The trial of Ryan Routh, the man convicted of attempting to assassinate President Trump, concluded on Wednesday with a life sentence handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon.
Routh was found guilty last September on five counts related to his plot to assassinate President Trump at a Florida golf course ahead of the 2024 election. Prosecutors argued that Routh’s actions warranted a life sentence, stating he “took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major Presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims.”
The government described Routh as having “plotted painstakingly” to kill Trump but was thwarted by a Secret Service agent who spotted him before he could fire. Evidence presented at trial included Routh’s extensive travel to South Florida, research on Trump’s whereabouts, and a handwritten letter that read, “this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump.”
Routh also attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen during a court proceeding last year. The specially designed pen left only minor bruises, according to reports. Following the verdict, Routh was forcibly removed from the courtroom amid chaos. His daughter, Sara Routh, who sat in the courtroom, shouted, “Dad, I love you. Don’t do anything. I will get you out.”