Jury choice is about to start Monday within the prison trial of Ryan Routh, the person charged with making an attempt to assassinate President Trump final yr in South Florida.
Routh, 59, has pleaded not responsible to prices of trying to assassinate a significant presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several other firearm violations, is about to signify himself within the trial, after a federal choose signed off on his request earlier this yr. He has additionally pleaded not responsible to state prices of terrorism and tried homicide.
Opening statements are anticipated on Sept. 11.
Prosecutors say Routh methodically plotted to kill Mr. Trump for weeks earlier than aiming a rifle by way of the shrubbery as Mr. Trump performed golf on Sept. 15 at his West Palm Seaside nation membership. A Secret Service agent noticed Routh earlier than Mr. Trump got here into view. Officers mentioned Routh aimed his rifle on the agent, who opened fireplace, inflicting Routh to drop his weapon and flee with out firing a shot.
Prosecutors additionally alleged in court docket filings that Routh tried to amass an anti-aircraft weapon to shoot down Mr. Trump’s airplane.
The federal government mentioned that in August 2024, “Routh sought to buy the units on-line from an affiliate Routh believed to be a Ukrainian with entry to army weapons.”
Routh allegedly informed an affiliate to “‘ship me an rpg [rocket propelled grenade] or stinger and I’ll see what we are able to do,'” in keeping with the court docket doc.
“I would like gear in order that Trump can’t get elected,” Routh informed his affiliate.
The federal government mentioned Routh additionally sought to buy a .50 caliber rifle the identical month, and this rifle would have been an much more harmful and highly effective model of the one he had already allegedly obtained. Prosecutors mentioned Routh hoped to buy the .50 caliber rifle at a gun present, however his contact was in the end not capable of find the kind of gun Routh wished till after the assassination try on the golf course.
Routh was armed with an AK-47-style rifle and was allegedly 300-500 yards away from Mr. Trump when the Secret Service agent noticed his rifle within the tree line, in keeping with Palm Seaside County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
Two individuals have been charged with promoting the gun to Routh, although each defendants informed regulation enforcement they didn’t have any advance data of Routh’s alleged plans.
Two defendants — Tina Brown Cooper and Ronnie Jay Oxendine — have pleaded responsible to gun-related prices in federal court docket, after being indicted in March and arrested in April. Cooper pleaded responsible to firearm trafficking on Monday, and Oxendine pleaded responsible final month to possessing an unregistered firearm after police discovered a short-barreled shotgun in his storage constructing.
In court docket papers filed in each instances as a part of the plea agreements, the Justice Division mentioned the 2 bought Routh a Chinese language-made SKS rifle in August, with Cooper allegedly performing as a intermediary in a sale between Routh and Oxendine. Regulation enforcement mentioned Cooper labored for Oxendine on the time of the sale at a roofing firm in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Federal prosecutors alleged Cooper, Routh and Oxendine met on the roofing firm’s headquarters, the place Routh paid Oxendine $350 money for the SKS rifle and $100 to Cooper for serving to to rearrange the sale.
About six weeks later, Routh was allegedly discovered with an SKS-style rifle outdoors Mr. Trump’s golf membership in West Palm Seaside. In a submitting in Routh’s prison case, prosecutors mentioned the gun he dropped at Trump Worldwide Golf Membership was the identical one allegedly bought to him by Oxendine and Cooper.
Information present Routh’s points with the regulation return to the Nineteen Nineties and embrace lesser prices of writing dangerous checks. However in 2002 he was charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction, a felony, in keeping with North Carolina Division of Corrections information. In one other incident, he was charged with misdemeanors, together with a hit-and-run offense, resisting arrest, and a hid weapons violation, the information present.
However his son, Oren Routh, informed CBS Information his father wasn’t violent, and he mentioned he was “undoubtedly stunned” by the most recent allegations.
“He is individual and has been a tough employee his entire life. He is an ideal man and good dad, non-violent, and was by no means abusive. I used to be undoubtedly stunned this occurred. He taught us to work laborious and be good individuals. I have never recognized him to personal weapons or ever harm anybody in any manner, all the time tried to assist his neighborhood in any and each manner potential,” Oren Routh mentioned.
Routh voted Democratic within the 2024 major election in North Carolina, and he voted in individual, in keeping with the North Carolina State Board of Elections. He seems to be registered as an unaffiliated voter.
His account on X, previously often called Twitter, has now been suspended, and it included a variety of posts about Mr. Trump.
Since being granted the power to defend himself in court docket, Routh’s filings have been stuffed with rants about Mr. Trump and worldwide affairs. In a movement to aim to dismiss proof that the Justice Division says it should current throughout his trial, Routh mentioned he would commerce the proof being submitted into the report in change for a subpoena of Mr. Trump, calling him a “dumbass” and even suggesting “a spherical of golf with the racist pig,” and if Trump wins, Trump “can execute me.”
