Judge rejects acquittal of accused of attempted murder against Trump: jury will decide the verdict
Ryan Routh, who is representing himself, asked the federal judge on Friday to acquit him of four of the five charges against him
Federal Judge Aileen Cannon denied the request for acquittal filed by Ryan Routh, accused of planning and executing an assassination attempt against Donald Trump in September 2024. The case will be in the hands of the jury after the presentation of closing arguments next month. week.
Routh, who is representing himself, asked a federal judge on Friday to acquit him on four of the five counts against him, including attempted murder of a presidential candidate, saying the prosecution failed to prove an alleged plot to kill Trump.
“Maybe they proved someone was outside the fence with a gun, but the gun was never fired,” Routh argued at the hearing.
The judge dismissed the request, noting that a jury “could reasonably conclude that the prosecution met its burden of proof.”
The prosecution’s allegation
Prosecutors allege Routh spent weeks stalking and surveilling President Trump before allegedly pointing a loaded rifle through bushes at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on September 15, 2024.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley said Routh took “significant steps” toward an attempted murder. murder and recalled that a Secret Service agent testified that the defendant pointed the gun directly at him.
During seven days of trial, 38 witnesses testified against Routh.
FBI Special Agent Kimberly McGreevy presented phone records, internet searches, security videos and receipts that allegedly show how the defendant prepared for months to obtain weapons despite being a convict and how he frequently traveled near Mar-a-Lago and the golf club.
Next Steps
Routh's defense will begin on Monday and is expected to call three witnesses: a firearms expert and two character witnesses. He has not confirmed whether he will testify in his own defense.
Closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday and, after that,The jury will now deliberate.
The case comes just nine weeks after Trump survived another assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, where a gunman opened fire and he was killed by a Secret Service sniper.