Opening statements got underway Wednesday in the case of the first alleged Jan. 6 rioter to bring his case to trial.
On Jan. 6, 2021, pro-Trump rioters broke into the U.S. Capitol. The attack resulted in deaths, injuries, more than 700 arrests and former President Donald Trump's second impeachment.Opening statements got underway Wednesday in the case of a Texas man charged with participating in theon the U.S. Capitol and later threatening his family members if they reported him to law enforcement.
"The evidence in this case will show that the defendant attacked the Capitol on the afternoon of January 6 precisely because Congress was meeting in a joint session," assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler told the court."At that time, he planned to light a match that would start the fire. He wanted to stop Congress from doing its job.
In his brief opening statement, Reffitt's attorney, William Welch III, said there was no evidence showing Reffitt assaulted anyone and that Reffitt's statements to his family and others amounted to little more than hyperbole."Guy does brag, he exaggerates, and he rants -- he uses a lot of hyperbole and that upsets people," Welch said."The evidence will show that this case was a rush to judgment.
Judge Dabney Friedrich acknowledged that"virtually every juror" would have some view of the assault on the Capitol, but said the goal of the jury selection was to find residents who could legitimately separate their personal feelings about the attack from the question of Reffitt's guilt or innocence.
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