Ryan Routh, the 59-year-old man accused of plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course, was found guilty on all charges in a dramatic federal trial that concluded Tuesday, September 23, 2025. The verdict capped a tense 12-day proceeding in Fort Pierce, Florida, and was followed by a chaotic scene in the courtroom as Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen moments after the jury’s decision was read.
Routh’s conviction on five counts—including the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple weapons offenses—means he now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. According to ABC News and Reuters, the jury of five men and seven women deliberated for just two hours before returning their unanimous verdict. Their only request during deliberations was to see the rifle, ammunition, and magazine Routh allegedly used in his attempt on Trump’s life.
The courtroom erupted into turmoil after the verdict. As the jury was exiting, Routh stood and tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen—one reportedly designed not to cause injury, leaving only bruises. Marshals quickly intervened, surrounding Routh and removing him from the courtroom. His daughter, Sara Routh, shouted, “Dad, I love you. Don’t do anything. I will get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody. This is not fair. This is all rigged. You guys are a------s,” before she, too, was escorted out by security, as reported by ABC News.
After being restrained, Routh was brought back into the courtroom in shackles and without his jacket or tie. Judge Aileen Cannon, who presided over the trial, informed him that sentencing would take place on December 18, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Cannon, who previously oversaw one of Trump’s criminal cases, thanked both the lawyers and Routh for their time “despite your outburst today.”
The events that led to Routh’s conviction began a year earlier, on September 15, 2024, when Routh was discovered hiding in thick bushes near the sixth hole of Trump’s golf course, armed with a semiautomatic rifle and equipped with bulletproof plates and a video camera pointed at the course. Prosecutors said he had spent nearly 10 hours in the bushes that day, tracking Trump’s movements, and had used six mobile phones and fake names to conceal his identity during a month-long surveillance operation. According to Reuters, Routh fled the scene without firing a shot after a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle and opened fire. He was later apprehended during a traffic stop on a nearby interstate.
Prosecutors painted Routh as a methodical and determined would-be assassin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Browne told the jury, “There is no doubt—reasonable or otherwise—the defendant intended to kill Donald Trump. The law punishes would-be assassins who did not succeed in killing their targets. The law does not say no harm, no foul.” Browne detailed how Routh made 17 late-night trips to his sniper perch in the month leading up to the incident, spending a combined 90 hours there and purchasing thousands of dollars’ worth of supplies—including a military-grade rifle with a defaced serial number, bulletproof plates, and nine burner phones.
Routh, representing himself despite having no legal training, offered a rambling 55-minute closing argument in which he insisted he never intended to kill Trump. “The prime opportunity was there for the defendant to shoot the president. Why was the trigger not pulled?” he asked the jury. He compared his assassination plot to unattainable fantasies, saying, “It was never going to happen. It is not in the defendant’s heart.” Throughout his defense, Routh maintained that his “intent was harmless” and that killing Trump was nothing more than a fantasy, likening it to longing for a sports car or a vacation home. He argued that he lacked “the capacity to kill.”
Despite his insistence, Routh did concede some prosecution points, including admitting to authoring a letter outlining his plans. He called only three witnesses in his defense: a firearms expert and two longtime friends. One friend, Marshall Hinshaw, testified, “I would say so. I would not expect you to harm anyone, Ryan,” when asked if he thought Routh was peaceful and nonviolent. In contrast, prosecutors called 38 witnesses over seven days, meticulously building their case.
The trial unfolded against a backdrop of heightened concern over political violence in the United States. Just weeks before the incident at Trump’s golf course, Trump had survived another assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear. The national mood was further inflamed by the recent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which reignited debate about political violence and security for public figures.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi responded swiftly to the verdict, posting on social media, “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.” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche echoed this sentiment, saying, “This verdict sends a clear message. An attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate is an attack on our Republic and on the rights of every citizen. The Department of Justice will relentlessly pursue those who try to silence political voices, and no enemy, foreign or domestic, will ever silence the will of the American people.”
Trump himself weighed in on his Truth Social platform, stating, “This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him.”
Routh’s life prior to the assassination attempt was marked by instability and brushes with the law. Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, he had moved to Hawaii in recent years. Described by some as a self-styled mercenary, Routh had previously attempted to recruit fighters for conflicts abroad and was twice convicted of felonies, including a 2002 standoff involving a machine gun and an explosive device, and a 2010 case involving more than 100 stolen items. In both instances, he received probation or a suspended sentence.
In addition to his federal convictions, Routh faces state charges of terrorism and attempted murder, to which he has pleaded not guilty. The trial also spotlighted the complexities of self-representation in federal court, with Judge Cannon repeatedly reminding Routh to keep his arguments tied to the evidence and ensuring his standby counsel was available throughout the proceedings.
As the legal system prepares to sentence Routh in December, the case leaves lingering questions about the security of public figures and the persistent threat of political violence in a deeply polarized America. For now, the dramatic events in that Florida courtroom serve as a sobering reminder of the stakes—and the passions—at play in the nation’s political life.
