On September 15, 2024, Routh was spotted hiding in nearby shrubbery while aiming a rifle at a member of Trump's security detail.[5] A Secret Service agent fired four rounds towards Routh, who fled the scene and was later captured in Martin County.[6] No injuries were reported.
Routh pleaded not guilty to five federal charges, including attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate. His trial began on September 8, 2025.[7] Routh filed a motion to represent himself at trial, which was granted. Two weeks later on September 23, Routh was found guilty on all five federal counts.[8][9] Routh faces life in prison, and his sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2025.[8]
Life, career, and legal issues
Routh detained following the incident
Ryan Wesley Routh was born on February 18, 1966,[10] in Greensboro, North Carolina,[11] to Daniel Wesley Routh and Marjorie Patton Fearing.[12] For most of his life, he was a resident of Greensboro,[1] where he attended North Carolina A&T State University for two semesters in 1995.[13] He later ran a roofing business, United Roofing, with 90 employees at one point.[14] In January 1989, Routh was married to Lora Frances Wilson[1][15] and had at least two sons and a daughter.[16][17][18][19][20] Routh filed a divorce against Lora on January 22, 2003, which was granted two months later on March 10.[21]
On April 2, 1991, Routh fought and chased a suspected rapist around an office building. The suspected rapist was also wanted for a string of burglaries, assaults and robberies in both Greensboro and out-of-state in New York. Terrance Bryant of Greensboro (born October 28, 1962), then 28, was taken into custody later that evening and was sentenced the following year to life in prison in May 1992.[22] For confronting the suspect, Routh was honored as a "super citizen" and awarded a "Law Enforcement Oscar" a few months after the chase by the Greensboro chapter of the International Union of Police Associations.[23]
On December 15–16, 2002, Routh was convicted of possessing a firearm; resisting, delaying and obstructing a law enforcement officer; and driving with license revoked after a three-hour stand-off with police. He was pulled over while driving and, during the traffic stop, he put his hand on a fully-automatic machine gun and then drove to a nearby roofing business, where he barricaded himself inside.[20][24][25] In 2003, he was sentenced for driving without a license, carrying a concealed weapon and hit-and-run. On February 10, 2010, Routh was convicted of possessing stolen goods after police searched through a Greensboro warehouse Routh owned and found more than 100 stolen items, including power tools, building supplies, kayaks, and spa tubs.[26][27] For each of these charges he was given probation.[28]
Throughout his life, Routh had over a hundred criminal charges filed against him prior to his attempt to assassinate Trump, and had at least eight prior arrests.[29] In 2018, he moved to Kaʻaʻawa, Hawaii. There he started a shed-building business with his son, Adam.[20] Routh and his other son, Oran Alexander Routh, had had a falling out and had not talked prior to the assassination attempt, although following the attempt he said that Routh was "a loving and caring father, and honest, hardworking man" and that "it doesn't sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent."[30]
A local neighbor who knew Routh for 18 years before he moved to Hawaii, claimed in an interview that she saw him and his family as "weird", and claimed that the number of guns he owned made neighbors feel uncomfortable around him. Mungo stated that she drove Routh's daughter, Sara, to school occasionally. She said Routh's family never expressed any strong political views, and that she had a good relationship with Routh.[31][32]
Claimed activities related to the Russo-Ukrainian War
Routh claimed on his social media accounts, as well as in 2022 interviews with The New York Times, Newsweek Romania, and Der Tagesspiegel to have made efforts to recruit foreign soldiers for Ukraine in its war against Russia.[24][33][34]Newsweek reported Routh had claimed to have fought in Ukraine,[24] while he told The New York Times he did not fight in Ukraine.[35] Routh said in a 2022 interview with a Romanian reporter in Kyiv that he flew to Ukraine to join the army in the months after Russia's full-scale invasion, but learned that he was "not an ideal candidate" for the battlefield because he was in his mid-50s with no military experience. Later in 2022, Routh said in an interview that after he was rejected for military service, he began recruiting volunteer soldiers for the Ukrainian military.[36] Routh complained of roadblocks to Ukraine admitting foreign fighters, telling the publication Semafor that "Ukraine is very often hard to work with, they're afraid that anybody and everybody is a Russian spy".[21][37] Routh was filmed at an April 2022 protest in Independence Square in Kyiv.[38] Routh was reported in 2022 and 2023 to have been associated with the International Volunteer Center, a Lviv-based non-profit providing assistance to foreign fighters in Ukraine. In 2024, after the assassination attempt, the group's founder, Ian Netupsky, said that Routh had never been affiliated with the organization.[39][40][41]
A former volunteer for Ukraine's International Legion, Evelyn Aschenbrenner, branded Routh as "delusional" and a "liar" over his claims that he recruited for the Ukrainian organization, saying Routh was "not, and never has been, associated with the International Legion or the Ukrainian Armed Forces at all". Aschenbrenner said of Routh, "He was combative. He was argumentative. He refused repeatedly to understand basic army policy", further adding, "There was delusions of grandeur and [he was] very disconnected from reality." The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine said in a statement that Routh had "never been part of, associated with, or linked" to it "in any capacity".[42][43][44]
Chelsea Walsh, a travel nurse who had met Routh in Ukraine, viewed Routh as "a threat to others" and a "ticking time bomb", and warned a Homeland Security agent upon her return from Ukraine. She claimed that Routh decided to dedicate his life to protecting Ukraine upon first hearing about the war in 2022, and that he would become "vengeful" and "angry" if he did not get his way. Sometime in 2023, Walsh ultimately reported Routh to the FBI for his behavior.[45] Routh had also claimed to her to have organized a protest outside President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's home and was jailed for it, although this was not confirmed.[46] Walsh repeated her concerns to both the FBI and Interpol.[47]
On September 12, merely three days before the assassination attempt, Routh exchanged messages with British-trained commandos from Afghanistan about recruitment to the Russo-Ukrainian War over the instant messaging app WhatsApp.[48]
At 1:59 a.m on September 15, 2024, Routh took a position at Trump's golf course. He was later spotted by an agent at 1:31p.m.[49] The agent fired at Routh, who dropped his weapon and fled in a nearby vehicle.[50] After the shot was fired, Trump was escorted off the course by his Secret Service protective detail.[51] At 2:22 p.m, Routh was arrested on Interstate 95 in Martin County as the suspect and later charged with two offenses: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed.[52] On the day of his arraignment, he was seen smiling and laughing with his lawyer.[53] Footage of his arrest was also released to the public.[54] Routh was charged on September 24 with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, as well as "assaulting a federal officer" and "possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence".[55] On December 18, Routh was additionally charged with "attempted felony murder" after it was discovered that Routh caused traffic closure while fleeing the scene, which resulted in a traffic crash that injured a 6-year-old girl who was traveling with her family.[56]
Trial
Pre-trial
This section may be too long and excessively detailed. Please consider summarising the material.
On September 23, the Department of Justice publicized a note written by Routh several months prior to his arrest in which he described an "assassination attempt" and offered a bounty for the killing of Donald Trump. In the letter, Routh reportedly stated, "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you", and went on to offer "$150,000 to whomever can complete the job".[57] Authorities believe that this letter may have been an indication of Routh's foreshadowing of his later actions as well as his acknowledgment of failure in carrying out the plot.[58]
On the same day, FBI agents found documents that contained a handwritten list of venues where Trump had appeared or was expected to be present, dated in August through October. Through cell phone data, the FBI discovered Routh stalked Trump near his golf course and his Mar-a-Lago residence repeatedly between August 18 to September 15.[59] Authorities later confirmed that the vehicle used was determined to have stolen number plates belonging to a 2012 Ford F-150.[60] Routh pled not guilty on September 30.[61] A preliminary trial date was set by Judge Aileen Cannon on November 18.[62]
As part of investigations following the assassination attempt, authorities searched the Greensboro home of Ryan Routh's 35-year-old son Oran Alexander Routh (born May 21, 1989), who was previously arrested twice in 2016 for assault on June 13 and interfering with police on August 21.[30] They reportedly discovered child pornography on Oran's electronic devices.[16][63] Oran pled guilty to one count of possessing child pornography involving a minor who had not yet reached 12 years of age. He then had an outburst in the court, claiming his arrest on the charges were motivated by "political persecution".[63] On July 25, 2025, the judge subsequently sentenced Oran to seven years in federal prison with five years of supervised probation.[64]
On October 17, Routh's lawyers asked Cannon to recuse herself to avoid the appearance of bias in favor of Trump, due to Cannon dismissing the federal prosecution of Trump regarding his possession of classified documents two months prior.[65] However, Cannon refused to step down.[66] As a result, Routh's trial date was moved to February 10, 2025. On November 4, one day before the 2024 United States presidential election, Routh sent a letter to a local newsroom stating that if Trump wins the election, it will mark "the end of Democracy and the beginning of a Civil War" and that Trump "will not let go of the power given to him". He also begged the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office to "help lead the country the way to Democracy." Prosecutors noted that Routh's handwriting of the letter matched the same handwriting as the note written months prior discussing his failure to assassinate Trump, which confirmed Routh wrote the note.[67]
On November 26, Routh addressed a note to the newsroom Politico. In the note, he would criticize both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, claiming that they conspire against independent candidates. Routh would also compare himself to Thomas Matthew Crooks, the perpetrator of Trump's previous assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, claiming they were both "ready to die for freedom and democracy." At multiple points, he contemplated the prospect of another civil war. Prior to sending the note, Routh told a prison guard who believed Routh was a Democrat that the Independent politicians are the better candidates. He did not explicitly confess to attempting to assassinate Trump, referring to himself as the "Trump Alleged Shooter".[68]
After appearing in federal court for a hearing on December 11, Routh's legal team announced they were considering giving Routh an insanity defense. Public defenders claimed Routh had met with mental health experts and jail mental health professionals at least twice, who all called him "delusional." Prosecutors also confirmed that Routh had written up to 40 letters to national news outlets to try to convince them he was innocent. The letters were intercepted before being received. Routh's attorneys requested for the trial to be delayed until December 2025.[69][bettersourceneeded] Cannon granted the request in part, setting a new trial date of September 8, 2025.[7][70]
On December 13, 2024, Routh wrote a two-page letter offering to be a hostage in the Gaza war, stating that he was "willing to surrender in Gaza to restart the peace conversation." Routh would also compare himself to the character George Bailey from the 1946 Frank Capra film It's a Wonderful Life, stating that he and Bailey were both "hoping for any support and value in honor, dignity, altruism, and sacrifice left in the world." Routh also expressed positive feelings toward pro-Palestinian university students. Routh would also criticize Trump in the letter, stating he had "no moral compass." The letter was confirmed to be written by Routh through his name, prison ID number and return address at the prison. Routh's daughter, Sara, wrote her signature in the letter.[71]
On February 20, 2025, Routh's defense team inspected the Trump golf course during a visit arranged by the Justice Department. After this visit they inspected evidence from the case such as the rifle, which the Justice Department had transported to an FBI field office in Florida.[72] Following a court filing on March 3, defense attorney Kristy Militello requested for the rifle to be tested. Upon being questioned by Judge Cannon, Militello responded with; "The rifle is old, and we want our expert to determine if it's operable, if it's accurate, and what kind of distance it can reach." Investigators did not conduct any testing of the rifle the day of the assassination attempt because no shots were fired at the scene. Judge Cannon then promised a ruling on testing the weapon.[73]
On April 7, 2025, Routh filed an amended motion to dismiss two of the charges against him, which was "possession of a firearm by a felon" and "possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number". In the filing, Routh argued that the gun violations are unconstitutional and a violation of the Second Amendment because the amendment does not regulate the ownership of guns by felons or serial numbers.[74] The motion was rejected by the court two days later on April 9.[75] On the same day, the eyewitness who saw Routh enter his car the day of the assassination attempt, who goes under the alias "T.C.M" in court, was interviewed by law enforcement.[76] On July 24, Cannon ruled that Routh could represent himself at trial as long as court-appointed attorneys remained on standby.[77] Routh submitted three filings to the court, all of which were filled with sentiments and riddled with typos.[78]
Trial
Routh's trial began on September 8, 2025,[7] and his jury was selected the following day.[79] On September 11, Routh delivered an opening argument that began with a series of tangential historical references unrelated to his case, which lasted five minutes before Judge Cannon stopped him.[80] On September 15, the FBI analyzed the fingerprints found on the SKS semi-automatic 7.62x39 caliber rifle that Routh left behind at the scene of the assassination attempt, and confirmed that it matched his DNA.[81] On the same day, prosecutors publicly revealed more items they found inside Routh's vehicle, which included cartridge casings, and notes about flights to Mexico and Colombia. They described the vehicle as "unorganized," and that there was a chance Routh had lived in it for a while.[82][83]
On September 20, Routh filed a motion to the court to drop all of the charges against him, claiming that since the gun was never fired, prosecutors have "yet to prove" an assassination attempt on Trump took place. He also argued that the area outside Trump International Golf Club is a public right of way, giving anyone the right to be there with a weapon. By that same day, 38 people have testified as witnesses, including the secret service agent who spotted Routh at the golf course.[84]
Verdict
On September 23, 2025, Routh was found guilty on all federal counts.[85] The jury deliberated for around two and a half hours.[86] While the verdict was read in the courtroom, Routh grabbed a black pen and repeatedly attempted to stab himself in the neck,[87] before Marshals tackled him to the ground and picked him up, before dragging him out of the courtroom.[88] Routh's daughter, Sara Ellen Routh, immediately begged her father to not hurt himself before being escorted out of the room as well.[89] Routh returned to the courtroom soon after while handcuffed, appearing to be uninjured, with no blood visible on his white shirt and not appearing to have succeeded in harming himself.[89]
Conspirators
Tina Cooper and Ronnie Oxendine
The message thread between Cooper and Oxendine about obstructing the FBI investigation; September 19, 2024.
On September 22, 2024, FBI agents interviewed roofing business owner Ronnie Jay Oxendine and his employee Tina Brown Cooper, who was also a friend and former employee of Routh, as part of their investigation. Cooper was a registered Republican,[90] while Oxendine never registered to vote. They interviewed Oxendine in Climax, North Carolina. Oxendine told the agents that he met Routh in the early 1990's, while they were both owners of local roofing companies. Oxendine falsely told the agents that around this time, Routh had pawned an SKS rifle to him for approximately $300. After immense pressure, Oxendine later admitted that he lied in order to minimize his role in the assassination attempt. Oxendine also admitted that from July to August 2024, he and Cooper arranged a plan to obtain a rifle as part of Routh's assassination plot. Oxendine stated that on August 2, he obtained an SKS rifle and called Cooper to meet him and Routh at his business place. Here, Oxendine claimed that Routh paid him $350 in cash for the rifle and paid Cooper $100 in cash for arranging the sale. The rifle's serial number was removed by Routh shortly after. Authorities later confirmed this rifle was the same one used by Routh in the assassination attempt.[91][92]
Later that same day, the agents interviewed Cooper in Greensboro, North Carolina. She told them that she met Routh in 1999 while she was an employee of his roofing business in Greensboro. She said she became aware of Routh's lengthy criminal record sometime in 2002. Additionally, she admitted she was "guilty" of assisting Routh, whom she knew was a convicted felon, in acquiring a firearm. Cooper also revealed to the agents that on the day of the assassination attempt, when Oxendine learned about the incident through his sister, he briefed Cooper on it through text messages, where she told him that she was going to delete all traces of Routh off of all her electronic devices. When FBI agents visited Oxendine's business place on September 19, Cooper instructed Oxendine to refuse to cooperate with the FBI. The agents then asked Cooper if she had instructed any other person involved in the firearms transaction to lie to the FBI or mislead the FBI’s investigation. On multiple occasions, she denied this.[91][92][93]
Both Cooper and Oxendine were both indicted in March 2025, and were arrested the following month. Cooper pleaded guilty to firearm trafficking, while Oxendine pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered firearm.[94][95] Oxendine faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.[96]
On September 17, 2025, Oxendine testified as a witness at Routh's trial. He detailed how he and Cooper arranged the sale of the rifle to Routh the year prior. Routh apologized to Oxendine and offered to serve part of his prison sentence saying; "I know you're extremely mad at me." This prompted Judge Cannon to intervene and warn Routh about violating his time on the lectern. Cooper refused to testify as a witness at the trial.[96][97]
Alleged conspirators
The April 7th indictment
On April 7, 2025, an indictment by federal prosecutors alleged that Routh had a conversation on WhatsApp with a man from Mexico saved in his phone as "Ramiro" on February 29, 2024 about potentially smuggling an Afghanistani migrant family into the United States from Mexico. The indictment claimed that the man spoke mostly Spanish, and that Routh occasionally used Google Translate to communicate with him. Their next alleged conversation occurred seven months later on September 12, where Routh allegedly sent a message stating that he planned on fleeing to Mexico City following the assassination attempt, with "Ramiro" allegedly responding that he would see Routh then and that he was located four hours outside of Mexico City. Routh allegedly replied that he would call "Ramiro" once he knew for sure whether or not he’d meet him.[76]
Routh also allegedly sought to obtain military weapons in August 2024 as part of his assassination plot from someone he believed to be a Ukrainian. Routh allegedly told this associate through WhatsApp to send him a rocket-propelled grenade or a stinger, stating that he "needed equipment so that Trump couldn't get elected." Routh also allegedly discussed the idea of using a rocket launcher to shoot down Trump's plane.[98]
According to posts on his Twitter account in 2020, Routh's political views have evolved over the years. Routh said he made Donald Trump his "choice" in 2016, but by 2020, he voiced his dissatisfaction, stating, "I will be glad when you are gone."[99][100] Voting records showed that Routh requested an absentee ballot in 2016, but did not actually vote.[101] In a self-published e-book (Ukraine's Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and the end[sic] of Humanity)[52] in 2023, he wrote about his stated previous support for Trump by stating, "I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake." He further went on to write "you are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgement".[18] The passage in question was specifically addressed to the Iranian government.[102] His son stated that Routh hated Trump like "every reasonable person does."[30]
Routh supported Bernie Sanders in 2020, criticizing Joe Biden as "Sleepy Joe". In 2024, he expressed concern over democracy in a post tagging Biden, and telling him his campaign slogan should be "Keep America Democratic and Free".[103] In 2020, he also supported Tulsi Gabbard, calling for an executive order on police misconduct,[104] and he made several small donations to the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, contributing 19 times in 2019 and 2020 with amounts ranging from $1 to $25, as recorded by the Federal Election Commission.[21] By early 2024, he suggested a Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy ticket for the Republican primary.[105] In 2024, he voted in the Democratic primary in Guilford County, North Carolina.[28] Routh had additionally donated $140 to Democratic causes since 2019. He registered in North Carolina as an independent voter in 2012.[18][20]
Routh has stated his support for Taiwan, and in his self-published text discussed its political status and called for international intervention to protect the island from China.[52] In various posts on his Twitter account in 2023, Routh tagged the Haitian National Police and asserted that he had thousands of NATO-trained Afghan soldiers who "wish to serve for the Haiti national police at cheap wages."[106][107] Routh donated through ActBlue 20 times. He has donated $140 exclusively to Democrats and to Gabbard (at the time a Democrat, but later aligned with Trump) since 2019.[108][bettersourceneeded]
↑ Schlosser, Jim (July 16, 2004). "Skateboard park closed". News and Record. p.5. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
