Prosecutors seek life sentence for would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh
Ryan Routh deserves a life sentence after he "plotted painstakingly" to kill President Donald Trump in attempt to accomplish what a prior prospective assassin failed to complete, federal prosecutors said Friday in a memo to the judge ahead of Routh's sentencing next month.
Routh, 59, was convicted as charged after he aimed a loaded SKS rifle toward Trump while the then-presidential candidate was playing golf on a course he owns in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2024.
Federal prosecutors said he has since expressed neither regret nor remorse.
"Routh's criminal acts at the golf course were not impromptu; he had been planning to assassinate the President for months, at least," prosecutors said in their sentencing memo. "Then, in July 2024, after the unsuccessful attempt by another prospective assassin, Thomas Crooks, on President Trump's life in Butler, Pennsylvania, Routh re-committed himself to accomplishing what Crooks failed to complete."
Routh was found guilty in September, a year after the assassination attempt in which he sat in a sniper's hide near the golf course. A Secret Service agent noticed Routh near the 6th hole before he could fire a shot.
Moments after the verdict was read, Routh tried to harm himself by puncturing his neck with a pen.
Federal prosecutors said nothing about Routh mitigates the need for a sentence of life in prison.
"Routh's crimes of conviction reflect careful plotting, extensive premeditation, and a cowardly disregard for human life," the memo said. "Routh remains unrepentant for his crimes, never apologized for the lives he put at risk and his life demonstrates near-total disregard for law."
Routh's sentencing was pushed to February after he asked for a lawyer to help him prepare. Routh, who lacks any legal education or experience, represented himself for much of the trial.
