(AP) — Two men who co-founded a militia group have been convicted of attempting to murder federal agents ahead of a planned trip to the Texas-Mexico border to shoot at immigrants illegally crossing there and any federal agents who might try to stop them.
A jury at the U.S. District Court in the Missouri state capital of Jefferson City found Jonathan S. O’Dell, 34, of Warshaw, Missouri, and Bryan C. Perry, 39, of Clarksville, Tennessee, guilty of more than 30 felony counts each, the chief federal prosecutor for western Missouri, Teresa Moore, announced Friday. The convictions Thursday came after jurors deliberated for more than two hours.
O’Dell’s attorney, Jonathan Truesdale, declined comment, but Perry’s attorney, Thomas Kirsch, said his client plans to appeal the verdict. Kirsch said Perry is disappointed in the verdict but said he is grateful for jurors’ dedication and the opportunity to exercise “his fundamental right” of trial by jury.
“My client has a deep love and passion for our country and the values it stands for and what the Constitution stands for, including his right to a trial by jury,” Kirsch said.