Ryan Routh, who was accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump while he was a candidate for president last year, has been found guilty.
Routh, 59, represented himself in the trial, which began earlier this month in Fort Pierce, Florida. He was accused of attempting to kill Trump while he played a round of golf at his West Palm Beach course on Sept. 15, 2024.
It was the second attempt on Trump’s life during his campaign after a gunman opened fire at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania in July, hitting Trump’s ear and killing one audience member.
Routh was charged 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 and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, The Associated Press reported.
Routh pleaded not guilty and defended himself in court.
The jury found Routh guilty on all counts after deliberating for two hours. As the jurors made their way out of the courtroom, Routh grabbed a pen and tried to stab himself in the neck. Marshals grabbed him and dragged him away while his daughter screamed for her father, the AP reported.
Routh was brought back into the courtroom, no longer wearing his jacket and tie, and was shackled. There were no signs of blood on his shirt, the AP reported.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18 at 9:30 a.m. and he faces life in prison.
According to court filings, prosecutors say Routh had been planning the assassination against Trump for at least six months. Two others were charged with selling a gun to Routh, since he was a convicted felon.
Trump celebrated the verdict in a post online, calling Routh an “evil man with an evil intention.”
Routh is a construction worker from North Carolina, who also previously lived in Hawaii. He was interested in and involved with attempting to recruit soldiers for Ukraine’s fight against Russia when the war began.
He was previously arrested for eluding a traffic stop and barricading himself from police with a machine gun and an explosive.
Routh’s guilty verdict comes almost two weeks after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, a friend of Trump’s, was assassinated in Utah and reignited debate about political violence across the country.