Fort Pierce, Fla. (AP) – The man accused I’m about to assassinate Donald Trump was found guilty on a Florida golf course last year on Tuesday.
The five men and seven women ju-degree judges had Ryan Rouse guilty in all the numbers they faced after two hours of deliberation.
Rous was accused of attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, possessing a firearm to promote violent crime, assaulting a felony felon, possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon, and possessing a firearm with a dimly lit serial number. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and defended himself in court.
Prosecutors said Routh spent several weeks. Conspiracy to kill Trump Before Republicans targeted a rifle through planting when they played golf at his West Palm Beach Country Club on September 15, 2024.
Rous told the ju umpire in his final argument that he had no intention of killing anyone that day.
“It’s hard to believe that a crime happened if the trigger never was pulled,” Rous said. He pointed out that he was on the road to six holes green on the golf course, so he could see the Trumps, and that he could have shot a Secret Service agent who stood up to him if he was going to hurt someone.
Routh, 59, exercised his constitutional right to not testify in his own defense. He took his case to rest Monday morning after questioning only three witnesses, a firearms expert and two character witnesses for a total of about three hours. In contrast, prosecutors spent seven days questioning 38 witnesses.
Attorney General Pam Bondy said in a post on X that the conviction “indicator of Justice’s commitment to punishing people who engage in political violence.”
“This assassination attempt was not only an attack on our president, but a humiliation on our country,” Bondy said.
US District Judge Irene Cannon signed Rous’ request I represent myself Following two hearings in July. The U.S. Supreme Court held that a criminal defendant has the right to represent himself in court cases as long as he can demonstrate that the judge has the capacity to waive his right to be protected by his lawyer. Routh’s former defense attorney has been a standby lawyer since he took over his defense and has been present during the trials over the past two weeks.
Referring to what happened on the golf course, Secret Service agents testified earlier in the trial that he found Louth before Trump entered view. Routh aimed his rifle at his agent. The agent fired, and Routh dropped his weapon and ran away without firing a shot, the agent said.
Law enforcement received help from witnesses who testified that they saw someone fleeing the area after hearing gunshots. The witnesses later said they were flying on a police helicopter to the nearby interstate where Lous was arrested, and the witnesses confirmed that it was the person he saw.
Just nine weeks ago, Trump survived Try it About his life during a campaign in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman fired eight shots with one bullet grazing Trump’s ears. The gunman was later fatally shot by a Secret Service counter sniper.
Routh is a North Carolina construction worker and has recently moved to Hawaii. Self-style mercenary leader Rous spoke to people who listened to dangerous and sometimes violent plans to insert themselves into conflicts around the world, an eyewitness told The Associated Press.
The early days of Russian war in UkraineRous tried to recruit soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova and Taiwan to fight the Russians. In his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina, he avoided traffic stops in 2002 and was arrested for barricades by officers with completely automatic machine guns and “weapons of mass destruction.”
In 2010, police searched Routh, a warehouse owned by the company, finding over 100 stolen items, ranging from power tools and buildings to kayaks and spa tubs. For both felony cases, the judge told him either probation or suspended sentences.
In addition to federal accusations, Routh also pleaded not guilty to state accusations against terrorism and attempted murder.
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