A teenager who turned in his gun-toting father for taking part in the Capitol riots on January 6 last year has branded his dad a '...
A teenager who turned in his gun-toting father for taking part in the Capitol riots on January 6 last year has branded his dad a 'psycho' while voicing his fears that he is becoming even more 'radicalized' while awaiting his trial date in jail.
Guy Reffitt, 48, from Wylie, Texas, stormed the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to obstruct the process of certifying President Joe Biden’s victory.
Afterwards, he threatened his own wife and kids, telling them he would shoot them if they turned him to the authorities. However, he was later arrested after his son, Jackson, 19, contacted the FBI.
Now, his son has spoken out about the decision to turn over his father in an interview with Vice News, admitting that the incident has completely torn apart his family, and forced him to cut off all contact with his relatives.
A teen who turned in his gun-toting father for taking part in the Capitol riots last year has branded his dad a 'psycho' and voiced his fears he is being even more 'radicalized' in jail
Guy Reffitt, 48, from Wylie, Texas, stormed the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to obstruct the process of certifying President Joe Biden’s victory
Afterwards, he threatened his own wife and kids, telling them he would shoot them if they turned him to the authorities. Guy is pictured with his family before the insurrection
He was later arrested after his son, Jackson, 19, contacted the FBI. Guy is pictured before the insurrection
After attending former President Donald Trump's Stop the Steal rally in front of the White House last January, Guy marched to the Capitol building alongside other pro-Trump supporters — armed with a pistol.
Vice News reported that he allegedly charged at police officers with such force that they had to fire projectiles and use pepper spray to hold him back.
According to court documents, he told his family afterwards, 'If you turn me in, you’re a traitor, and you know what happens to traitors… Traitors get shot.'
However, Jackson had already spoken to the FBI. Guy was arrested 10 days later — on January 16 — and was charged with attacking a Capitol Police officer, bringing a weapon onto Capitol grounds, and obstructing the process of certifying the President’s victory, as well as threatening his own children.
After turning his dad in, Jackson was forced to leave his family home and is no longer on speaking terms with his mom, Nicole, and his two sisters, Peyton, 18, and Sarah, 24.
Jackson doesn't regret what he did, however, after Guy wrote a letter from jail in May, he became worried that his dad was becoming even more radicalized behind bars.
In the letter, which was published by Propublica, he said he had bonded with fellow rioters while in jail, and made it clear that he still stood by the events that transpired on January 6.
Now, his son (pictured in January 2021) admitted that his decision to turn in his father has completely torn apart his family, and forced him to cut off all contact with his relatives
Last January, Guy marched to the Capitol building alongside other pro-Trump supporters - armed with a pistol - where he allegedly charged at police officers. He is pictured at the riot
Jackson was then forced to leave his home and is no longer speaking to his mom, Nicole, and his sisters, Peyton, 18, and Sarah, 24. The family is pictured before the insurrection
Jackson doesn't regret what he did, however, after Guy (pictured before the insurrection) wrote a letter from jail, he became worried that he was becoming more radicalized behind bars
'It was pretty disgusting to read that,' Jackson told the outlet, referring to the letter. 'I mean like it’s psycho stuff.
'Honestly, it made me feel worse about my decision, only because I feel like I pushed him in a more extreme direction. I made him more enthusiastic about what he’s done.'
According to Jackson, he made the decision to leave home after the insurrection because he 'knew at some point he would be either kicked out or pushed out in some sort of way.'
He originally stayed with his girlfriend but began getting threats and went into hiding at a hotel.
He was eventually able to get his own apartment, after speaking out about his situation through various news outlets, like CNN, and raising money through a GoFundMe account.
He raised more than $150,000 in total, and used some of it to cover rent and the rest to fund his education; he is now studying political science in a local community college.
As for the rest of his family — Guy's wife, Nicole, said she fully supports her husband's decision to storm the Capitol and believes he is now a 'political prisoner.'
She also said she loves her son and doesn’t blame him for what he did, telling Vice News, 'We're all a little bit broken right now.'
Sarah and Peyton, on the other hand, don't agree with their dad's actions on January 6, but they don't think he deserves to be in jail any longer.
Guy's wife, Nicole, said she fully supports her husband's decision to storm the Capitol and believes he is now a 'political prisoner.' They are pictured before the insurrection
Sarah and Peyton don't agree with their dad's actions, but they don't think he deserves to be in jail. Sarah (middle) and Peyton (left) are pictured with Jackson before the insurrection
Peyton (pictured left with her sister and mom after the insurrection) said the whole ordeal made her feel like she has been 'stabbed over and over again'
Guy is set to become the first Capitol rioter to stand trial, which will tentatively begin on February 28. He is pictured storming the Capitol on January 6
Peyton, who had to change schools due to the immense amount of hate her family has received, said the whole ordeal made her feel like she has been 'stabbed over and over again.'
'I feel like I've been bleeding out on the floor for a whole year. Every day I just feel like I get stabbed over and over again,' she said.
'It becomes like a chronic pain because now when I close my eyes, I think of our family dynamic so differently than it was and our struggles have just become so strong.'
Sarah added: 'We had a lot of death threats through the mail, and getting threats through the mail is different: You react differently if someone's actually writing it.
'Someone even colored a photo of an American flag and then drew all over it and then wrote [my dad] needs to hang until he’s dead, dead, dead.'
Jackson is going to testify, and isn't looking forward to it. He hopes that after the trial, he can reconnect with his family. He is pictured with his family before the insurrection
Supporters loyal to President Donald Trump are pictured clashing with authorities before successfully breaching the Capitol building during a riot on the grounds on January 6
She said her brother hasn't 'tried to protect them in any way, even emotionally.'
However, Jackson insisted that he's 'offered them plenty of help,' which was rejected by his mom.
Sarah also claimed they asked Jackson for support financially, but he refused.
She explained: 'He basically just said it's a GoFundMe not a GoFundUs, and that it has to be used for him and the things he said he was going to use it for.'
Nicole, Sarah, and Peyton set up their own fundraiser on the website GiveSendGo, where they raised just under $55,000.
Guy is set to become the first Capitol rioter to stand trial, which will tentatively begin on February 28.
Jackson is going to be called to the stand to testify, and he's not looking forward to it.
'It will suck. He's probably gonna be there in the courtroom, which is gonna suck so much,' he admitted.
'And just looking at him is gonna suck. I mean, I still feel guilty, but this is the best-case scenario.'
He hopes that after the trial, however, he and his family can reconnect and heal.
He concluded: 'If we keep our distance right now and then whenever the trial wraps up then we can kind of get back together.
'It'll just be building bridges from there. It'll just take time. My family's kind of bada** in that way, and we’re pretty resilient.'
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