A federal jury in West Palm Beach, Florida, convicted Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, of Hawaii, on all five counts arising from his attempt to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club on Sept. 15, 2024 [1]. Prosecutors charged Routh under a federal statute criminalizing the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment [1]. The case proceeded to trial in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida after all five counts survived to the jury, including charges of assaulting a federal officer and multiple firearms offenses [1].
At trial, the government presented evidence that the FBI recovered a loaded rifle with an obliterated serial number, a backpack, and a written letter confessing intent from the scene where Routh had concealed himself along the golf course perimeter [1]. Secret Service agents spotted Routh before he could fire and he fled, prompting a vehicle pursuit that ended in his arrest [1]. The jury returned guilty verdicts on all five counts: attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number [1].
Routh now faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on the lead count alone, with additional mandatory minimums running on the firearms charges [1]. The government was represented at trial by Jason Quiñones of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida [1]. No sentencing date has been publicly announced as of the verdict date.
The conviction marks one of the most serious federal prosecutions involving a threat to a national political figure in recent decades [1]. Post-trial motions and a sentencing hearing remain pending, and defense counsel had not filed a public notice of appeal as of the date of the verdict.