Ryan Wesley Routh has been sentenced to life in prison for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at one of his golf courses in Florida in 2024, after a federal judge rejected his request for leniency.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down the sentence on Tuesday, four months after a jury convicted the 59-year-old of attempted assassination, assaulting a federal officer and multiple firearms offences. The attempted assassination charge alone carried a potential life sentence.
The plot was foiled on September 15, 2024, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where Trump was playing at the time. Prosecutors said a U.S. Secret Service agent spotted Routh hiding in shrubbery near the sixth hole, aiming a semiautomatic rifle towards the course as Trump teed off at the fifth hole. The agent fired at Routh, who fled but was later arrested during a traffic stop near Palm City, Florida.
Investigators said Routh had brought a GoPro camera and a handwritten list of Trump’s scheduled public appearances. Prosecutors described the incident as a narrowly averted assassination attempt.
Routh, originally from North Carolina, claimed throughout his trial that he never intended to pull the trigger and characterised his actions as a form of protest. Representing himself after dismissing his lawyers, he told jurors he was guilty only of “caring too much”.
Prosecutors countered by presenting Routh’s private writings, text messages and internet searches, which they said showed clear intent to kill the then Republican presidential nominee.
“There are many legitimate ways to oppose a presidential candidate,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley told the court. “Murder is not one of them.”
Following his conviction in September 2024, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen in the courtroom before U.S. marshals restrained him. Ahead of sentencing, he asked the judge for a “just punishment” in hopes of avoiding a life term and later filed a motion requesting placement in a prison located in a state that allows assisted suicide.
The case came just months after another attempt on Trump’s life, when a bullet grazed his ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Routh will spend the remainder of his life in federal prison.
Greenland registered its warmest January on record, sharpening concerns over how fast-rising Arctic temperatures are reshaping core parts of the islan...
Another shipment of grain was sent to Armenia via transit through Azerbaijani territory on 4 February. The latest delivery consisted of eight wagons c...
Ryan Wesley Routh has been sentenced to life in prison for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at one of his golf courses in Florida in 2...
New Juno measurements show Jupiter’s equatorial and polar diameters are slightly smaller than once believed, giving scientists a clearer understandi...
Peter Mandelson has been one of the most influential and controversial figures in British politics but disclosures about his past relationships and co...
Another shipment of grain was sent to Armenia via transit through Azerbaijani territory on 4 February. The latest delivery consisted of eight wagons carrying 560 tonnes of grain dispatched from Azerbaijan to Armenia.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators began the second round of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian officials.
Azerbaijan and Armenia used a high-profile international platform in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to underline growing trade ties, expanding cooperation and what both leaders described as an irreversible turn towards peace after decades of conflict.
A landmark gathering of commercial and political minds has convened in the Kyrgyz capital, signalling a significant shift in Washington’s foreign policy approach towards the Eurasian heartland.
Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío has denied that Havana and Washington have entered formal negotiations, countering recent assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump, while saying the island is open to dialogue under certain conditions.
Talks with the U.S. should be pursued to secure national interests as long as "threats and unreasonable expectations" are avoided, President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday (3 February).
Mexico said it will stop sending oil to Cuba as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on the Caribbean nation.
Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence firm xAI, as the billionaire moves to bring more of his technology businesses under one structure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Tuesday (3 February) of exploiting a U.S.-backed energy ceasefire to stockpile weapons and launch large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine ahead of peace talks.
Milan prosecutors have placed an elderly Italian man under investigation over allegations that foreigners paid to shoot at civilians during the 1990s siege of Sarajevo, sources with direct knowledge of the case said on Wednesday.
Peter Mandelson has been one of the most influential and controversial figures in British politics but disclosures about his past relationships and conduct in government have triggered a political crisis in the UK and raising questions internationally. But who is he and why is he in the headlines?
National teams competing at Milano Cortina 2026 are unveiling distinct fashion identities, with designers from Lululemon to Armani and Moncler introducing ceremonial and technical uniforms that blend cultural heritage, national colours and modern winter-performance design.
The Trump administration will withdraw 700 ICE agents from Minnesota, scaling back its immigration enforcement surge, border czar Tom Homan said on Wednesday.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators began the second round of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian officials.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment