FORT PIERCE, Fla. – A man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course last year told a federal judge on Friday that the prosecution has not established that an assassination attempt took place. However, the judge rejected his motion for acquittal, indicating that jurors will ultimately determine the man’s outcome.
Prosecutors concluded their case against Ryan Routh on Friday afternoon after presenting testimony from 38 witnesses over a span of seven days. Once jurors were excused for the weekend, Routh, who is representing himself, filed a motion for acquittal with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on four of the five charges against him, excluding the count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
According to prosecutors, Routh spent several weeks planning to assassinate Trump before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as Trump played golf on September 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.
Routh has entered a not guilty plea to charges that include attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and several firearm violations.
Routh argued Friday afternoon that prosecutors haven’t proven any attempt to assassinate Trump.
“They maybe proved that someone was outside the (golf course) fence with a gun, but the gun was never fired,” Routh said.
Routh argued that the vicinity outside the Trump International Golf Club was part of a public right of way for a public road, and that anyone had the right to be there with a weapon.
Prosecutors countered that Routh took numerous significant actions in his attempt to kill Trump, which included aiming a loaded gun with its safety off through the fence.
“This is as far from peaceful assembly as you can get,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley said.
Cannon denied Routh’s motion, explaining that a juror could reasonably find that prosecutors had met their burden of proof. That means the next step is for the defense to begin its case Monday morning. Routh has indicated he plans to call three witnesses: a firearms expert and two character witnesses. He hasn’t said whether he plans to testify himself. He told the judge Friday that his case should take about half a day.
Cannon said attorneys should be prepared to deliver their closing arguments on Tuesday, giving each side one hour and 45 minutes. Jurors will begin deliberating after that. Cannon had initially blocked off more than three weeks for the trial at the Fort Pierce federal courthouse, but Routh’s relatively short cross examinations have led to a quicker pace than anticipated.
The prosecution’s final witness spent about six hours over Thursday and Friday tying together about a week’s worth of testimony. FBI Supervisory Special Agent Kimberly McGreevy used cellphone records, location data, text messages, bank records, internet searches, security video and various store receipts to illustrate Routh’s actions and movements over the month prior to the attempted attack and to show that he began trying to acquire a gun, despite being a convicted felon, nearly six months before his arrest.
Evidence showed that Routh traveled to South Florida about a month before the assassination attempt, McGreevy said. He lived out of a black Nissan Xterra, normally parked at a western Palm Beach County truck stop, while routinely traveling to the areas around Palm Beach International Airport, Trump International Golf Course and Trump’s primary residence at Mar-a-Lago, the agent said.
“He was living at that truck stop and conducting physical and electronic surveillance and stalking the president, then-former President Trump,” McGreevy said.
Recounting the alleged attack at the golf course, a Secret Service agent testified last week 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.
Just nine weeks earlier, Trump had survived an attempt on his life while campaigning in Pennsylvania. That gunman had fired eight shots, with one bullet grazing Trump’s ear. The gunman was then fatally shot by a Secret Service counter sniper.
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