Ryan Routh has been found guilty on all five charges including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate. The 59-year-old was convicted after a jury of five men and seven women deliberated for exactly two hours, according to the Express.
The assassination attempt occurred on September 15, 2024, at Trump's West Palm Beach golf course. Routh was spotted hiding in bushes with a rifle as Trump's golfing party approached, just nine weeks after Trump narrowly survived another assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
Court proceedings
Routh represented himself in court despite having no legal expertise, with Judge Aileen Cannon presiding. His self-representation intermittently threatened to derail proceedings as he made philosophical musings about "modern trials" and "the history of human existence".
Prosecutors called 38 witnesses over the two-week trial, presenting evidence of extensive premeditation. The Mirror reports Routh made 17 trips to scope out the golf course as part of his assassination plot.
Investigation findings
A Secret Service agent spotted Routh first and fired at him when Routh aimed his rifle at a member of Trump's security detail. Routh fled without firing any shots but was later captured after a witness recorded his license plate number.
The weapon was an SKS-style rifle with a scope attached using putty, tape and glue, making it unreliable, according to testimony from Marine Corps sniper expert Michael McClay. McClay noted the Chinese-made variant of the AK-47 would routinely misfire.
Two brothers testified about receiving a box from Routh five months earlier containing wires, pipes and bullets. The Guardian reports the box included a 12-page letter stating: "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you. It is up to you now to finish the job."
Sentencing and context
Routh faces life imprisonment as a result of the guilty verdict. The former North Carolina construction worker had moved to Hawaii and styled himself as a mercenary leader, attempting to recruit soldiers to fight Russians in Ukraine.
The case marks the second assassination attempt on Trump in just nine weeks. In the earlier Pennsylvania incident, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks fired eight shots at Trump, grazing his ear, before being killed by Secret Service counter-snipers.
Sources used: "Guardian", "Express", "Mirror", "Independent"
Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
