Ryan Routh was found guilty on Tuesday of trying to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course in the final stretch of the presidential campaign last year.
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In a dramatic scene following the reading of the verdict, Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen before he was dragged out of the courthouse by marshals.
Prosecutors said during the trial that Routh began planning his attempt after the high-profile assassination attempt of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, two months earlier, and that he stockpiled military-grade weapons, more than a dozen burner phones, and researched Trump’s movements and campaign events.
At trial, jurors heard how a Secret Service agent spotted a man pointing an AK-style rifle from the fence abutting the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where Trump was playing. The agent opened fire at the man, who fled. Based on information provided by witnesses who saw the suspect flee the scene, Routh was eventually arrested nearby.
A witness testified at trial that Routh had dropped off a box at his residence in April that included a handwritten letter that said: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”
The jury found 59-year-old Routh guilty of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate after just two hours of deliberation. He was also found guilty of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and defended himself in court. In his closing argument, Routh said that he never intended to kill anyone that day.
“It’s hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled,” he said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the verdict “illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.”
“This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation,” Bondi wrote in a post on X.
FBI Director Kash Patel called the attempt on Trump’s life “a disgusting act — mere weeks before an election and only months after a separate assassination attempt came dangerously close to succeeding.”
“FBI teams worked quickly and diligently with local partners and the Department of Justice to demonstrate a clear fact pattern of Routh’s planning and intent, and we are grateful to see a quick resolution,” he added.