FORT PIERCE, Florida--Ryan Routh, the man accused of hiding in the bushes of a Florida golf course with a semi-automatic rifle to try to assassinate Donald Trump less than two months before the 2024 U.S. election that returned him to the presidency, was sentenced by a judge on Wednesday to life in prison.
Routh, 59, was convicted by a jury last September of five criminal counts, including attempted assassination after serving as his own defense lawyer at trial. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down the sentence in Fort Pierce, Florida.
"It's clear to me that you engaged in a premeditated, calculated plot to take a human life," Cannon said.
Shackled at the hands and wearing beige prison garb, Routh gave a rambling address at the sentencing hearing that did not touch on any facts of the case but instead focused on foreign wars and Routh's desire to be exchanged with political prisoners abroad.Prosecutors had recommended a life sentence while Routh had asked the judge, a Trump appointee, to impose a 27-year term.
Martin Roth, Routh's lawyer, said during the hearing that Routh was a troubled and complex person but that he had a "very good core" and cared deeply about the well-being of others. Roth told reporters after the hearing that he plans to appeal Routh's conviction and sentence.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that Routh will never walk free again. "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," Bondi said.
Routh in his remarks at the hearing called himself a "failure," said his sentence was "totally unimportant" and lamented that "sadly, execution is not an option."
"I have given every drop of who I am every day for the betterment of my community and this nation," Routh said.Routh read from 20 pages of prepared notes, but Cannon cut him off after about 15 minutes, calling his remarks irrelevant to the case.
In an earlier court filing, Routh denied he intended to kill Trump, and said he was willing to undergo psychological treatment for a personality disorder in prison. Routh suggested jurors were misled about the facts of the case by his inability to mount a proper legal defense at trial.
