A man from Tennessee, who was pardoned for his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, will still face life imprisonment for conspiring to kill FBI agents who were investigating him.
Edward Kelley, aged 36, received a pardon from President Donald Trump in January after being convicted of felony charges related to the Capitol breach and assaulting a police officer.
However, Kelley, a former military veteran, was later convicted in November for planning to murder 37 FBI agents by using car bombs and drones in retaliation for their investigation into his actions on Jan. 6. He was handed a life sentence on Wednesday.
Justice Department via Associated Press
During his trial, evidence emerged that Kelley had compiled a “kill list” of law enforcement officials and had recorded instructions for his co-conspirator to initiate attacks on them, as per the Justice Department.
He was quoted in a recorded phone call saying, “Every hit has to hurt.”
Kelley and his accomplice, Austin Carter, discussed plans to eliminate FBI agents and staff members using explosives and drones, as stated by the Justice Department. Their discussions included ambush scenarios at their residences or public places like movie theaters.
Carter pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in 2024 and is awaiting sentencing on Aug. 4.
The schemes were devised while Kelley was awaiting trial for his involvement in the attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Kelley was one of the first individuals to breach the Capitol, where he was captured on video throwing a Capitol Police officer to the ground while wearing a gas mask.
During his initial trial, prosecutors also highlighted that there appeared to be a gun “printing” on Kelley’s pants, although no concrete evidence was presented.
Despite being pardoned by Trump, a judge concurred with the prosecution that the pardon did not cover Kelley’s other legal issues. At his sentencing, U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan rejected a plea for Kelley’s release pending an appeal.
