Hunter
04/03/23
A Cedar Rapids man who traveled to Washington, D.C. to show his support for former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6 because he believed courts wouldn’t review the evidence of election fraud is due to stand trial May 1st in the nation’s capital.
The Gazette reports 37-year-old Leo Christopher Kelly’s interview with the paper after January 6th led the FBI to investigate him. Kelly also was identified through a video by The New Yorker magazine.
In the interview, Kelly said he was “caught up in the moment” when he entered the Capitol on January 6th, adding he had no malicious intent. He believed he was in the Senate chamber between 30 minutes and an hour.
About half of the 1000 people charged pleaded guilty to federal crimes. One-third of those were charged with assault, resisting or impeding police during the incident. .
In December 2021, Kelly was indicted on seven charges and pleaded not guilty. He has filed motions to have the trial moved out of Washington DC. He also claims the statements made to law enforcement weren’t voluntary and he wasn’t properly read his Miranda rights. A judge has yet to rule on those motions.
If the trial goes on as scheduled, Kelly is expected to testify in his own defense.