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Sep 23, 2025  |  
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 | Remer,MN
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ABC News


Ryan Routh, the man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on Trump's West Palm Beach golf course last year, has been found guilty on all five counts.

He was forcibly removed from the courtroom following the announcement of the verdict after what U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon described as an "outburst."

Four armed marshals surrounded Routh, who appeared to stand once the jury left the courtroom. He surrounded by the marshals, who walked him out of the courtroom.

At the same time, Sara Routh, his daughter seated in the courtroom, began shouting.

"Dad, I love you. Don't do anything. I will get you out," she said. 

"He didn't hurt anybody. This is not fair. This is all rigged. You guys are a------s," she shouted before being escorted out the courtroom.

Judge Cannon subsequently allowed Routh back in the courtroom in shackles and escorted by marshals. He was informed that he will be sentenced on Dec. 18.

In this imaged released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, law enforcement officers arrest Ryan Routh, the man suspected in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, Sept. 15, 2024.
Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP, FILE

According to federal prosecutors, some of the jurors saw the outburst as they were exiting.

"The jury has not yet left the room at the time of the defendant's conduct," a prosecutor said.

Judge Cannon thanked the lawyers and Routh for their time, "despite your outburst today."

Routh faced five criminal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon, and using a gun with a defaced serial number. He faces up to life in prison.

The jury deliberated for approximately two hours Monday morning before requesting to see the rifle, ammunition, and magazine that Routh allegedly used. 

Judge Cannon allowed the jurors to view the exhibits in open court. 

Routh, who was representing himself despite lacking any legal education or experience, argued during his closing argument that he did not intend to shoot Trump and that he lacks "the capacity to kill." 

"The prime opportunity was there for the defendant to shoot the president," Routh said in a rambling, 55-minute closing argument. "Why was the trigger not pulled?"

In a brief rebuttal, federal prosecutor John Shipley argued that Routh should be found guilty because he still took multiple steps to carry out his alleged assassination plot, casting doubt on Routh's central argument that he lacked the intention to actually shoot Trump.

"You've heard the evidence. This is not a peaceful and nonviolent man," Shipley said. 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, posting to social media following the announcement of the verdict, wrote, "Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice's commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence." 

"This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself," Bondi wrote.

Prosecutors allege that Routh put together a methodical plan -- including purchasing a military-grade weapon, researching Trump's movements, and utilizing a dozen burner phones -- to kill Trump based on political grievances.

Hiding in the bushes of Trump's Palm Beach golf course and armed with a rifle, Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of the then-presidential nominee before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of the tree line.

Routh allegedly fled the scene but was later arrested by a local sheriff's office on a nearby interstate.

Routh spent three hours Monday presenting his defense case after prosecutors called more than three dozen witnesses over the last two weeks in the government's case. 

Routh called a firearms expert and two of his longtime friends in his defense.

A view of Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse building where the trial against Ryan Routh is set to begin in Fort Pierce, Florida, Sept. 11, 2025.
Cristobal Herrera-ulashkevich/EPA/Shutterstock

"Is it your personal opinion of me that I am peaceful and gentle, and nonviolent?" Routh asked his second witness, longtime friend Marshall Hinshaw.

"I would say so," Hinshaw said. "I would not expect you to harm anyone, Ryan."

Routh argued that he lacked the capacity to kill Trump, though he appeared to concede some of the prosecution's allegations during the trial. He acknowledged that he authored a letter that prosecutors say outlined his plans to kill Trump.

He was cut off multiple times Monday by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who ended the day with a warning for Routh ahead of Tuesday's closings. 

"Any argument you make ... must be reasonably tied to the admitted evidence. Do you understand?" the judge asked Routh, saying that any deviation will "cause a problem." 

"Yes, your honor," Routh said.