A federal judge has ruled that Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, will remain in custody without bail as he awaits trial on two felony gun charges related to a failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
During a hearing in Florida, Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe denied Routh’s request for release, citing concerns about the defendant’s potential danger to the community. Routh’s public defense attorneys represented him at the hearing.
According to authorities, Routh was arrested on September 15 after he was found hiding behind a bush on the sixth hole of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, armed with a loaded semiautomatic rifle. Prosecutors claim that Routh had been tracking Trump’s movements and had planned to murder him.
Routh faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the charges, and the Justice Department may bring additional charges as the investigation continues. Prosecutors argued that Routh posed a significant threat to the community and should remain in custody.
In support of their argument, prosecutors presented a handwritten note allegedly written by Routh several months ago, in which he apologized for failing to kill Trump and offered a $150,000 bounty to anyone who could “complete the job.” It is unclear how Routh planned to pay the bounty, given that he claimed to be financially struggling and unable to afford his own lawyer.
Prosecutors also provided new details about the Secret Service’s encounter with Routh, including an agent’s account of seeing the barrel of a rifle aimed directly at him during a security sweep of the golf course. The agent fired at Routh, who then fled and was arrested on the highway less than an hour later.
Additionally, prosecutors revealed that Routh had been tracking Trump’s appearances and had surveilled locations associated with the former president, including his Mar-a-Lago residence. Cell phone data showed that Routh was in the area on multiple days and times leading up to the attempted assassination.
