Ryan Routh found guilty of Trump assassination attempt

Ryan Routh appeared to stab himself in neck after verdict

Legal analyst Jeremy Rosenthal joins LiveNOW's Andy Mac to react to Ryan Routh's guilty verdict in the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.

Ryan Routh has been found guilty of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump last year at his Florida golf course.

On Tuesday, the jury of five men and seven women found Routh guilty on all counts that he was facing after 2 hours of deliberation.

FILE - This screengrab taken from AFPTV on September 16, 2024 shows Ryan Wesley Routh speaking during an interview at a rally to urge foreign leaders and international organisations to help provide humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilia

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Routh, 59, had been 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. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and defended himself in court.

Routh attempts to stab himself in the neck 

Following the final verdict, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen and U.S. Marshals had to step in to prevent Routh from harming himself.

The pen Routh used to try to stab himself was a flexible pen designed to prevent people in custody from using it as a weapon, so he did not puncture his skin or otherwise hurt himself, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person could not publicly disclose specific details of the incident and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

His daughter Sara Routh was screaming, "Dad I love you don’t do anything. I’ll get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody."

She continued screaming inside the courtroom as her father was dragged out. She said the case against him was rigged. The daughter went outside the courthouse and was waiting by the guard gate for her father to be driven out and transported to prison.

Trump responds to guilty verdict

Routh spent weeks plotting

The backstory:

Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as the Republican played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.

Recounting what happened at the golf course, a Secret Service agent testified earlier in the trial that he spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and flee without firing a shot, the agent said.

Law enforcement obtained help from a witness who testified that he saw a person fleeing the area after hearing gunshots. The witness was then flown in a police helicopter to a nearby interstate where Routh was arrested, and the witness said he confirmed it was the person he had seen.

Ryan Routh found guilty on all counts

Jurors on Tuesday delivered a guilty verdict for Ryan Routh on all charges after he attempted to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club last September.

Routh never pulled the trigger

The other side:

Routh told jurors in his closing argument that he didn’t intend to kill anyone that day.

"It’s hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled," Routh said. He pointed out that he could see Trump as he was on the path toward the sixth-hole green at the golf course and noted that he also could have shot a Secret Service agent who confronted him if he had intended to harm anyone.

He rested his case Monday morning after questioning just three witnesses — a firearms expert and two characters witnesses — for a total of about three hours. In contrast, prosecutors spent seven days questioning 38 witnesses.

What's next:

The judge announced Routh will be sentenced on Dec. 18 at 9:30 a.m. He faces life in prison.