, the court records say.
Anderson Lee Aldrich is the suspect accused of perpetrating a mass shooting at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The November 19, 2022, attack left five dead and 19 injured, including 17 who suffered gunshot wounds, police said.
The shooter entered the nightclub with a long rifle and opened fire inside just before midnight, Colorado Springs Police Lieutenant Pamela Castro said in an early morning news conference on November 20. Aldrich was subdued by heroic patrons, who were credited with saving lives, Castro said. One disarmed the suspect and beat Aldrich with Aldrich’s own gun, according to NPR.
In an interview with CBS 8, Brink, said he thought his son had committed suicide and hadn’t seen him for years.
“I was a porn star. I became a porno star in 2002,” he said. “My ex, she took off.”
He said he hadn’t seen his son for years.
He found out recently that Aldrich didn’t kill himself and lived in Colorado. “His mother told me this. He killed himself because I’m an embarrassment to him.”
Brink said he also has a daughter. “He’s been accused of doing some crazy thing… something involving a gay bar… I don’t know what the heck he did in a gay bar.”
The reporter said he was accused of going on a mass shooting.
“Ok well, sh**…He’s not gay,” was Brink’s response. “…I didn’t expect to hear this kind of stuff.”
Brink said his son wanted to see him last year.
Here’s what you need to know about Aaron Brink, Anderson Aldrich’s Father:
1. Brink & Aldrich’s Mother, Laura Voepel, Were Divorced the Year After Aldrich Was Born; Brink Spent Time in Federal Prison on a Marijuana Smuggling Offense
FacebookLaura Voepel
Who is Anderson Lee Aldrich’s father?
Aaron Brink, according to The Washington Post, which said Brink and Aldrich’s mom Laura Voepel Brink were divorced in 2001, a year after Aldrich was born, in Orange, California. At the time of the name change, Voepel’s mother, Pamela Pullen, was listed as Aldrich’s legal guardian, the Denver Gazette reported.
The Gazette reported that Nicholas Brink chose the name Anderson Lee Aldrich because Aldrich liked the initials “ALA.”
Online records reviewed by Heavy show that Brink, now 48, still lives in California. Aldrich was living in Colorado Springs, where Aldrich’s mom had moved, at the time of the mass shooting.
According to MMA Junkie, Aaron Brink “grew up in Huntington Beach, Calif., as the son of a blue-collar worker when blue-collar workers could still make it in Huntington Beach.” He loved surfing but turned to wrestling because his dad did not find surfing athletic enough, the site reports.
“He was kicked out of Huntington High for fighting, and from 1989-92, he was in and out of juvenile hall eight times for different issues,” MMA Junkie reports.
The site adds, “Brink was arrested for smuggling marijuana from Mexico to the United States and was sentenced to time at Federal Correctional Institution Terminal Island.” That federal case dates to 1993.
In 2016, Brink ran afoul with the law again, according to a police report in Rocklin. It reads:
At about 6:37 pm, Rocklin Police responded to a theft in progress where the suspect was reported to have be in possession of a firearm. Officers arrived and located the suspect vehicle in the area of Lonetree Boulevard and Sandhill Way. The vehicle was occupied by two occupants who were both detained. Officers discovered one occupant, Aaron Brink was in violation of parole from Southern California and was under the influence of a controlled substance. The second occupant, Anthony Dickerson was found to be in possession of burglary tools. Both suspects were arrested and booked into the Placer County Jail.
2. Brink Was an Adult Film Performer Under the Name ‘Dick Delaware’ Who Became Addicted to Crystal Meth
PoliceAaron Brink
Brink appeared in a 2009 episode of the television show “Intervention.”
The episode caption reveals his porn name was “Dick Delaware.”
“Aaron was a mixed martial arts champion, but at the height of his career he started working in porn under the name ‘Dick Delaware,'” it reads. “Through the porn scene, Aaron was introduced to crystal meth. His daily habit took over and he lost both his porn and fighting careers. He now spends his days using drugs and watching porn for hours on end, and his wife is at the end of her rope.”
MMA Junkie explains that Brink started doing porn at age 27.
“I met this porn producer,” Brink told the site. “I was f****** around with some girls at a party, and he noticed I was very gifted. He said, ‘Man, you’re a goddamn pro. If you get a test, I’ll put you in a scene.’”
A 2007 profile of “Dick Delaware” on XBiz, calls him “an uneasy ball of anger”:
Delaware was grooming himself for a future clash with another professional gladiator when I first made his acquaintance that night. He was stewing in a bad mix of speed and juice, an uneasy ball of anger who at any given second could uncurl and unleash massive waves of unpredictable thunder on me or anyone naïve enough to stick around.
3. By 2009, Brink Had 21 Victories & 18 Losses in the Mixed Martial Arts Cage
InstagramAaron Brink
Brink’s Instagram page indicates he is involved in mixed martial arts (MMA).
According to a 2009 article by MMA Junkie, he was “notable both in the cage for his 21 victories and 18 losses (including appearances in the UFC and WEC and an early-career fight against Rich Franklin that ended in a no-contest).”
According to MMA Junkie, Brink’s MMA career started in 1998, four years after he was released from prison in 1994.
“Nobody wanted to take a chance on me,” Brink said to the site. “A lot of people saw the show and knew I had gotten into porn and become drug-addicted, so I burned a lot of bridges in the King of the Cage, where I did a couple no-shows, and some other places.”
Brink’s most recent Instagram post promotes a “Cage Wars” fight at an Alpine, California casino.
In 2018, Brink posted a photo showing him with championship belts and wrote on Instagram, “MA at Undisputed City Heights Mon&Wed at 5pm after the kids class.Sat 4pm. Fight camp and privates available.619 869 0945.”
He only has 151 followers on Instagram and a few posts, though. Some of his posts show that he has moved on to a new relationship.
4. Brink Appeared on an Episode of ‘Divorce Court,’ Where His Ex Wife Called Him a ‘Liar’ & a ‘Thief’
Aaron and Vanessa Brink appeared on an episode of “Divorce Court” in 2011.
“Two former adult stars, Aaron and Vanessa, have had a rocky marriage and now Vanessa is done. Aaron wishes that she could see him not as he was, but as he is today: clean and sober, with a career in Mixed Martial Arts, and still very much in love with her,” the YouTube caption reads.
In the show, Brink says, “We had our arrangement.”
“It was him taking my credit card and taking my car and stealing $300 every day he wanted to go use crystal meth,” Vanessa said.
Both were in the adult entertainment industry, but Brink admitted that his addiction to drugs torpedoed the four-year marriage, the show’s promotional video says.
“He broke our marriage. He’s a drug addict, a liar and a thief, and he used me,” Vanessa said in the video, which is still available on YouTube.
5. Aldrich Had a Troubled Childhood After the Parents’ Divorce
FacebookAnderson Aldrich and his mom Laura Voepel
The Washington Post was first to report Aldrich’s name change. According to the Post, Aldrich, now 22, sought a name change due to online bullying at age 15.
The Washington Post reported that Aldrich had a “tumultuous past,” growing up Nicholas Brink in San Antonio, Texas. Aldrich’s mother, Laura Voepel, was arrested for “suspected arson” when Aldrich was 12, although she was convicted of a lesser charge, The Post reported. That case, Heavy has documented, is also in Bexar County, Texas.
Court recordsLaura Voepel court record in Texas
In 2013, she had a charge recorded for criminal mischief.
“At age 15, he became the target of a particularly vicious bout of online bullying in which insulting accusations were posted to a website, along with his name, photos and online aliases,” The Post reported of then Nicholas Brink, adding that a YouTube account under the Nick Brink name featured “a crude, profanity-laden animation under the title, ‘Asian homosexual gets molested.'”
That is the only social media account to be verified for Aldrich.
Online records show Aldrich living at an apartment complex address in Colorado Springs. Online records indicate Aldrich shares that address with his mother, Laura Voepel, 44, who works as a support engineer and previously lived in California.
On Aldrich’s birthday, Laura Voepel wrote on Facebook, “My boys 15 birthday! He got head to toe (6’3″) ghillie military suit ànd he is surfing cloud 9.” She tagged her mother, Pamela Pullen, in the post.
Facebook posts made by Laura Voepel reveal that Aldrich had been dealing with mental health issues. She posted often about Aldrich in a Facebook group for women involved in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Colorado Springs area.
In one post in July 2021, she asked for help finding a criminal defense attorney: “Hello Sisters. Does anyone know of a fantastic defense attorney? I ask this with a heavy heart but my family really needs some help at this time. We have cash to retain good counsel. Thank you.” Her post about needing a criminal defense attorney came just after her son was arrested.
In February 2022, she wrote, “Hello Sisters. Can anyone please recommend a great trauma/ptsd therapist?” and indicated it was for a 21-year-old, which Aldrich then was. She asked in May 2022, “Can anybody refer my son to a private boxing coach? He’s 6’6” tall and hits like a freight train. Cannot find a good gym or anyone serious. He has made huge life changes and needs this!”
In 2021, she wrote, “Does anyone have an extra heavy duty fan they would like to donate to my son? He’s in University Village Apartments and it’s 80 degrees in his apartment and no fan. They put in a new ac but it doesn’t blow any air out. I swear they need to clean those ducts. He doesn’t have any cash so thought I’d ask you. Thanks all! 🙏👍🏻😊”
In Colorado Springs, the police chief told the assembled media that Aldrich, 22, had entered the gay nightclub and opened fire.
“The suspect entered Club Q and immediately began shooting people inside,” Vasquez said. At least two “heroic people confronted” and stopped Aldrich from being able to harm others, the chief said. The FBI was on the scene and police were still working to identify the victims who had died, he said. Aldrich used a long rifle, he said.
Heavy has confirmed that Aldrich is the grandson of outgoing California Republican State Assemblymember Randy Voepel, the former mayor of Santee, California. Voepel represents the 71st District in the San Diego area. There were calls to expel Voepel from the state Assembly after he made comments comparing the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol to the Revolutionary War. Aldrich’s mother, Laura Voepel, has written posts praising Randy Voepel on Facebook and confirming he is her father.
“This is Lexington and Concord. First shots fired against tyranny,” Randy Voepel, who was defeated in a Republican primary in August 2022, said in a San Diego Union-Tribune article three days after January 6. “Tyranny will follow in the aftermath of the Biden swear-in on January 20th.” According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Voepel “later tweeted that he condemned violence and lawlessness.” Voepel and his office did not immediately respond to requests for comments from Heavy.
Randy Voepel was defeated after redistricting forced two Republicans to run against each other. Heavy has reached out to numerous members of Voepel’s office to seek comment from him, including his chief of staff.
Disturbing video first obtained by Daily Mail shows Aldrich live streaming a standoff with police in 2021, when Aldrich was accused of threatening to detonate a bomb. The charges ended up being dropped for no clear reason. “This is your boy, I’ve got the f****** s**theads outside. F****** s**theads got their f****** rifles out. If they breach I’m [going to] blow it to holy hell. Come on in boys, let’s f****** see it!” Aldrich said in the video, wearing a ballistic vest.
Video of Anderson Lee Aldrich last year live-streaming his standoff with police after threatening to blow up the house his mother was in. #ColoradoSprings
Aldrich was arrested in 2021 after Laura Voepel reported to police he was threatening to harm her with a homemade bomb and multiple weapons, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado Springs. Aldrich was arrested after a standoff and charged with five felonies, according to a press release at the time. But he was not prosecuted, records show. The El Paso County district attorney has not commented on why the case was dropped.