Washington: A US Federal judge, on Wednesday, sentenced Ryan Routh, a 60-year-old man convicted of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump during the 2024 election campaign, to life in prison, closing one of the most serious criminal cases arising from political violence in recent American history.
Routh was found guilty on five felony counts linked to a planned sniper-style attack on Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach at Florida in September 2024, when Trump was campaigning for a return to the White House.
Prosecutors said Routh spent months planning the attack, researching Trump’s movements, aircraft, the golf course layout, firearms, ammunition and other equipment.
On the day of the assassination attempt, Routh hid for hours near the golf course while waiting for Trump to play golf, they added.
“Routh’s crimes undeniably warrant a life sentence,” Federal Prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.
“He (Ryan Routh) took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major Presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims.”
According to prosecutors, a Secret Service agent spotted Routh concealed in the tree line with a semi-automatic rifle.
After being confronted, Routh fled the spot, abandoning the weapon. He was arrested shortly afterward.
US District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down the life sentence during a hearing in Fort Pierce, Florida.
In addition to the life term, Cannon imposed an extra seven years in prison tied to a second count in the indictment, according to reports from local media.
Before the court sentencing, Cannon sharply rebuked Routh’s conduct and praised law enforcement officers and witnesses who intervened.
“Despite all the evil we see, there is a sliver of hope, a sliver of light,” she said, according to a local television report.
Routh represented himself during much of the trial after repeated disputes with his court-appointed lawyers.
During a rambling opening statement, he told jurors that he never intended to kill Trump.
The jury deliberated for about two hours before convicting him on all counts after a trial that lasted more than two weeks.
When the court judgment was read, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen before being restrained by US Marshals.
Routh later apologised to the judge in court filings for what he called “the nuisance of the trial”.
At the court sentencing, Routh was represented by a newly appointed attorney, who urged the court to impose a 27-year prison term instead of life imprisonment.
The defence said that the attack was unsuccessful and caused no injuries to Trump, his staff or Secret Service agents.
“Although the crimes of conviction are serious offences, this was an unsuccessful attempt that caused no harm,” the defence wrote, saying that a lengthy but finite jail sentence would be sufficient and not “excessive”.
Prosecutors rejected that request, citing what they described as careful planning, extensive premeditation and a motive aimed at preventing voters from choosing their preferred Presidential candidate.
After his arrest, Routh underwent a psychiatric evaluation.
A psychiatrist concluded that he suffered from Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Bipolar II disorder, according to court filings.
His lawyer said Routh was open to receiving mental health treatment while in prison.
The case unfolded against the backdrop of heightened political tensions during the 2024 US election campaign.
Two months before Routh’s attempt, Trump survived a separate assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, where he was wounded in the ear and the gunman was killed by law enforcement.
(IANS)
