Ryan Routh Guilty in Attempted Trump Assassination

Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was found guilty by a federal jury of all charges for attempting to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during an alleged Sept. 15, 2024 attack at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. He was convicted of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearms counts, and faces up to life in prison; sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18. Prosecutors said Routh plotted for weeks, hid in shrubbery with an SKS rifle using military-style camouflage, was spotted by a Secret Service agent who fired, and FBI experts testified that DNA on the rifle and gear matched Routh; prosecutors also introduced a handwritten letter they say contained an admission. Routh at times represented himself and mounted an erratic defense that U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon repeatedly curtailed, and the jury requested a re-examination of the SKS rifle and ammunition during deliberations. As the verdict was read, Routh grabbed a flexible pen and attempted to stab himself in the neck but was quickly restrained by marshals, was not seriously injured, and was returned to court in shackles.