Vincent Gillespie: Massachusetts man, 61, found guilty on four charges over Jan 6 Capitol riots
CAPITOL HILL, WASHINGTON DC: Vincent Gillespie, the son of a famous American painter, was reportedly found guilty on Friday, December 23 for his participation in the protests that took place at the Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.
Gillespie, 61, was found guilty on four counts, including assaulting, obstructing, or hindering officers, causing a disturbance in a public place, using physical force in a place that was off-limits, and using physical force on Capitol property. The Associated Press interviewed Gillespie, an Athol, Massachusetts resident during the day of the attacks, and the tape was used as evidence against him in court. In the footage, a flushed Gillespie can be heard speaking angrily about his involvement in the attacks outside the Capitol. He also expressed dissatisfaction that there weren't more like-minded people present in the Capitol.
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Gillespie, who had blood on his scalp, told the Associated Press, "We were almost overpowering them. If you had like another 15, 20 guys behind us pushing I think we could have won it." Investigators claimed that Gillespie was seen pushing, yelling at, and fighting with officers guarding the building in Gillespie's video, as well as surveillance footage from the Capitol and police body cameras.
Trump fanatic Vincent Gillespie rejected a plea deal that would've gotten him 41-51 months in prison, and is instead gonna roll the dice at trial (spoiler alert: he's very likely to end up with a longer sentence). pic.twitter.com/yRAKgKnQfY
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) November 11, 2022
Gillespie allegedly used a police shield that had been given to him by an officer to ram other policemen at one point. The US Department of Justice stated that Gillespie allegedly grabbed a sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department by the arm and yanked him in the direction of the mob while yelling "traitor" and "treason."
The jury deliberated on Thursday and Friday after Gillespie gave testimony in his defense during the trial, which officially began on Monday, December 19. Gillespie testified that Jan 6 was "fun and enjoyable," according to jury forewoman Niki Christoff, 44, who spoke with the Associated Press.
Christoff cited the "overwhelming" photographic and video evidence against the man, saying, "By testifying in his own defense, I think he tried to muddy the waters and that only added to jury deliberation time." Authorities received information about Gillespie's identity from a former neighbor and Athol town employees.
Six people independently recognized him in photos taken during the protests, according to Associated Press. March 17 is the date scheduled for Gillespie's sentencing.
Who is Vincent Gillespie?
Vincent Gillespie is the offspring of postwar American artist Gregory Gillespie, whose geometric abstractions, fantasy landscapes, and self-portraits are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and other museums. His father, Gregory died in the year 2000.
Gillespie is one of over 900 people who have been arrested in nearly all 50 states in relation to the Capitol assault, during which the pro-Trump crowd attempted to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory, according to authorities.