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By John Ogunsemore
A 59-year-old American man, Ryan Wesley Routh, has been found guilty of attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump and assaulting a federal officer, in a case that has drawn global attention amid ongoing US political tensions.
Routh, from Hawaii, was convicted on Monday by a federal jury in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on all five federal charges related to the incident.
The verdict came after a trial that highlighted what prosecutors described as a premeditated plot to kill Trump during a golf outing.
The attempted assassination unfolded on September 15, 2024, at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
According to evidence presented at trial, Routh positioned himself in a sniper’s hide near the course’s perimeter, armed with a loaded SKS-style rifle equipped with a scope.
He pointed the weapon at Robert Fercano, a US Secret Service special agent protecting Trump, prompting the agent to return fire. Routh fled the scene but was apprehended shortly afterward on Interstate 95.
Prosecutors detailed Routh’s preparations, including a magazine containing an additional nineteen rounds of ammunition and the safety off, steel armor plates for protection, a camera attached to the perimeter fence to monitor the area, and a handwritten letter found in his possession that explicitly confessed to the assassination attempt.
The rifle’s serial number had been obliterated, and Routh, a convicted felon, was not permitted to possess firearms.
Prosecutors stated that a witness observed Routh running across the road from the golf course and then getting into a black Nissan Xterra.
Based on the information provided by the witness, Routh was later apprehended by law enforcement on the road.
Prosecutors further disclosed that a search of Routh’s Nissan Xterra found numerous mobile phones, and a list of flights out of the country in the afternoon and evening of September 15, 2024 – the day of the attempted assassination – along with directions to Miami International Airport.
Cell records for two of the cell phones found in the Nissan Xterra showed that on multiple days and times from August 18 to September 15, Routh’s cell phone accessed cell towers located near the golf course and the president’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.
A witness testified at trial that he contacted law enforcement stating that Routh had dropped off a box at his residence in April after Routh made another trip to the area near the golf course.
Included in the box was a handwritten letter from Routh addressed “Dear World,” which stated, among other things, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”
The federal jury deliberated briefly before delivering guilty verdicts on charges including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate (carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment), possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence (also up to life), assaulting a federal officer (up to 20 years), being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition (up to 15 years), and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number (up to five years).
Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge, who will apply US Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Routh faces the possibility of life behind bars, though no date has been set.
US officials hailed the conviction as a strong stand against political violence.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said, “Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.
“This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself. I am grateful to US Attorney Jason Quiñones, his entire trial team, and our law enforcement partners for protecting President Trump and securing this important verdict.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said, “Ryan Routh’s attempted assassination of President Trump was a disgusting act — mere weeks before an election and only months after a separate assassination attempt came dangerously close to succeeding.
“FBI teams worked quickly and diligently with local partners and the Department of Justice to demonstrate a clear fact pattern of Routh’s planning and intent, and we are grateful to see a quick resolution. The FBI will continue working aggressively to take violent offenders off American streets and protect public officials from threats of all nature.”
