Man convicted of plotting to kill agents investigating his role on Jan. 6

A convicted Jan. 6 rioter has now been found guilty of planning to kill federal agents who were investigating his role in the Capitol attack.

Edward Kelley, 35, was convicted Wednesday by a jury of Tennesseans of conspiracy to murder federal employees, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and influencing a federal official by threat following a three-day trial. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison at sentencing in May.

Federal prosecutors said Kelley developed a “kill list” of FBI agents and others who participated in the investigation into his conduct on Jan. 6, hatching a plan to murder them while awaiting trial in his Capitol attack case. 

A defendant who pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors testified that he and Kelley plotted attacks on the FBI field office in Knoxville, Tenn., using car bombs and explosives attached to drones, according to the Justice Department. They also discussed assassinating FBI employees in their homes or public places, like movie theatres.

Prosecutors showed a recording at trial of Kelley stating "every hit has to hurt."

In a statement, FBI Director Christopher Wray called threats against federal agents "reprehensible and dangerous."

 "The FBI will never tolerate violent threats against our workforce or any of our colleagues in law enforcement and will continue our work to ensure they are held accountable," he said. 

In his Capitol riot case, Kelley was convicted of 11 counts following a two-day bench trial, including obstructing law enforcement officers during a civil disorder; assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or ground.

He was the fourth person to enter the Capitol that day and was part of the mob that chased U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up a flight of stairs while searching for members of Congress certifying the 2020 presidential election results, in which President Biden prevailed against President-elect Trump, according to court filings.

Kelley will be sentenced in that case in April.

Updated at 10:34 a.m. EST