Edward Kelley is an American convicted felon known for his participation in theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack, as well as subsequentlyconspiring to murder dozens of law enforcement personnel involved in investigating his role in the Capitol riot.
On January 20, 2025, the first day of thesecond presidency of Donald Trump, Kelley waspardoned along with nearly every other participant in the Capitol attack, though this did not apply to his conspiracy charges. On July 2, 2025, Kelley was sentenced tolife in prison.
On January 6, 2021, Kelley participated in theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack inWashington, D.C., an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the2021 United States Electoral College vote count certifyingJoe Biden's victory in the2020 United States presidential election. During the riot, Kelley, wearing agas mask, threw aUnited States Capitol Police (USCP) officer to the ground along with two other rioters.[5] He subsequently pushed and pulled on a metal barricade, eventually pushing past police alongside the crowd. Once outside the Senate Wing Door, Kelley used a piece of wood to smash and enter the window next to the door around 2:13 p.m. He was the fourth Capitol rioter to enter the building.[6][7] Kelley then kicked open the Senate Wing Door while inside the building. As more rioters breached the Capitol, Kelley advanced within the building and confronted USCP officerEugene Goodman, whom he chased up a flight of stairs.[8] Kelley remained in the building for approximately 40 minutes, exiting via theUnited States Capitol rotunda at 2:54 p.m.[1]
On December 16, 2022, Kelley and Austin Carter, a 26-year-old security officer from Knoxville,[4][12] were both charged withconspiracy, retaliating against a federal official, interstate communication of a threat, andsolicitation to commit acrime of violence.[13][14] Kelley was held without bond until facing trial for these charges.[10]
While awaiting trial for his January 6 charges, Kelley had developed a plan to murder various law enforcement personnel involved in investigating him, including employees of theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), theTennessee Bureau of Investigation, and theTennessee Highway Patrol. Kelley created a "kill list" of 37 law enforcement members and distributed it to a co-conspirator, who later pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and testified that he and Kelley had planned attacks on the FBI's field office inKnoxville, Tennessee, usingcar bombs andincendiary devices attached to drones. The co-conspirator also testified that they had strategizedassassinating FBI employees in their homes and in public places. In one recording, Kelley gave instructions to "take out their office" and "recruit as many as you can" in the event of his arrest,[15][16] stating: "You don't have time to train or coordinate, but every hit has to hurt."[17][18][19]
On November 20, 2024, following a three-day trial, Kelley was convicted ofconspiracy to murder federal employees, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, and influencing a federal official by threat;[20][21] the jury required just one hour ofdeliberation.[22] Kelley's sentencing was set for May 7, 2025.[23][24] Federal prosecutors sought a sentence oflife in prison for Kelley, citing his lack ofremorse.[25][26] Although Kelley argued that Trump's blanket pardon of January 6 defendants also applied to his conspiracy charges,[27] both theUnited States Department of Justice and U.S. District JudgeThomas A. Varlan ruled against this.[28][29][30][31] Varlan also denied Kelley's motion for a new trial due to insufficient evidence.[32]
On July 2, 2025, Varlan sentenced Kelley to life in prison.[33] His request to be released pending anappeal was denied.[34][35] Kelley's co-conspirator, Austin Carter, also faced a life sentence, though he accepted aplea agreement with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.[36] On August 4, 2025, Carter was sentenced to eight years in prison.[37]
