A federal jury on Tuesday convicted Ryan Routh of attempting to assassinate former U.S. President Donald Trump during a 2024 golf outing in Florida, before chaos erupted in court when the defendant tried to stab himself with a pen.
After just two hours of deliberation, the jury of seven women and five men found Routh, 59, guilty on all counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer. As the verdict was read, he seized a flexible pen issued to inmates and thrust it toward his neck before officers subdued him. His daughter shouted from the gallery, “Dad, I love you, don’t do anything. I’ll get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody.”
Routh faces life in prison when sentenced on December 18.
Trump welcomed the verdict, saying, “You can’t let things like that happen. Nothing to do with me, but a president or even a person, you can’t allow that to happen. Justice was served.”
Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks planning the attack before aiming a rifle from shrubbery as Trump approached the sixth green at his West Palm Beach country club on September 15, 2024. Secret Service agent Robert Fercano testified he spotted Routh and fired first, forcing him to drop the weapon and flee. He was later arrested after a tip from a witness.
The incident occurred just nine weeks after Trump narrowly survived another assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear.
Routh, who represented himself at trial, argued no crime was committed because he never pulled the trigger. Prosecutors countered that his intent and preparation made the case clear. Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the verdict as “a powerful message that political violence will be punished without compromise.”
A North Carolina native and former construction worker who later lived in Hawaii, Routh has a history of erratic behavior, including stockpiling weapons, staging mercenary schemes, and arrests for weapons and theft. He still faces state terrorism and attempted murder charges.
