Federal Prosecutors Seek Life Sentence for Edward Kelley in FBI Murder Plot
January 6 Defendant Faces Life for Conspiring to Kill Law Enforcement
Federal prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for Edward Kelley, a January 6 defendant convicted in November 2024 of conspiring to murder FBI agents and law enforcement officers who investigated him. Kelley unsuccessfully argued that a presidential pardon for his January 6 charges should cover this separate case.
In a sentencing memorandum filed June 17, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the Department of Justice detailed Kelley’s December 2022 plot to kill 36 federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel. The 43-year-old created a “kill list” with names, titles, and phone numbers of officers involved in his May 2022 arrest or the search of his home. Prosecutors stated, “Kelley is remorseless and has shown neither capacity nor desire to rehabilitate,” viewing his actions as a “patriot’s” duty.
Kelley’s plan included attacking the FBI’s Knoxville office with vehicle- and drone-mounted explosives. On December 14, 2022, believing arrest was imminent, he instructed co-conspirators to “start it” and “take out their office.” Using the encrypted app Signal, Kelley coordinated via a “Be Prepared” chat group, assigning roles to co-conspirators Austin Carter and Christopher Roddy, conducting combat training, and distributing weapons standards.
Testimony from Carter confirmed Kelley’s intent, stating he had “no doubts” the listed officers would have been killed if not for their arrests. While in custody, Kelley justified his actions in recorded calls, comparing himself to Revolutionary War colonists and dismissing the jury as “idiots.”
The investigation also uncovered child sexual abuse material on Kelley’s laptop, with forensic evidence showing he accessed 113 folders consistent with child pornography from 2020 to 2022 and attempted to delete some files.
Kelley faces a life sentence based on a total offense level of 43 and Criminal History Category VI for charges including conspiracy to murder federal employees and solicitation to commit a crime of violence. His January 6 pardon does not apply to these Tennessee charges.
Sentencing is set for July 2, 2025, before Judge Thomas Varlan. Prosecutors argue a life sentence is necessary to protect the public from Kelley, who continues to view law enforcement as targets.
Read the full order: HERE