Utah man who recorded fatal Jan. 6 Capitol shooting sentenced to 6 years

A Utah man who recorded himself inciting violence and breaking a window before filming the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt outside the House chamber during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack was sentenced Friday to six years in prison.

John Earle Sullivan, 29, was paid $90,875 for his videos before he was convicted at trial. A jury found him guilty in November of rioting and obstructing Congress’s certification of the 2020 election results, both felonies, and of five misdemeanor counts.

Prosecutors said Sullivan was a self-described activist with anarchist views who brought a tactical vest, a gas mask, a megaphone and a knife to the riot. Seeking a prison term of a little more than seven years, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebekah Lederer and Michael Barclay said Sullivan “shared a desire to see the government burn” and the vote certification stopped.

Defense attorney Steven Kiersh said Sullivan was born in Virginia, was adopted by a now-retired Army lieutenant colonel and his wife, and moved with them to Utah, where he trained to be an Olympic speed skater before injuries stopped him. Kiersh cited more than a dozen letters from friends and family who described Sullivan as “much different” than what the jury saw. The attorney wrote that Sullivan “led an admirable and a caring life in which he displayed a sense of responsibility, a commitment to his family, friends and community and an individual who tried to enhance the lives of those around him.”


https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/04/26/john-sullivan-sentenced-jan-6/