Marine Veteran Sentenced to Life for Conspiring to Kill FBI Agents After Capitol Riot

A military veteran and convicted Jan. 6 rioter received a life sentence on Wednesday for conspiring to bomb an FBI office and target law enforcement officers in revenge for his arrest during the Capitol attack, according to court records.

Edward Kelley, hailing from Maryvale, Tennessee, was one of the initial individuals to break into the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Almost two years later, authorities revealed that Kelley collaborated with another individual, Austin Carter, to employ makeshift explosives targeting the FBI office in Knoxville, with the intent to harm officers connected to his 2022 apprehension.

Kelley faced a conviction last November from a federal judge in Washington on 11 counts associated with the Capitol attack. However, before the sentencing, he received a pardon from then-President Donald Trump. 

In a recent ruling, U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan determined that Trump's pardon does not cover Kelley’s new conspiracy charges in Tennessee, emphasizing that the offenses were “separated by years and miles.”

Prosecutors contended that Kelley posed a significant danger, asserting that he “considers his role as a self-proclaimed ‘patriot’ necessitated him to aim for the assassination of law enforcement in East Tennessee.” Kelley reportedly compiled a list of 36 officers targeted for assassination, referring to it as their initial “mission,” and underwent training with Carter in preparation for the assault.

In light of Kelley's assertion that the conversations fell under the umbrella of protected free speech and were devoid of specific planning, prosecutors highlighted encrypted communications and Carter’s statements indicating that the individuals had plans to execute the attacks.

Kelley, a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was captured on video on January 6 participating in the attack on a Capitol officer and vandalizing windows. He was incarcerated in December 2022 and has been in detention ever since. Carter, his co-conspirator, entered a guilty plea earlier this year and is set to be sentenced in August.

Kelley’s attorney, Mark Brown, contended that the punishment was disproportionate, asserting that his client caused no harm to anyone. 

In a decisive move, Judge Varlan ruled in favor of the prosecution, imposing a life sentence on Kelley and rejecting his request for release pending appeal.

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