Tennessee Man Sentenced To Life Imprisonment For Conspiring To Murder Federal, State, And Local Law Enforcement Officers And Employees

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On July 2, 2025, Edward Kelley, 36, of Maryville, Tennessee, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville.  The Court’s sentence was recommended by the applicable United States Sentencing Guidelines based on the circumstances surrounding Kelley’s crimes.

On November 20, 2024, following a three-day trial in United States District Court, a jury convicted Edward Kelley of Conspiracy to Murder Federal Employees, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1117; Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 373; and Influencing a Federal Official by Threat, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 115(a)(1)(B).

The evidence presented at trial established that Kelley developed a plan to murder law enforcement, including agents, officers, and employees of the FBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Maryville Police Department, Blount County Sheriff’s Office, and Clinton Police Department. The proof showed that Kelley developed a “kill list” of law enforcement and distributed the list – along with videos containing images of his targets – to a co-conspirator as part of his “mission.”

A cooperating defendant, who previously pleaded guilty for his role in the conspiracy, testified that he and Kelley planned attacks on the Knoxville FBI office using car bombs and incendiary devices appended to drones.  He also testified that the conspirators strategized about assassinating FBI employees in their homes and in public places such as movie theaters.

At trial, the United States introduced recordings of the defendant calling for the development of a “course of action” related to his plan.  In one such recording, the defendant gave the instructions to, among other things, “start it,” “attack,” and “take out their office” in the event of his arrest.  Kelley was recorded stating, “You don’t have time to train or coordinate, but every hit has to hurt.”  “Every hit has to hurt.”

Assistant Attorney General John. A. Eisenberg of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee; and Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey T. Arrowood and Kyle J. Wilson of the Eastern District of Tennessee prosecuted the case with the assistance of Trial Attorneys Tanya Senanayake and Jacob Warren of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

The case was investigated by the Knoxville Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  It was led by the FBI and involved the assistance of FBI offices from across the country.

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