Ryan Routh found guilty in Trump golf course assassination attempt

It took a jury in Fort Pierce, Florida, just two and a half hours on Tuesday to find Ryan Wesley Routh guilty on all charges. Routh was arrested by Secret Service agents on a golf course owned by Donald Trump with plans to assassinate the then-Republican candidate, now president of the United States.

It happened on September 15, just over six weeks before the election that returned Trump to the White House. This was the second attempt on Trump’s life during a tumultuous campaign, following an incident on July 13 when a young man named Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, one of which grazed Trump’s right ear.

In addition to attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, the jury also found that Routh, a 59-year-old Hawaii resident and former Trump supporter, had assaulted the Secret Service agent who discovered his plans, and he was convicted on three federal firearms charges.

After the verdict was announced, which could result in a life sentence when the judge hands down his sentence, Routh allegedly tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen, according to witnesses. Court officers intervened and prevented the act.

The verdict concluded a two-week trial in which Routh represented himself. It ended much as it had begun, with Judge Aileen Cannon repeatedly calling the defendant to order during his rambling arguments. Cannon, who confronted Routh on several occasions during the trial, instructed him to stay within the bounds of the law.

Routh often strayed from the topic at hand, digressing to discuss the war in Ukraine, Patrick Henry, one of the founding fathers, and the struggles of the “common man.” When he began talking about the Capitol riot, Routh argued that “to merely have a weapon in the presence of another does not mean intent [to kill],” prompting Cannon to interrupt. In total, he spoke for 42 minutes.

Prosecutor Christopher Browne told the court that the suspect had planned to assassinate Trump “for a long time” and cited a note found in his possession. Addressed “dear world,” it read: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I am so sorry that I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job.”

Routh had left the letter months earlier in a box given to an acquaintance. In it, he not only accepted that he would fail, but also offered a reward for others to try.

A construction worker, Routh had been lurking around the golf course for a month. On the day he was discovered, he had been hidden there for about 12 hours. He carried a semiautomatic rifle with a telescopic sight, loaded with ammunition and spare rounds, a digital camera that he apparently intended to use to record the act, and two backpacks full of ceramic tiles.

Routh had positioned himself near hole 6, closest to the hedge, to shoot at Trump from the shortest possible distance. But before the former president arrived, a Secret Service agent who had scouted the area as part of security measures spotted the barrel protruding from the bushes and opened fire.

The suspect fled in a vehicle, but a witness took photos of the car and license plate, helping the police apprehend him on the highway about an hour later. The police found the backpacks, camera, a bag of food, and the rifle abandoned in a hedge, with the suspect’s fingerprints on the weapon.

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