What Went Down in Court After the Guilty Verdict
The man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course last year shocked the courtroom with a desperate move. Right after hearing the jury’s decision, Ryan Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen.
Officers rushed in fast, swarming him and dragging him out of the courthouse before the situation could get even more chaotic.
A jury of five men and seven women had just found him guilty on all charges after only two hours of deliberation. The moment the verdict dropped, emotions in the courtroom went wild. His daughter, Sara Routh, couldn’t hold back her tears or her screams. “Dad I love you don’t do anything. I’ll get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody,” she yelled as her father was restrained and taken away.Sara doubled down, shouting that the case against him was “rigged.”
She later stood outside the courthouse by the guard gate, waiting for her father to be driven off to prison.
The Charges That Put Ryan Routh Behind Bars
Routh wasn’t just facing one or two charges—he had a whole list stacked against him. He was hit with:
• Attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate• Possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence• Assaulting a federal officer• Possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon• Possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number
Even with all these charges, Routh pleaded not guilty and decided to defend himself in court.
Prosecutors laid out a detailed case, saying Routh spent weeks planning Trump’s assassination. They claimed he aimed a rifle from behind some shrubbery as Trump played golf at his West Palm Beach country club on September 15, 2024.
Routh’s Defense: “The Trigger Was Never Pulled”
In his closing argument, Routh told the jury that his actions didn’t amount to a crime since he never fired the rifle.
“It’s hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled,” Routh said.He explained that he had a clear shot of Trump as the former president walked toward the sixth-hole green.
He even claimed he could have fired at a Secret Service agent who confronted him but chose not to. According to Routh, that should’ve been proof he didn’t plan to hurt anyone.Despite these arguments, prosecutors painted him as dangerous and fully committed to his plot. His defense leaned heavily on that single idea: intent versus action.
Inside the Trial: Routh vs. The Government
The trial showed the difference between Routh’s bare-bones defense and the government’s heavy-hitting case. Routh, 59, used his constitutional right not to testify. He only questioned three witnesses—a firearms expert and two character witnesses—in less than three hours.
The prosecution went all in. They brought out 38 witnesses over seven days, laying down evidence about Routh’s actions, mindset, and alleged intent.
Jurors got a clear contrast: a quiet, stripped-down defense versus a loud, detailed case from the government.The guilty verdict showed which side the jury believed.
