(AURN News) — Jurors in Fort Pierce, Florida, found 59-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh guilty Tuesday of attempting to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, assaulting a Secret Service agent and three federal gun charges. Moments after the verdict, Routh tried to stab himself in the courtroom.
The jury needed just two and a half hours to reach the verdict. Seconds later, prosecutors said Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen. His daughter screamed, “Dad, don’t hurt yourself,” as U.S. Marshals and bailiffs pulled him away.
Routh, a former Trump backer who represented himself at trial, wrote a note addressed to the world admitting the attempt. Federal prosecutors said he planned the attack.
Defense witnesses described Routh as generous and community-minded, with one calling him “a jolly person.” Routh himself argued he was incapable of killing Trump, citing what he called his “gentle, nonviolent nature.” At sentencing, he faces the possibility of life in prison.
President Donald Trump hailed the conviction on social media, thanking the Justice Department and the jury.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
