Man who tried to assassinate Trump on golf course requests attorney for sentencing
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of trying Assassinating President Donald Trump Last year, an attorney working at a golf course in Florida decided to retain an attorney during the sentencing phase instead of representing himself as he did for most of the trial.
Ryan Routh’s sentencing hearing in Fort Pierce, Florida, was postponed from this week to early February after he requested and was granted an attorney to represent him during the sentencing and appeal phases of the case.
Chaos broke out in a federal courtroom shortly after jurors were dismissed in September found Routh guilty All charges, including attempted murder of a presidential candidate and various firearm-related charges. Routh tried to stab He hit himself in the neck with a pen and officers quickly dragged him outside. The pen Routh used was flexible to prevent detainees from using it as a weapon.
Prosecutors said Routh, 59, planned for weeks to kill Trump before pointing his rifle at the then-Republican presidential candidate from the bushes while he was golfing at a West Palm Beach country club on Sept. 15, 2024.
At Routh’s trial, a Secret Service agent who helped protect Trump on the golf course testified that he saw Routh before Trump came into view. Routh pointed his rifle at the agent who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his gun and flee without firing a single bullet.
In the motion requesting an attorney, Routh offered to trade his life for prisoners wrongfully detained in other countries, saying an offer was still valid for Trump to “take out his frustration on me.”
“If we moved back just a quarter of an inch we wouldn’t have to deal with all this mess going forward, but I fail at everything all the time (at the same level of course),” Routh wrote.
In her decision to grant Routh an attorney, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon rebuked the “disrespectful charade” of Routh’s motion, saying it made a mockery of the proceedings. But the judge Trump nominated in 2020 said he wanted to err on the side of legal representation.
Cannon signs agreement at Routh’s request represent yourself After two hearings in July. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that criminal defendants have the right to represent themselves at court hearings as long as they can show a judge that they are authorized to waive their right to be represented by an attorney.
Routh’s former defense attorneys served as substitute attorneys and were present during the trial.
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