On September 23, a 12-member jury found Routh, 59, guilty of attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, assaulting federal officers, and multiple firearms offenses after a 12-day trial in Florida.
As jurors left the courtroom, Routh grabbed a flexible security pen and tried to plunge it into his neck. Officers quickly restrained him and removed him from the courtroom. The pen, designed to prevent inmates from using it as a weapon, did not break the skin or cause injury.
As he was escorted out, Routh’s daughter, Sara, shouted, “Dad, I love you, don’t do anything. I’ll get you out. He never hurt anyone,” claiming the case was fabricated. She was later escorted outside.
Routh was brought back into the courtroom in handcuffs. The judge scheduled sentencing for December 18, where Routh faces life imprisonment for attempting to assassinate Trump.
Speaking to reporters, President Trump said the case had been “handled very well.” He added, “This is very important — something like this cannot be allowed to happen to anyone, not just me. Justice was served, and I deeply appreciate the judge, jury, and everyone involved.”
According to prosecutors, on September 15, 2024, Routh hid with a rifle in the bushes at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach as Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, played golf with adviser Steve Witkoff. A Secret Service agent spotted the rifle barrel and fired four shots toward the suspect’s position. Routh fled without returning fire but was captured later on the interstate.
Though not an attorney, Routh represented himself and pleaded not guilty. Federal prosecutors said he had planned the assassination for weeks.
Routh, a former construction worker from North Carolina who later moved to Hawaii, described himself as a mercenary and sought to recruit fighters from Afghanistan, Moldova, and Taiwan for Ukraine’s war.
His criminal history includes a 2002 standoff with police in Greensboro, North Carolina, during which he was armed with a rifle and an explosive device. In 2010, police discovered hundreds of stolen goods in his home. Both times he received suspended sentences.