Edward Kelley, a Capitol riot defendant, will spend the rest of his life in prison for plotting to murder FBI agents who investigated his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection—despite receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump for his earlier charges.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan handed down a life sentence to Kelley in a Knoxville, Tennessee courtroom. The 2021 Capitol rioter was convicted in November of conspiracy to murder federal employees, solicitation to commit violence, and attempting to retaliate against government officials through threats.
Though Trump issued a sweeping pardon in January for over 1,500 individuals tied to the Capitol riot—including Kelley—the Justice Department clarified that the pardon did not cover Kelley’s separate plot to assassinate law enforcement officials. A federal judge agreed, ruling the pardon did not shield Kelley from prosecution for this later conspiracy.
According to federal prosecutors, Kelley was “remorseless” and posed an ongoing threat, showing no signs of rehabilitation. In their sentencing memo, they described him as someone who believed his actions were not only justified but necessary—claiming he saw himself as a “patriot” with a duty to eliminate law enforcement officials.
“Kelley committed serious and violent crimes aimed at one goal: the murder of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers,” prosecutors wrote.
They detailed how Kelley had organized a self-styled militia, conducted paramilitary training exercises, and created plans to bomb the FBI’s Knoxville field office. He compiled a “kill list” of FBI agents and gave the command to begin attacks with the chilling directive: “Start it… every hit has to hurt.”
Kelley’s defense team argued that no one was physically harmed, and no specific individual had been directly threatened, contending that a life sentence was excessive. They claimed Kelley should not be equated with terrorists who had caused mass casualties.
Still, prosecutors said the intent and planning behind the assassination plot were unmistakable and warranted the harshest penalty.
Kelley’s co-conspirator, Austin Carter, who pleaded guilty to his role in the murder plot, is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
