ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A man accused of trying to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump in South Florida will not face trial until September 2025, a federal judge ruled this week.
Ryan Routh’s trial will begin Sept. 8 instead of the originally scheduled Feb. 10, 2025, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said in an order issued Monday.
Routh, 58, a resident of Hawaii, has pleaded not guilty.
Routh’s lawyers had asked the judge to postpone the trial until next December at the earliest, saying they needed more time to review the evidence against him and decide whether to mount an insanity defense.
Routh owned 17 cellphones and numerous other electronic devices, and hundreds of hours of police camera and surveillance video were provided to the defense, Routh’s lawyers argued at a hearing two weeks ago in Fort Pierce, Florida.
In her order, Cannon said she wanted to favor additional time given the seriousness of the allegations, but that starting the trial no earlier than December would be an excessive length of time. The September trial date does not constitute an “unreasonable delay,” she said.
The judge said any insanity defense or claim related to Routh’s mental capacity must be presented in early February. Any visit to the scene of the assassination attempt must be carried out before the end of February.
Prosecutors say Routh methodically plotted to kill Trump for weeks before pointing a rifle through the shrubbery while Trump played golf on September 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club. Before Trump appeared, Routh was spotted by a Secret Service agent. Routh allegedly pointed his rifle at the officer, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his gun and run away without firing a shot. Prosecutors say he left a note describing his intentions.
He was arrested a short time later while driving on a nearby highway.
Routh’s attempted murder charge against a major presidential candidate carries a possible life sentence if convicted. Other charges include assaulting a federal agent and three firearms counts. He is being held without bail at the federal prison in Miami.
Routh’s arrest comes two months after Trump was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service acknowledged failures leading to the shooting but said security performed as it should have to thwart a possible attack in Florida.