Guy Reffitt, 1st accused Capitol rioter to stand trial, found guilty on all counts

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The jury returned the verdict after less than four hours of deliberation.

Reffitt's case, which was a major test for the Justice Department in its sprawling effort to hold accountable those who participated in the riot, was bolstered by in-person testimony from multiple witnesses including Reffitt's own son, and photo and video evidence from the day that rioters attacked the Capitol.

Reffitt is among the more than 750 people who have been charged in the Jan. 6 attack, and the jury's verdict could have an impact on hundreds of other defendants who have yet to enter into plea deals with the government. More than 200 people have already pleaded guilty to a variety of misdemeanors and felony charges, with some being sentenced to years in federal prison.

The government sought to cast Reffitt, a member of the Texas Three Percenter militia group, as a ringleader of one of the first waves of the mob that breached the Capitol from its west side. Video played by prosecutors during the trial showed Reffitt climbing a stone banister near where scaffolding had been put up in advance of President Joe Biden's inauguration, and him confronting U.S. Capitol Police officers who warned him to back down before they fired less-than-lethal ammunition and pepper spray to stop his advance.

In videos presented by the government, Reffitt is seen gesturing to the crowd behind him in what appears to be an attempt to get them to move up the stairs toward multiple entryways that lead into the building.

At one point, the prosecution played out first-person footage that Reffitt recorded with a Kodak 360-degree camera mounted on his helmet while in the crowd at the "Save America" rally prior to the attack.

"We're taking the Capitol before the day is out," Reffitt says in the video while in the crowd at the rally. "Everybody is in the same harmony on that ... dragging 'em out kicking and f***ing screaming."

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"I didn't come here to play games ... I just want to see Pelosi's head hit every f***ing stair on the way out," he says later. "I think we have the numbers to make it happen ... without firing a single shot."

The government's case also relied in part on two key witnesses: former Texas Three Percenter Rocky Hardie, who testified against Reffitt in exchange for immunity to cooperate, and Reffitt's own son Jackson, who submitted an online tip to the FBI first alerting them to his father's plans.

Jackson said that his father, growing concerned about inquiries from the FBI, had warned Jackson and his sister not to be a "traitor" and that "traitors get shot."

In a surprise move on the final day of witness testimony, the government scrapped earlier plans to call Reffitt's daughter Peyton to the stand, where she was expected to testify to her father's alleged threats.

The defense did not call any witnesses, and Reffitt himself declined to testify."...