ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A man accused of attempting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump in South Florida will not stand trial until September 2025, a federal judge ruled this week.
Ryan Routh’s trial will begin on September 8, 2025, instead of the previously scheduled start date of February 10, 2025, U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon said in an order released Monday. Ta.
Routh, 58, who lives in Hawaii, has pleaded not guilty.
Lawyers for Routh have asked the judge to postpone the trial until December next year, saying they need more time to consider the evidence against Routh and decide whether to pursue an insanity defense. Ta.
Ryan Wesley Rous attends a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
Routh is in possession of 17 cell phones and numerous other electronic devices, and hundreds of hours of police body camera and surveillance video have been provided to the defense, prosecutors said in Fort Pierce, Fla., two weeks ago. At the hearing, Routh’s attorney argued:
Cannon said in his order that he would have preferred to make the mistake of providing more time given the seriousness of the allegations, but starting the trial by December would be a step too far. She said the September trial date would not amount to an “unreasonable delay.”
The judge said the insanity defense and any claims related to Routh’s mental competency must be filed by early February. A visit to the site of the assassination attempt must take place by the end of February.
Prosecutors said Routh had been planning to kill President Trump for weeks before pointing a rifle at a shrubbery while the president was playing golf at a West Palm Beach country club on September 15, 2024. It is said that he was planning to. Routh was spotted by Secret Service agents before Trump came into view. Routh allegedly pointed a rifle at the agent, but the agent opened fire, causing Routh to drop the weapon and flee without firing a shot. Prosecutors say he left a note stating his intentions.
He was arrested a short time later while driving on a nearby interstate.
Routh’s charge of attempting to assassinate a leading presidential candidate could carry a life sentence if convicted. Other charges include assault on a federal officer and three firearms charges. He is being held without bail at a federal prison in Miami.
Routh’s arrest comes two months after Trump was shot and wounded in the ear during an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service acknowledged failures leading up to the shooting but said security worked to thwart the attack in Florida.
