Delaware natives Kevin Seefried and his adult son, Hunter, are facing a felony obstruction charge and several misdemeanor offenses from their participation in the Capitol riot on January 6. They entered the building through a broken window.
The pair, who were seen carrying a Confederate flag during the insurrection, had intentions of stopping Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory, according to prosecutors.
The trial ended Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden—not a jury— will decide their fate. McFadden didn’t hand out a verdict from the bench after the attorneys’ closing arguments. They will return to court on Wednesday afternoon.
Lawyers for the Seefrieds claimed they had no plans to interrupt the joint session for Congress to certify the Electoral College vote when they stormed the Capitol. Eugene Ohm, who is part of Kevin Seefried’s defense, said there was a difference between those who trespassed and those who entered the Capitol to interfere with Congress.
Ohm said prosecutors have “sometimes blurred” that distinction. Edson Bostic, Hunter Seefried’s attorney, remarked that prosecutors are requesting McFadden to “take a lot of leaps” without evidence that his client intended to stop the vote count on Jan. 6.
“No one said that he was angry,” Bostic said. “No one said that he was hostile or aggressive in his interaction with the Capitol police.” Neither one of the defendants testified at their trial.
The Seefrieds traveled from Laurel, Delaware to Washington to hear Trump’s speech at the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6. They were some of the first rioters to go to the Senate Wing Door, prosecutors said. More than 300 other defendants have pled guilty to riot crimes, which consists mostly of misdemeanors.
Around one hundred people who participated in the insurrection have trial dates in 2022 or 2023.