After the jury left the room, Routh tried to stab himself in the neck. — The man who was charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump has been found guilty.
Ryan Routh said that he didn’t intend to kill anyone last year when the prosecution said he targeted the then-presidential candidate Trump, The Associated Press reported.
It took the jury less than three hours to come to a verdict, CNN reported.
After the jury left the room, Routh tried to stab himself in the neck, the AP reported.
Marshals converged on him, grabbing him and dragging him from the courtroom.
Routh represented himself in the trial and said during the closing arguments, “It’s hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled."
Routh faced five charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He was found guilty of all of the charges.
US attorneys said that Routh stalked Trump and used physical and electronic evidence to prove the case.
They said he used burner phones to call and text in an effort to buy the rifle, while cell phone records showed Routh in the vicinity of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, for several weeks before the incident, CNN reported.
He also searched for campaign rallies and traffic cameras in Palm Beach.
Officials said Routh had a “sniper’s nest” near the sixth green, CNN reported.
Routh did not fire the weapon and left the area.
A witness said he saw a “frantic and disheveled” man leaving the area on Sept. 15, 2024, and decided to follow him, taking a photo of the vehicle’s license plate. Law enforcement stopped Routh about 45 minutes north of the area.
Both prosecutors and Routh focused on his intent.
Prosecutor Chris Brown told the jury, “Even though he didn’t kill Trump, he wanted to.” Routh said the assassination was “never going to happen,” adding, “If the attempted assassination was not taken, it is not an attempt,” CNN reported. He said, “There was no intent.”
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