Edward Kelley, a 35-year-old man from Maryville, Tennessee, has been convicted by a federal jury on serious charges including conspiracy to murder FBI employees and solicitation to commit violence. The conviction comes as a culmination of a multifaceted investigation by the Knoxville Joint Terrorism Task Force and punctuates an intense three-day trial in the Eastern District of Tennessee. The case is one in a string of post-January 6 events that have traced the outlines of a dark and insidious plot against those upholding federal law, as per the U.S. Department of Justice.
During the trial, prosecutors presented compelling evidence that Kelley, who was already entangled in legal proceedings due to his prior involvement with the January 6 Capitol breach, had escalated his resistance to a lethal scheme targeting law enforcement. He had crafted what the prosecution described as a "kill list" consisting of FBI agents active in his Jan. 6 case investigation, this list would then be disseminated, along with incendiary videos of the targeted agents, to a fellow conspirator who was roped into Kelley's lethal “mission”. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, tactics for this mission included the use of car bombs and drones affixed with incendiary devices targeting FBI offices, and plots for assassination in both private and public spaces.
A co-conspirator, now a cooperating defendant, provided testimony that corroborated the existence of this conspiracy and Kelley's proactive role in it. The Justice Department's report revealed that Kelley went so far as to instruct associates to “start it,” “attack,” and to “take out their office” should he be arrested, emphasizing that "Every hit has to hurt. Every hit has to hurt." This chilling command was captured on recordings used in court, according to the same press release.
Convicted on three counts, Kelley now awaits sentencing, scheduled for May 7, 2025, where he faces the possibility of life imprisonment for his actions, the Department of Justice has his fate detailing a maximum penalty of life in prison for his crimes. Kelvin's case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey T. Arrowood, Kyle J. Wilson, and trial attorneys from the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section, as the Knoxville Joint Terrorism Task Force, encompassing federal, state and local agencies, spearheaded the investigation with nationwide FBI cooperation.
