Routh

A US jury finds that Routh intended to kill then-presidential candidate Donald Trump last September.

A US man has been found guilty of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump last September near Trump’s Florida golf course, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media.

A jury found that Ryan Routh, 59, intended to kill Trump, then a former president and Republican presidential candidate, when he pointed a rifle through a fence while Trump was golfing at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

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He was also found guilty on the four other charges he faced, including impeding a federal agent and weapons offences. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Last year, Routh fled from the golf course without firing a shot after a US Secret Service agent patrolling the course ahead of Trump spotted Routh and the rifle and opened fire, according to witness testimony in the case.

“This plot was carefully crafted and deadly serious,” prosecutor John Shipley said at the start of the trial, adding that without the intervention of the Secret Service agent, “Donald Trump would not be alive”.

‘Political violence’

The 12-day trial in a federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida, unfolded in the aftermath of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which again thrust the growth of political violence in the US to the centre of the national conversation.

Trump was targeted in two assassination attempts, including one that wounded him in the ear, during his 2024 presidential campaign that returned him to the White House.

“Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence,” Attorney General Bondi said in a statement on X. “This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself.”

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, lauded the verdict, adding, “This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him.”

Routh appeared to try to stab himself with a pen several times after the verdict was revealed in court, and had to be restrained by US marshals, according to US media reports. His daughter, Sara, also yelled in court that her father had not hurt anyone and that she would get him out of prison.

Prosecutors alleged that Routh arrived in South Florida about a month before the September 15, 2024, incident, staying at a truck stop and tracking Trump’s movements and schedule. Routh allegedly carried six mobile phones and used fake names to conceal his identity.

He lay in wait for nearly 10 hours on the day of the incident, concealing himself in thick bushes overlooking the sixth hole green, prosecutors alleged. Investigators at the scene found a semiautomatic rifle, two bags containing metal plates like those used in body armour, and a small video camera pointed towards the course.

Trump was on the fifth hole a few hundred yards away when Routh was discovered. He was arrested later that afternoon after being stopped by police along a Florida highway.

A jury deliberated for 2.5 hours before returning guilty verdicts on all five counts against Ryan Routh, 59, who was found armed with a rifle while lying in wait to assassinate Trump when he played golf at the Trump International Golf Club near his Mar-a-Lago resort in September 2024. File Photo by Peter Foley/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 23 (UPI) — Would-be assassin Ryan Routh tried to stab himself with a pen after a jury on Tuesday found him guilty of trying to kill President Donald Trump last year.

A jury deliberated for 2.5 hours before returning guilty verdicts on all five counts against Routh, 59, who was found armed with a rifle while lying in wait to assassinate Trump when he played golf at the Trump International Golf Club near his Mar-a-Lago resort on Sept. 15, 2024, NBC News reported.

Upon hearing the verdict, Routh began stabbing his neck with a pen in the U.S. District of Southern Florida courtroom in Fort Pierce.

Court officers stopped Routh, who faces up to life in prison for attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

Routh delivered a 55-minute closing argument prior to the jury deliberations, but Judge Aileen Cannon admonished him to stick to matters relevant to the case when he complained about not being allowed to call on more witnesses shortly after starting his argument.

He then asked Cannon if she would allow his former public defenders to conclude his closing argument if she interrupted him once more, which she declined, according to NBC News.

Routh said he had a “prime opportunity” to shoot Trump but did not and rhetorically asked the jury, “Why was the trigger not pulled?” ABC News reported.

Routh said being armed while in the presence of another person “does not mean intent” and began speaking about Ukraine and other matters unrelated to the case when Cannon stopped him from continuing.

Routh represented himself during the 12-day trial and is a resident of Hawaii and a former Trump supporter, according to USA Today.

He failed to convince the jury that he is “non-violent” and that federal prosecutors did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he intended to assassinate Trump.

Sept. 11 (UPI) — The trial is underway for a man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump on his golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Ryan Routh, who is defending himself in the case, was interrupted by Judge Aileen Cannon minutes into Routh’s opening remarks when he began veering off topic Thursday.

“Modern trials seem to eliminate all that is human,” Routh intoned in his opening statement.

Cannon excused the jury, then chided Routh, directing him to keep his comments relevant to the case. Routh apologized but continued on a tangent, discussing the “history” of human existence.

Canon then told Routh his opening remarks were over.

In court, Secret Service agent Robert Fercano identified Routh as the man hiding behind a shrub-covered fence near the sixth hole of the lush golf course, aiming an AK-style assault weapon at Trump. Fercano was the first government witness to take the stand in the trial.

Prosecuting attorney John Shipley Jr. said during his testimony that Routh “decided to take the choice away from the American people.”

Routh was found with a handwritten note stating his intention to assassinate Trump. Eyewitness accounts, cellphone data and security footage prove the case against Routh beyond a reasonable doubt, Shipley said.

Fercano said he noticed the muzzle of a gun protruding from the shrubbery and called out to Routh, then proceeded to call for law enforcement backup. “Hey, sir!” Fercano said he yelled.

The court then played audio of Fercano discharging his weapon in Routh’s direction and radioing colleagues. “Shots fired! Shots fired! Shots fired!” Fercano yelled. The agent testified that he believed he came within five feet of Routh.

Fercano testified that the barrel of the assault rifle was pointed directly at his face and that he feared Trump’s life was in danger. He said he initially did not think Routh was a threat until he saw the gun muzzle.

During the trial, Fercano presented a Russian-designed SKS semiautomatic weapon officials believe Routh obtained illegally and used in the assassination attempt.

Routh, a 59-year old construction worker, does not have any formal legal training.

Ryan Routh (seen September 15 of last year after the attempted assassination of then-former U.S. President Donald Trump) entered a federal courthouse on Monday in Fort Pierce, Fla., for the start of his criminal trial in what’s likely to be a 3-day jury selection process. Photo via Martin County Sheriff’s Office/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 8 (UPI) — Jury selection got underway Monday in the trial for Ryan Routh, over his alleged assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in September 2024.

Routh, now 59, entered a federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Fla., for the start of his criminal trial in what’s likely to be a three-day jury selection process.

He pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and multiple gun violations after he allegedly waited for then-candidate Trump nearly 12 hours around the perimeter of Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15 before later caught by Martin County Sheriff’s deputies.

In addition, Routh has pleaded not guilty to separate charges filed by the state on terrorism and attempted murder.

The trial is expected to last around a month and Routh will be representing himself during court processings.

In December, U.S. Southern District Judge Aileen Cannon set the trial date to begin.

Routh, a construction worker who was from Hawaii and North Carolina, was found when a Secret Service agent discovered the barrel of an SKS-style rifle protruding through the tree line near the golf course’s sixth green.

The agent shot at Routh, who fled the scene but was arrested on a nearby highway after a chase with sheriff’s deputies.

Meanwhile, Routh is facing the possibility of life in prison.

Opening statements in Routh’s trial are expected to be heard on Thursday.

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What do prosecutors allege Routh did?

What charges does he face?

When is the trial?

Why will Routh defend himself?

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A federal trial is scheduled to begin Monday for a man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump as he played golf in Florida in September 2024.

Jury selection is expected to take three days, with attorneys questioning three sets of 60 prospective jurors. They’re trying to find 12 jurors and four alternates. Opening statements are scheduled to begin Thursday, and prosecutors will begin their case immediately after that. The court has blocked off four weeks for the trial, but attorneys are expecting they’ll need less time.

Here’s what to know about the case:

Defendant to represent himself

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon signed off in July on Ryan Routh’s request to represent himself during his trial, but said court-appointed attorneys need to remain as standby counsel.

The judge told Routh she believes it’s a bad idea for him to represent himself, but he wouldn’t be dissuaded. Routh, who has described the extent of his education as two years of college after earning his GED certificate, told Cannon that he understood the potential challenges and would be ready.

Cannon confirmed during a recent hearing that Routh would be dressed in professional business attire for the trial. She also explained to Routh that he would be allowed to use a podium while speaking to the jury or questioning witnesses, but he would not have free rein of the courtroom.

“If you make any sudden movements, marshals will take decisive and quick action to respond,” Cannon said.

Self-styled mercenary leader

The 59-year-old Routh was a North Carolina construction worker who in recent years had moved to Hawaii. A self-styled mercenary leader, Routh spoke out to anyone who would listen about his dangerous, sometimes violent plans to insert himself into conflicts around the world, witnesses have told the Associated Press.

In the early days of the war in Ukraine, Routh tried to recruit soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova and Taiwan to fight the Russians. In his native Greensboro, N.C., he had a 2002 arrest for eluding a traffic stop and barricading himself from officers with a fully automatic machine gun and a “weapon of mass destruction,” which turned out to be an explosive with a 10-inch-long fuse.

In 2010, police searched a warehouse Routh owned and found more than 100 stolen items, including power tools, building supplies, kayaks and spa tubs. In both felony cases, judges gave Routh either probation or a suspended sentence.

Attempted assassination charge

Authorities said Routh tried to assassinate Trump, then the Republican nominee for president, while Trump played golf at his club in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Routh is facing five felony counts in federal court in Fort Pierce. They include attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm to carry out a violent crime, assaulting a federal officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

In addition to the federal charges, Routh also has pleaded not guilty to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder.

Same judge presided over Trump case

Cannon is the same judge who presided over another high-profile case involving Trump — the classified documents case against him.

Last year, Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump during his first term, sided with Trump’s lawyers who said the special counsel who filed the charges was illegally appointed by the U.S. Justice Department.

Cannon’s ruling halted a criminal case that, at the time it was filed, was widely regarded as the most perilous of all the legal threats the president faced before he returned to office in January. The felony case was being appealed when Trump was elected in November, after which that and other criminal indictments against him were dismissed, following a Justice Department policy not to charge a sitting president.

No signs of shots fired

Trump was uninjured, and there’s no evidence that Routh fired his weapon at the golf course. U.S. Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing golf noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away. An agent fired, and the gunman dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera. He was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighboring county.

That alleged assassination attempt took place nine weeks after Trump survived another attempt on his life, in Pennsylvania, when a gunman’s bullet grazed the candidate’s ear during a rally.

Fischer writes for the Associated Press.

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A man charged with trying to assassinate President Trump last year in South Florida can represent himself during his trial, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon signed off on Ryan Routh’s request but said court-appointed attorneys need to remain as standby counsel. Earlier in the week, the federal public defenders had asked to be taken off the case, saying Routh had refused repeated attempts to meet with them.

Routh said during the hearing that his attorneys were diligent but they didn’t listen to him and were afraid of him.

“How are they supposed to represent me and say I’m not a dangerous person when they don’t believe that?” Routh said.

Routh, 59, is scheduled to stand trial in September, a year after prosecutors say a U.S. Secret Service agent thwarted his attempt to shoot Trump as he played golf. Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations.

Reiterating her message from a July 10 hearing, Cannon told Routh that she doesn’t intend to delay the Sept. 8 start date of his trial, even if she lets him represent himself. She also once again told Routh that she believes it’s a bad idea for Routh to represent himself.

Routh, who said he completed two years of college after earning his GED certificate, told Cannon that he understands the potential challenges and would be ready for trial.

Cannon said Thursday that she decided to hold the second hearing after receiving a June 29 letter from Routh that did not arrive at the courthouse until after that hearing. In that letter, Routh said he and his attorneys were “a million miles apart” and that they were refusing to answer his questions. He also wrote that he could be used in a prisoner exchange with Iran, China, North Korea or Russia.

“I could die being of some use and save all this court mess, but no one acts; perhaps you have the power to trade me away,” Routh wrote.

Cannon told Routh that she believed the federal public defenders assigned to Routh’s case were excellent attorneys.

“I find no basis to believe that there has been ineffective assistance of counsel,” Cannon said.

The judge also reminded Routh that she will not be able to assist Routh or provide legal advice during the trial.

Cannon also briefly addressed Routh’s suggestion of a prisoner exchange, saying, “I have no power or any opinion of anything you’ve written there.”

On Wednesday, the federal public defender’s office filed a motion for termination of appointment of counsel, saying “the attorney-client relationship is irreconcilably broken.” Attorneys said Routh has refused six attempts to meet with their team, including a scheduled in-person meeting Tuesday morning at the federal detention center in Miami.

“It is clear that Mr. Routh wishes to represent himself, and he is within his Constitutional rights to make such a demand,” the motion said.

Cannon denied their motion on Thursday, explaining that their office was in the best position to prevent delays to the trial.

The U.S. Supreme Court has held that criminal defendants have a right to represent themselves in court proceedings, as long as they can show a judge they are competent to waive their right to be defended by an attorney.

Prosecutors have said Routh methodically plotted to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as Trump played golf on Sept. 15 at his West Palm Beach country club. A Secret Service agent spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and flee without firing a shot.

Law enforcement obtained help from a witness who prosecutors said informed officers that he saw a person fleeing. The witness was then flown in a police helicopter to a nearby interstate where Routh was arrested, and the witness confirmed it was the person he had seen, prosecutors have said.

Routh will have his first chance to represent himself on Friday during a scheduled hearing on whether certain evidence and testimony can be used at trial. His former attorneys are expected to be present as standby counsel.

In addition to the federal charges, Routh also has pleaded not guilty to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder.

Fischer writes for the Associated Press.