Ryan Routh was convicted of attempting to kill Donald Trump on his Florida golf course

A federal jury convicted Ryan Routh, 59, on Tuesday (59) on all charges in connection with an alleged attempt to kill President Donald Trump last year on his Florida golf course. After two hours of deliberation, a jury of five men and seven women Routh convicted the attempt to kill a major presidential candidate, possess a firearm to promote a violent crime, assaulted a federal officer and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. He was also convicted of possession of a firearm with a wiped -out serial number. The plot against Trump prosecutors said Routh planned for weeks to kill Trump before aiming a gun by shrubs, while the Republican presidential candidate played golf in his West Palm Beach Country Club on September 15, 2024. A secret service agent testified that he saw Routh before Trump faced. Routh allegedly pointed his gun to the first shot agent and forced Routh to drop his weapon and flee. He was caught shortly afterwards using a witness who saw him run from the scene. Routh’s defense Routh, who represented himself in court, argued that he never intended to kill Trump or anyone else. “It is difficult for me to believe that a crime has occurred if the trigger is never pulled,” he told jurors during the closure of arguments. He added that he could have fired on Trump or secret service agents, but chose not to. He called only three witnesses in his defense-a firearm expert and two character witnesses in contrast to the prosecution’s seven-day presentation with 38 witnesses. Routh also pleaded not guilty to the separate charges of terrorism and attempted murder. His sentencing over federal convictions is expected in the coming months. Pam Bondi, a DOJ attorney, showed the verdict, saying it reflects the commitment of the Justice Department to “punish those who practice political violence.” “This attempted murder was not only an attack on our president, but an insult to our nation,” Bondi said in a statement on X. Background of Routh Routh, a former North Carolina construction worker who later moved to Hawaii, has a long criminal record. In 2002, he was arrested in Greensboro, NC, for eluding the police and blocking himself with a fully automatic machine gun and an explosive device. In 2010, police found more than 100 stolen items, including kayaks and spa baths, in a warehouse he owned. He has suspended trial or sentences in both cases. Routh also received attention in 2022 when he tried to recruit fighters from Afghanistan, Moldavia and Taiwan to fight the Russian forces in Ukraine. The case comes a few weeks after Trump survived a different assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where an armed man fired eight shots at him and grazed his ear before being killed by a secret service sloper.