Miami, US (EFE).- A United States judge sentenced Ryan Routh to life in prison on Wednesday for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course in 2024, the second attempt on Trump’s life during that year’s campaign.
Routh’s lawyer, Martin Roth, said he will appeal the conviction as he disagrees with the charges for terrorism and because the defendant is 60 years old. The sentence includes an additional 84 months in prison.
The ruling comes after a jury found Routh guilty in Sep. 2025 of five counts related to his attempt to assassinate Trump, including possessing a firearm to commit a violent crime, assaulting a federal officer, being a felon in possession of a weapon, and having an arm with a defaced serial number.
During the sentencing, Judge Aileen M. Cannon of the Southern District of Florida in Fort Pierce told the defendant on Wednesday that he was “evil,” according to Sheriff John Budensiek of Martin County, who was present at the session.
Routh, a construction worker from North Carolina, was arrested on Sep. 15, 2024, two months before the presidential election, at a Florida golf course owned by Trump, where a Secret Service agent found him hiding behind some bushes with a semi-automatic rifle.
It was the second assassination attempt on Trump while he was a candidate. In Jul. 2024, he was attacked at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where authorities killed the aggressor.
Routh’s trial received renewed attention as he pleaded not guilty, claiming that he did not commit a crime because he did not intend to kill anyone. He also made references to figures like Hitler.
Routh’s lawyer, assigned to represent him at sentencing, explained that the federal penalty means the man will not be able to leave prison.
The defense attorney reported that Routh’s sister attended the Wednesday session and “took it very well.”
Roth also referred to Routh as an “exceptional person” for fighting as a volunteer in Ukraine during the Russian invasion and for trying to defend Taiwan from China and recruit Afghan soldiers trained by NATO. EFE
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