Ryan Routh, the man convicted of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course in 2024, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.
According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon delivered the sentence in a Fort Pierce courtroom. Prosecutors had sought life without parole, arguing that Routh showed no remorse. A defense attorney requested a 27-year sentence, noting that Routh is nearing 60 years old. In addition to the life sentence, Routh received a consecutive seven-year term for a separate gun conviction.
In September, after a two-week trial, a federal jury found Routh guilty on all five counts, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearms charges.
JUST IN: Ryan Routh appeared to try and stab himself in the neck with a pen after hearing his guilty verdict, eyewitnesses say. pic.twitter.com/rF3qUtJuIH
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 23, 2025
During the reading of the verdict, Routh caused a disruption in the courtroom that required immediate intervention.
Federal prosecutors said the evidence showed Routh had positioned himself outside the perimeter of Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course with a rifle and other equipment. Investigators recovered a GoPro camera, two backpacks, a loaded SKS-style 7.62×39 caliber rifle with a scope, and supplies from the area where he had been hiding. Authorities also found ceramic tiles in one of the backpacks that they believed could have been used as makeshift protective armor.
Prosecutors argued in closing statements that the evidence demonstrated Routh’s intent to kill President Trump.