Testimony and evidence showed the Texas man brought an AR-15 rifle and a pistol with him on the trip to Washington. He took that pistol with him to Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, along with zip-tie style flex cuffs, a helmet, and body armor. | via NPR
This artist sketch depicts Guy Wesley Reffitt, left, and his lawyer William Welch, right, in Federal Court in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28.
After opening statements, four days of often emotional testimony, and closing arguments in a courthouse located a short walk away from the Capitol, that jury took under four hours to reach their verdict. Testimony and evidence showed that Reffitt brought an AR-15 rifle and a pistol with him on the trip. He took that pistol with him to Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, along with zip-tie style flex cuffs, a helmet, and body armor. As demonstrators approached the building, Reffitt started ascending a stairwell in front of the Capitol guarded by a handful of police officers. Those officers testified that Reffitt told them,"You can't stop us all. Let us in. Don't be a traitor.
At trial, prosecutors presented what they referred to as a"mountain of evidence." That evidence included text messages; extensive video, including some recorded by Reffitt's helmet-mounted camera on Jan. 6; a recorded Zoom meeting between Reffitt and members of his militia; as well as the audio recordings made by Jackson Reffitt.
Reffitt's criminal defense attorney, William Welch, called no witnesses, and his cross-examinations of the government's witnesses were generally brief. His opening statement lasted just three minutes.