A jury on Tuesday convicted Ryan Wesley Routh of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign.
Routh was arrested in September 2024 after a Secret Service agent spotted him hiding in bushes near the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was carrying a rifle at the time.
He was found guilty on all five counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and weapons violations. Two of the charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Although he had no legal background, Routh represented himself at trial and called only three witnesses — a sniper instructor and two former employees. Judge Aileen M. Cannon repeatedly interrupted his opening statement and questioning, citing irrelevance.
At the time of his arrest, Trump was golfing on the fifth hole, according to the Secret Service agent who first spotted Routh. The FBI said the rifle seized at the scene was equipped with a scope and extended magazine and had an “obliterated and unreadable” serial number.
Agents also recovered documents, including a handwritten list of Trump’s scheduled appearances, according to a Justice Department statement.
A witness told law enforcement investigators that the accused dropped off a box with him that contained a handwritten letter that said, “Dear World … This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you,” according to the DOJ’s press release.
“No one ever intended to kill anyone,” Routh argued in court, and said the only thing he was guilty of was caring “deeply for this country.”