Co-founders of militia group convicted of attempting to murder federal agents

Source: The Guardian/AP

Fri 8 Nov 2024 19.36 EST


Two men who co-founded a militia group have been convicted of attempting to murder federal agents ahead of a trip to Texas where they intended to shoot people attempting to cross the US-Mexico border. Jonathan S O’Dell, 34, of Warsaw, Missouri, and Bryan C Perry, 39, of Clarksville, Tennessee, also planned to shoot any federal agents who tried to stop them as they targeted migrants, according to the prosecution.

A jury at the US district court in Missouri deliberated for more than two hours before finding them guilty of more than 30 felony counts each, the chief federal prosecutor for western Missouri, Teresa Moore, announced Friday. They both face at least 10 years in prison, and possibly life.

The two men formed the 2nd Amendment Militia and then in the summer and fall of 2022 tried to recruit others to join them, prosecutors said. In September 2022, O’Dell’s home became a staging site as the two men collected firearms, ammunition, paramilitary gear and other supplies, according to the government’s evidence.

Prosecutors said Perry posted a TikTok video in September saying that their militia group was going to “go protect this country”, and another in early October saying the group would be “out huntin’”. Prosecutors said the two men viewed US Border Patrol agents as traitors for allowing immigrants to cross into Texas.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/08/border-immigration-federal-agents-militia-cofounders-criminal-convictions