A Maryville man convicted of plotting to take the lives of FBI employees in Knoxville is pushing for his case to be dismissed, standing because his pardon for the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection should cover the charges he faces. As reported by WVLT. Edward Kelley, 35, was partaking in the Capitol breach when he was convicted on charges including destruction of government property and obstructing police officers. However, this was not the limit of his legal troubles, having been found guilty also of hatching a murder plot against the Knoxville FBI office while awaiting trial for his actions on January 6, 2021.
In an unusual twist to the case, Kelley's defense has filed a motion claiming that the pardon issued by former President Donald Trump last Monday should extend to the murder plotting charges because they were inextricably tied to his conduct during the Capitol riots, with Trump's blanket pardon covering all offenses related to" January 6, per the details shared by WBIR. A quote from the motion filed by Kelley's defense attorney, Mark E. Brown, states, "In this instance there can be no dispute that Kelley's case in this court is related to the events of January 6th and is covered by the president's executive action."
Kelley's strategy hinges on the idea that his case against the FBI, which included drafting a "kill list" complete with plans for car bombs and drone attacks, was spurred by the federal indictment he faced after the D.C. insurrection, illustrating the supposed link between the crimes by showing how Kelley only pursued the FBI murder plot after being indicted for his involvement in January 6 incidents; according to an interview with defense attorney Brown detailed by WBIR.
