Ryan Routh Found Guilty Of All Charges In Trump Assassination Attempt

A jury on Tuesday found Ryan Routh guilty of all charges related to an assassination attempt on Donald Trump last September.

Routh, who represented himself, tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen shortly after the verdict was read, according to the Associated Press. He was then surrounded by officers and taken out of the courthouse.

He was arrested last year on charges related to an attempt to stake out one of Trump’s golf courses in West Palm Beach, FL as the then-presidential candidate played a round.

Routh was on trial for attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. 

The assassination attempt on Sept. 15, 2024 was the second on Trump’s life last year. In July, Trump was injured when a shooter fired at him and a crowd near Butler, PA. One person, Corey Comperatore, was killed and two others were injured. The assailant, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed by a sniper team.

In the golf course assassination attempt, a Secret Service agent, advancing the course as Trump played around, spotted a rifle barrel. The agent drew his weapon, saw the rifle barrel move and fired at the suspect, who then fled. Routh was later detained after the Nissan he was driving was spotted on I-95. Trump was not harmed in that incident.

In his closing argument, Routh said, per the AP, “It’s hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled.” He said that he had seen Trump on the course, but did not fire a shot, nor did he shoot at the Secret Service agent, per the AP.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “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 This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself.”

Jurors in the case deliberated for under three hours, per CNN.

Prosecutors focused on evidence of Routh’s activities in the weeks before, including a hand written letter, included in a box he had dropped off at a residence in April. The note read, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”

The witness had contacted law enforcement on Sept. 18, three days after the incident at Trump International, to inform them of the box. It also included ammunition, a metal pipe, miscellaneous building materials, tools, four phones and various letters, according to prosecutors.

More to come.