Topline
Ryan Routh, the man suspected of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at a golf course last year, was found guilty Tuesday on all counts.
Routh was convicted Tuesday afternoon. (Photo by NICOLAS GARCIA/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images)
AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Routh was found guilty of an attempted assassination, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, assaulting a federal officer, felony possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Routh, who faces life in prison, tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen after the guilty verdict was delivered, according to multiple outlets.
The jury reached its verdict in less than three hours, concluding the two-week trial in which Routh served as his own attorney and argued no crime was committed because he never fired his weapon at the president.
Prosecutors said Routh premeditated his assassination attempt against Trump, citing a letter allegedly written by Routh addressed “To the World” that said, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
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Here’s What We Know About Routh
Routh is from Greensboro, North Carolina, and moved to Hawaii in 2018, when he began running a shed-building business with his son. Routh has prior convictions dating back several years. In 2002, he was convicted of possession of a weapon of mass destruction, a count linked to an incident in which he reportedly engaged in a stand-off with Greensboro police while barricading himself inside a business with a fully automatic machine gun. He was also convicted of multiple counts of possession of stolen goods in 2010. Routh appeared to have voted for Trump in 2016, though he later donated a cumulative $140 in 2019 and 2020 to Democratic fundraising organization ActBlue. He has also voiced support for former Democratic congresswoman and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and former Republican presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, according to the BBC.
Key Background
Routh attempted to assassinate Trump last year at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, less than two months before Election Day. According to trial evidence, Routh was spotted by a Secret Service member patrolling one hole ahead of Trump. The agent saw Routh in possession of a weapon and opened fire at him, causing Routh to flee. Routh was later apprehended after driving away from the scene, where law enforcement found a rifle equipped with a scope, steel armor plates and a camera pointed at the sixth hole. Routh’s assassination attempt against Trump came just two months after the president was shot in a separate attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooter, Thomas Crooks, was killed by the Secret Service after firing at Trump.
Further Reading
Here’s What We Know About The Suspect In Trump Assassination Attempt (Forbes)
