West Palm Beach, Florida — Ryan Routh, a 58-year-old individual charged with conspiring to assassinate Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at his golf course in Florida, entered a plea of not guilty on Monday to multiple federal offenses.
His attorney, Kristy Militello, submitted a plea of not guilty during a short arraignment at a federal courthouse in West Palm Beach and requested a trial by jury.
Dressed in a beige prison uniform and restrained with shackles on his wrists and ankles, Routh responded affirmatively, stating “yes, your honor,” when the magistrate judge inquired if he understood the charges brought against him.
Routh was taken into custody on September 15 when a Secret Service agent spotted the end of a rifle sticking out from some bushes near the West Palm Beach golf course, where Trump was enjoying a game.
The agent fired shots, and Routh, who attempted to escape in a car, was apprehended shortly after.
He faces charges of attempting to assassinate a prominent presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and violating firearms regulations.
Last week, a federal judge determined that Routh, who is recognized as a resident of Hawaii, should continue to be held in custody.
According to prosecutors, an FBI examination of Routh’s phone revealed that he had been in Florida since August 18, with his devices being tracked several times between that date and September 15 in proximity to Trump’s golf course and his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Routh was in the area around the Trump International Golf Club for almost 12 hours before a Secret Service agent noticed him, as indicated by his phone’s location data.
According to court documents, Routh reportedly delivered a box to an unknown individual’s residence several months prior to the assassination attempt, which contained a number of letters.
One of the letters, addressed to “The World,” supposedly stated: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, and I sincerely apologize for not succeeding.”
I exerted every effort and summoned all the determination I could gather, it stated. The responsibility now lies with you to complete the task; I am prepared to offer $150,000 to anyone who can accomplish it.
This marked the second assassination attempt on Trump during the summer. The initial incident occurred on July 13 at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman opened fire on the former president, resulting in one fatality and injuring Trump in the ear.
Fortunately, the candidate sustained no other injuries, and the assailant was shot dead at the scene.
The Routh case has been randomly assigned to federal District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who previously dismissed criminal charges against the former president earlier this year concerning his retention of classified documents at his private residence.
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