Federal prosecutors asked a judge to hand down a life sentence to Ryan Routh, who was found guilty last September of attempting to assassinate President Trump on his golf course less than two months before the 2024 election.
U.S. Attorney Jason Quinones made the recommendation to Judge Aileen Cannon in a 30-page sentencing memorandum filed on Friday, where he outlined Routh’s determination to kill Mr. Trump and the steps he took to try to carry it out.
“Routh’s crimes of conviction reflect careful plotting, extensive premeditation, and a cowardly disregard for human life. Routh planned for months to assassinate then-candidate Trump. He explored many options for doing so, ranging from Stinger missiles to rocket-propelled grenades to .50 caliber weapons, before settling on the SKS sniper rifle he possessed on September 15, 2024,” prosecutors argued in the memorandum.
Routh is scheduled to be sentenced next month. He is asking for a 27-year sentence rather than life in prison.
Federal prosecutors said Routh’s claim of mental illness should not lessen his sentence, noting a defense-appointed doctor found no basis for him to claim incompetence, insanity or diminished capacity.
Federal prosecutors say Routh nearly carried out a well-planned attempt to assassinate Mr. Trump while he played at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 14, 2024.
Prosecutors say Routh was deadly serious when he crawled into the bushes on the outskirts of the sixth hole, pointed a loaded semi automatic rifle directly at the green and waited.
Mr. Trump was playing the fifth hole and was less than 500 yards from Mr. Routh’s gunsight when a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle protruding from the shrubbery. He was captured after a chase.
Routh represented himself at trial and carried out oddball antics that continued after the verdict. Upon hearing the jury’s decision, he attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen.
The jury deliberated for two hours before finding Routh guilty of the assassination attempt against Mr. Trump, assault on a federal officer and three gun charges.
His effort to kill Mr. Trump came weeks after a would-be assassin shot Mr. Trump while he was on stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the president’s ear with a bullet. The shooter fatally hit a rallygoer and wounded another before he was killed by federal law enforcement.
Imposing a life sentence is vital to reinforce the seriousness of Routh’s crimes, especially his assassination attempt, prosecutors said.
