On Wednesday, Edward Kelley, 36, of Maryville, Tennessee, who received a presidential pardon from Trump for his actions on January 6, 2021, was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to assassinate the law enforcement officers who investigated his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Prosecutors said Kelley also plotted to attack a FBI building in Knoxville, and that the defendant showed no remorse for his crimes.
BREAKING: Edward Kelley, 36, of Maryville, TN, has been sentenced to life in prison for plotting to murder multiple federal law enforcement officers in Tennessee. https://t.co/m6D29yPjeU pic.twitter.com/R995grTnhP
— FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) July 2, 2025
In court papers, prosecutors said Kelley “continues to believe he was justified in targeting East Tennessee law enforcement for assassination.”
In a recorded phone call from jail played at trial, Kelley said: “I’m here unjustly, man.” He added, “I’m a patriot, and I’m never ever going to apologize for trying to keep your family safe. Sometimes there’s casualties. I’m one of them.”
Trump-appointed Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg of the Justice Department’s National Security Division made the announcement regarding Kelley’s sentence.
Note: In addition to Hernandez and Kelly, at least three other pardoned Jan6 Capitol rioters “have either been apprehended by, killed by, or are on the run from police.”
Days after receiving a pardon from President Trump in January for her actions at the Capitol on Jan 6, Emily Hernandez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a fatal January 2022 DUI crash in which a woman was killed. At her sentencing, Hernandez said: “What I did was ungodly and I will live with that shame for the rest of my life.”