Edward Kelley, a Donald Trump supporter and anti-abortion activist who was among the first rioters to breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been convicted of plotting to kill FBI special agents who investigated him. Kelley, who was also convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers during the Capitol attack, was found guilty on three additional charges in a trial in Knoxville, Tennessee. His co-defendant, Austin Carter, who pleaded guilty in November 2023, testified that they planned “to murder employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation” in December 2022. Kelley provided a list of law enforcement members who worked on his Jan. 6 case, indicating that he believed the country was heading toward civil war and wanted to strike first. During his trial in Washington on the Jan. 6 charges, prosecutors argued that Kelley had been armed, but did not conclusively prove this allegation.
Kelley, who wore a sweatshirt reading TCAPP, stood for “The Church At Planned Parenthood” during the Capitol riot, was the fourth rioter to breach the Capitol. Prosecutors said that Kelley’s wife messaged him during the attack, expressing disbelief in the news and encouraging the use of encrypted communications. Kelley will be sentenced next month for the murder plot case and in April for his Capitol case. Testimony during the trials included accounts from Carter and FBI special agents who saw the list of law enforcement members as a threat. Christopher Roddy, who tipped off the FBI, also testified during the trial.
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