Sentences handed down for 3 Missourians seen holding Pelosi’s sign during Capitol riot

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Emily Hernandez, her uncle Paul Westover, and family friend William Merry will spend at least 30 days in prison for their roles in the Capitol riot Monday.

Video captured the trio inside the Capitol during the attack on Jan. 6 holding shards of the wooden plate from Nancy Pelosi’s office. Westover and Merry received 45 days in prison, Merry, who brought his niece Hernandez to Washington D.C., said he was remorseful for his actions but didn’t regret seeing his president speak that day. Former President Trump spoke at a rally ahead of the insurrection.

Judge James Boasberg sentenced Hernandez, 22, of Sullivan, Mo., to 30 days in prison.

“You weren’t 12. You weren’t 13...you went into the Capitol and were part of the insurrection that day,” Bosberg told her, “Without the mob, none of this is possible. Without the mob, nothing happened. People don’t die that day.

The 22-year-old also faces jail time for suspected drunk driving and causing a deadly wrong-way crash on Interstate 44 in Franklin county in January. Victoria Wilson, 32, of St. Clair, Mo., was killed in the crash and her husband was seriously injured. Hernandez is set for a bond hearing at the end of April.

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