The man convicted of attempting to kill PresidentDonald Trumpwhile he played golf in Southern Florida has been sentenced to life in prison.
RyanWesley Routh, 59, was found guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump at one of his golf courses in West Palm Beach in the fall of 2024.
A federal jury on Sept. 23, found Routh guilty of trying to kill the then presidential nomineeat Trump International Golf Club. A Secret Service agent spotted the gun and shot at Routh chasing him off.
Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Routh, who is originally from North Carolina.
Routh's attorney suggested a 27-year sentence would be punishment enough for the crime citing no one was hurt in the melee, but prosecutors disagreed.
The incident took place onSept. 15, 2024, just months after a bullet grazed Trump's ear in anotherattempt on his life at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Jurors convicted Routh of attempted assassination (which carries a maximum life sentence by itself), assaulting a federal officer and several other firearm offenses.
Prosecutors described the assassination attempt as a narrowly averted, while Routh suggested his actions were a peaceful protest, the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network reported. During the trial inU.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Routh told jurors he was incapable of pulling the trigger and had been guilty only of "caring too much."
"To merely have a weapon in the presence of another is not intent," said Routh, who fired his attorneys ahead of the trial and had represented himself.
After his conviction, Routh tried tostab himself in the neck with a pen. Routh had asked U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon for a "just punishment," in hopes of avoiding life in prison.
Contributing: Hannah Phillips with the Palm Beach Post,part of the USA TODAY Network
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ryan Routh sentenced to life in prison
