Ryan Routh Found Guilty of Trying to Assassinate Trump

Jurors on Tuesday delivered a guilty verdict for Ryan Routh on all charges after he attempted to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club last September.

After the verdict was read, Routh reportedly appeared to try to stab himself in the neck with a pen before four U.S. Marshals restrained him.

His daughter, Sara Routh, reportedly stood up and said:

"Don’t do anything. I will get you out. What the f---, f---, he didn’t hurt anybody. This is not fair. This is all rigged – you guys are a--holes." The jury was still in the room at the time.

Routh, 59, was charged on five federal criminal counts, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearms offenses.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Jurors deliberated for several hours before returning to the court with a verdict.

The update comes after a nearly three-week trial. Prosecutors used the bulk of their closing arguments Tuesday to emphasize both the digital and forensic evidence presented at trial and what they described as Routh’s clear intent: to kill Trump.

They noted the 1 7 "reconnaissance" trips he allegedly made to Trump's golf course, and what they described as his excessive stalking of Trump, prior to the Sept. 15, 2024 incident in question.

This part was critical for the prosecution to convict Routh on the first and most serious criminal count: Attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.

In order to secure a conviction on that charge, prosecutors had to prove to jurors two things: First, that the defendant had the intent to carry out the crime, and second, that the defendant had taken "substantial steps" to do so.

During closing arguments, federal prosecutors stressed that it should not be difficult for jurors to conclude that they'd met that bar.

"This was not a publicity stunt," Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Browne told the jury. "The evidence has shown one thing and one thing only — the defendant wanted Donald Trump dead."

There is "no doubt, no reasonable doubt, no doubt whatsoever that it was this man," Browne said, stopping to point to Routh, "who was hiding" in the sniper's nest for what they said was roughly 10 hours, beginning around 4 a.m.

Prosecutors spent nearly two full weeks meticulously presenting their case. They walked jurors through hundreds of pieces of evidence, including call logs, text messages, forensic evidence, and surveillance footage that they used to carefully track Routh's actions.

They also used bank records to tie Routh to the purchase of a SKS semi-automatic 7.62x39 caliber rifle that was recovered near Trump’s golf course.

Expert witnesses for the prosecution testified that the weapon was in working condition. Forensic experts said the fingerprint on the scope matched to Routh. They also linked Routh's DNA to matches on the rifle itself, as well as gloves, a bag, and other items.

Browne reminded jurors Tuesday that there were 19 rounds found in the magazine of the SKS rifle that was recovered at the scene, including one in the chamber.

"This was not a publicity stunt," Browne told the jury. "The evidence has shown one thing and one thing only — the defendant wanted Donald Trump dead," Browne said.

A total of 38 witnesses testified for the prosecution before it rested its arguments Friday.

A box delivered months earlier to Samuel and Lazaro Plata — brothers from North Carolina — contained pipes, bullets, wires, and a 12-page manifesto titled "Dear World." In it, Routh allegedly offered $150,000 to anyone willing to "complete the job." After a series of court rulings, prosecutors were permitted to introduce only the first three lines of the letter.

FBI digital evidence showed web searches, flight-tracking activity, texts about Trump’s rallies and plane movements, license-plate reader records of Routh’s vehicle (a black Nissan Xterra) and other surveillance tying him to Palm Beach County around the same time of the assassination attempt.

Law enforcement testimony described "sniper tradecraft" involving a hideout near the 6th hole on the golf course, steel plates for ballistic protection, concealment, fences used for support of weaponry and long-distance shooting lanes on the 6th and 7th holes.

Routh, who represented himself in the case, did not introduce any evidence that was deemed to be admissible in court.

He rested his own defense after just several hours Monday, and after questioning just three witness — two of whom were friends and colleagues, who acknowledged during cross-examination that they had not seen or spoken to Routh in years.