Ryan Routh Files Appeal Challenging Life Sentence for Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump
Ryan Routh, who was convicted of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign, has filed an appeal challenging his conviction and life sentence. A notice filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit states that Routh intends to contest the jury’s verdict and the sentence imposed this month.
A jury found Routh guilty on five counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Prosecutors stated that Routh spent weeks planning the attack and positioned himself near the sixth hole of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024, placing a rifle through vegetation along the course perimeter. Witnesses testified that he was spotted before Trump came into view; at the time, Trump was a former president who would win reelection two months later. Routh fled after a Secret Service agent fired in his direction. He was arrested later on a nearby highway.
The Department of Justice sought a life sentence, while Routh requested a 27-year term, arguing that trial errors justified a lesser sentence. Routh represented himself at trial following his request to dismiss public defenders. In testimony before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, he claimed his “inability to effectively confront witnesses, use exhibits or affirmatively introduce impeachment evidence” affected the outcome.
An attorney who assisted Routh at sentencing argued that a reduced sentence would still keep him incarcerated into his 80s and allow access to correctional and mental health treatment. Routh attempted self-injury with a pen after the verdict was announced. In the appeal filing, attorney Martin Roth argued that allowing Routh to represent himself could be grounds for review and cited Judge Cannon’s decision not to recuse herself and the court’s finding that the offense constituted terrorism.
Prosecutors wrote in court filings that Routh sought to kill Trump “cravenly, in cold blood” and showed no remorse. The government stated: “The Constitution affords citizens many peaceful avenues to oppose or express strong dissent about a Presidential candidate — murder is not one of them.” The September 2024 incident occurred two months after a separate assassination attempt on Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the assailant was shot by a Secret Service counter sniper.
