Ryan Wesley Routh, who was arrested after allegedly attempting to assassinate Donald Trump before the election, will now head to trial in September 2025, a federal judge ruled on Monday.
Routhโs request to delay the trial from February to December next year, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon wrote in an order, was โexcessive given the facts and circumstancesโ in the case. Instead, she met the defense team in the middle by pushing back the two-week trialโs start date to September 8.
The trial was originally scheduled to start this November 18 until that date was amended to February 10.
Routhโs attorneys argued that the trial needed to start next December, citing โdiscovery delays,โ an โextraordinary volume of discovery,โ โneed [for] sufficient time to review discovery and evaluate potential defenses,โ and โlogistical difficultiesโ associated with his detention in a Miami federal prison, according to the Trump-appointed judgeโs order.
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors wanted a speedy trial to stop the defendantโs โongoing attempts to taint the jury pool.โ Because of Routhโs high-profile case, it might be difficult to select an impartial jury.
Routh has pleaded not guilty to five federal charges in West Palm Beach, Fla., including the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate. The man was also charged with attempted felony murder in the state of Florida.
The would-be assassin is accused of trying to assassinate Trump while the Republican was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach. Before he could take aim at the former president, a Secret Service agent spotted Routhโs rifle poking through a fence and opened fire on the gunman. Routh fled the scene and was apprehended by authorities shortly thereafter.
In its argument for keeping Routh in detention, the Justice Department pointed to a handwritten note that the suspect planned to release in the event that his attempt to kill Trump failed.
โThis was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you,โ Routh wrote. โI tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.โ
The note suggests Routh may be mentally unwell, although it remains unclear whether he was diagnosed with a mental illness.
Cannon said the defense has indicated that โmental health evaluations are ongoing to assess a potential insanity defense and competency evaluation.โ An insanity defense refers to an argument that the defendant should not be held responsible for his criminal actions due to a mental illness.
The judge ordered that Routhโs lawyers provide notice for an insanity defense, notice for expert evidence that sheds light on their clientโs mental condition, or a motion that determines his mental competency by February 3.
Cannon previously presided over Trumpโs classified-documents case brought by special counsel Jack Smith, whose โunlawful appointment and fundingโ factored into her decision to dismiss the case altogether. The judge made that decision two days after the first assassination attempt against Trump in July.
Along with Trumpโs federal election interference case, the one involving Trumpโs retention of classified documents is effectively dead. Smith plans to leave the Justice Department before Trump takes office next month.







Comments