Ryan Routh, the man who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at his golf course in Florida, was convicted on all charges filed against him. After the jurors exited the courtroom, Routh reportedly stabbed himself in the neck with a pen.
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On Tuesday, September 22, as reported by The Associated Press (AP), a federal jury found Routh guilty of 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.
Reportedly, Routh stabbed himself in the neck with a pen shortly after he was convicted on all charges. As the man was removed from the courtroom, his daughter, Sara, yelled, “Dad, I love you, don’t do anything. I’ll get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody.”
The pen Routh used to stab himself in the neck was flexible. As per the AP, these pens are designed specifically to prevent defendants from using them as weapons. As a result, Routh’s skin was never punctured, and he was unharmed.
Ryan Routh will be sentenced on December 18. He faces life in prison.
“This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I would also like to thank the Secret Service, Department of Florida Law Enforcement, and the wonderful person who spotted him running from the site of the crime.”
Assassination Attempt
Prosecutors said in court that Ryan Routh planned to assassinate the then-presidential candidate for weeks. Then, on September 15, 2024, the man arrived at Trump’s West Palm Beach country club to carry out the killing.
At the time, Robert Fercano, a Secret Service agent, spotted Routh before Trump came into view, the AP reported. Fercano opened fire after Routh pointed his rifle at him, causing him to drop his weapon and run away. He was subsequently arrested in a nearby interstate.
Routh represented himself during his trial, and he didn’t testify in his own defense. He questioned three witnesses for three hours, while prosecutors questioned 38 witnesses throughout seven days during the two-week trial.
Nine weeks before Routh’s assassination attempt, Trump survived a previous assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.