Ryan Routh was convicted of attempting to assassinate Trump and stabbed himself in court after the verdict.
Ryan Wesley Routh was found guilty Tuesday of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump during a 2024 golf outing, but the courtroom turned chaotic when he stabbed himself in the neck with a pen moments after the verdict.
The Florida jury deliberated for two and a half hours before convicting Routh on all charges, including assaulting a Secret Service agent and multiple federal gun violations. Prosecutors said the 59-year-old had been planning the attack “for a long, long time” and pointed to a note he wrote declaring, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump.”
Routh, who represented himself, delivered a disjointed closing argument before being cut off by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon for straying off topic. He now faces life in prison.
Federal prosecutors called 38 witnesses to place him at the scene, while Routh’s defense was limited to three witnesses.