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In Fort Pierce, Florida, federal prosecutors are gearing up for a significant sentencing hearing on Wednesday. They are expected to advocate for a life sentence for Ryan Routh, the man convicted of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump on a golf course in 2024.
Routh will stand before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, whose courtroom witnessed dramatic scenes in September. The chaos ensued shortly after a jury declared Routh guilty on multiple charges, including the attempted murder of a presidential candidate and several offenses related to firearms. In a startling moment, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen, prompting officers to swiftly remove him from the courtroom.
Initially set for December, Routh’s sentencing was rescheduled after he opted for legal representation during this phase, having previously chosen to represent himself throughout the trial. This decision led to a postponement agreed upon by Judge Cannon.
The prosecution has been unwavering in its stance. Last month, they submitted a sentencing memorandum to the court, emphasizing Routh’s lack of remorse and refusal to take responsibility for his actions. According to federal sentencing guidelines, they argue that a life sentence is appropriate.
“Routh remains unrepentant for his crimes, never apologized for the lives he put at risk, and his life demonstrates near-total disregard for law,” the memorandum stated, underscoring the gravity of his offenses and the threat he poses.
Routh’s new defense attorney, Martin L. Roth, is asking the judge for a variance from sentencing guidelines: 20 years in prison on top of a seven-year, mandatory sentence for one of the gun convictions.
“The defendant is two weeks short of being sixty years old,” Roth wrote in a filing. “A just punishment would provide a sentence long enough to impose sufficient but not excessive punishment, and to allow defendant to experience freedom again as opposed to dying in prison.”
Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as the then-Republican presidential candidate played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.
At Routh’s trial, a Secret Service agent helping protect Trump on the golf course testified 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 run away without firing a shot.
In the motion requesting an attorney, Routh offered to trade his life in a prisoner swap with people unjustly held in other countries and said an offer still stood for Trump to “take out his frustrations on my face.”
“Just a quarter of an inch further back and we all would not have to deal with all of this mess forwards, but I always fail at everything (par for the course),” Routh wrote.
In her decision granting Routh an attorney, Cannon chastised the “disrespectful charade” of Routh’s motion, saying it made a mockery of the proceedings. But the judge, nominated by Trump in 2020, said she wanted to err on the side of legal representation.
Cannon signed off last summer on Routh’s request to represent himself following two hearings. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that criminal defendants have the right to represent themselves in court proceedings, as long as they can show a judge they are competent to waive their right to be defended by an attorney.
Routh’s former federal public defenders served as standby counsel and were present during the trial.