A Tennessee rioter from January 6 who was convicted last week of bursting into the US Capitol and attacking police officers was today found guilty again of planning to murder the FBI investigators who looked into him.
Following a three-day trial, Edward Kelley, 33, was found guilty once more on Wednesday, this time in the Eastern District of Tennessee, of conspiring to kill federal employees, soliciting to commit a violent crime, and influencing a federal official by threat, according to the Department of Justice. He will be sentenced in May, just over a month after being sentenced in his case in Washington, D.C., for his involvement in the attacks on January 6, 2021.
After reportedly storming the Capitol building and striking a police officer, Kelley was found guilty of three crimes in that D.C. case: civil disorder, one count of destroying government property worth more than $1,000, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officials. DOJ authorities said evidence presented at his trial in Knoxville this week demonstrated how he planned to kill police enforcement while his trial and D.C. charges were still ongoing.
According to the prosecution, Kelley created a kill list of FBI personnel and agents who were investigating him and his actions on January 6 and gave it to conspirators along with pictures of the targets. They explained how Kelley discussed and planned assassination missions with others for each of his targets.
In reference to co-defendant Austin Carter, who entered a guilty plea in November, DOJ officials said Wednesday that a cooperating defendant, who had previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy, testified that he and Kelley planned attacks on the Knoxville FBI Field Office using car bombs and incendiary devices attached to drones. Additionally, he stated that the conspirators planned to kill FBI personnel in public settings like movie theaters and their houses.
According to DOJ officials, Kelley was arrested by the FBI-led Knoxville Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is made up of federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations. Prosecutors aired recordings of Kelley discussing a plan of action for his murderous schemes during his trial, using words like “start it,” “attack,” and “take out their office,” according to officials.
In one recording, Kelley stated, “Every hit has to hurt.” Each blow must be painful.
According to the DOJ, Kelley may get a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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