First trial for Capitol rioter ends with conviction by jurors

A Texas man has been convicted of storming the US Capitol in Washington DC with a holstered handgun, a milestone victory for federal prosecutors in the first trial among hundreds of cases arising from last year’s riot.

A jury also convicted Guy Wesley Reffitt of interfering with police officers who were guarding the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and of obstructing justice for threatening his two teenage children if they reported him to law enforcement after the attack.

The verdict could be a bellwether for many other Capitol riot cases.

It could give Justice Department prosecutors more leverage in plea negotiations and discourage other defendants from gambling on trials of their own.

Reffitt, 49, of Wylie, Texas, did not testify at his trial, which started last Wednesday.