Ryan Routh convicted of 2024 Trump assassination attempt, attempts stab himself with pen after verdict
An Florida jury found Tuesday Ryan Routh Guilty of an attempted assassination against the candidate of the time, Donald Trump.
Roth represented in the trial. He was found guilty of the five accusations, which included an attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and the assault of a federal officer.
Routh was arrested in September 2024 at Mr. Trump’s golf course. A secret service agent testified last week that he had spotted Routh before the candidate of the time was in sight. Roth targeted his rifle on the agent, who opened fire, dropping his weapon and fleeing without shooting, said the agent.
After reading the verdict, Routhi apparently tried to injure himself, perhaps using a pen that was on his desk, to stab in the neck. His daughter shouted during the incident and the American marshals finally attacked him.
It was the second assassination attempt against Mr. Trump in 2024, after shots were fired in a separate incident during a Pennsylvania rally. A bullet collapsed Mr. Trump’s ear in this incident.
The Attorney General Pam Bondi declared in a statement that the verdict of guilt against Routh “illustrates the commitment of the Ministry of Justice to punish those who engage in political violence”, and the deputy prosecutor Todd Blanche said that the verdict sends “a clear message” according to which a “attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate is an attack on our Republic and the rights of each citizen”.
A federal district judge will determine his sentence. He risks life in prison.
In a closing argument of almost an hour on Tuesday, Routh said that there was no intention of killing because the trigger was never drawn, the weapon was never dismissed and no one was injured, so “no crime”.
“I wanted to kill, my actions within the community and to my colleagues and my family should show my obvious non-violence and sweetness,” said Routh. Speaking of him in the third person, he said that the shooting was never going to happen because it was “never in his heart”.
But the prosecutors said Roth had spent weeks plotting to kill Trump, who then presented himself to the presidency. The prosecutors presented Roth’s actions before the incident, saying “these non-accidents … This is a plan,” said prosecutor Christopher Brown in his closing argument.
“He had a busy tour in the room and security,” said Brown. “We don’t have to prove the reason, but you already have it. You just have to decide on the intention.”
Prosecutors also allegedly allegedly allegedly attempted to acquire an anti-aircraft weapon for Trump Trump’s plane.
Roth had initially submitted a list of witnesses who included Mr. Trump, as well as the militants of Columbia Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi – to whom his relations are not clear – and several eminent authors. Judge Aileen Canon had rejected many of these potential witnesses.
Jacob Rosen and Daniel Shepherd contributed to this report.
contributed to this report.
