WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Ryan Wesley Routh, who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at his golf course during his 2024 presidential campaign, has been sentenced to life in prison.
U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon for the Southern District of Florida imposed the sentence following Routh's conviction by a federal jury on all five counts charged in the indictment.
'Ryan Routh's heinous attempted assassination of President Trump was not only an attack on our President - it was a direct assault against our entire democratic system,' said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. 'Thanks to our prosecutors in the National Security Division and the Southern District of Florida, Routh will never walk free again.'
The incident that rattled the U.S. election campaign scene took place on September 15, 2024, at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Donald Trump was about to play golf.
According to evidence presented at trial, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano was patrolling one hole ahead of Trump when he observed Routh pointing what appeared to be an AK 47-style rifle at him from a sniper's hide concealed in a fence line bordering the golf course. Fercano fired four rounds towards Routh, who then fled the scene and was later captured in Martin County.
A Norinco SKS rifle equipped with a scope and a loaded magazine containing 19 rounds of ammunition was recovered later.
Routh, a roofer and activist, was reportedly motivated to assassinate Trump to prevent him from being elected. The incident occurred two months after Trump survived a previous assassination attempt while speaking at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania.
In September 2025, after a two-week trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, a jury found Routh guilty of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assault of a federal law enforcement officer, and multiple firearms offenses.
FBI Miami investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office; and Martin County Sheriff's Office.
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