Ryan Routh, the man accused of hiding in the bushes of a golf course in Florida with a semi-automatic rifle to try to assassinate Donald Trump, has been sentenced to life in prison, less than two months before the 2024 US presidential elections which brought him back to the presidency.
Routh, 59, was found guilty by a jury last September of five charges, including attempted murder, after defending himself during the trial.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down the sentence in Fort Pierce, Florida. Prosecutors had recommended life in prison, while Routh had asked the Trump-appointed judge to impose a 27-year sentence.
Prosecutors said in a court filing that Routh’s crimes “undeniably justify a life sentence” because he had planned the assassination for months, was willing to kill anyone who got in his way and expressed neither remorse nor repentance.
In a court filing, Routh denied that he had intended to kill Trump and said he was willing to undergo psychological treatment in prison for a personality disorder.
Routh suggested that jurors were misled about the facts because of his failure to conduct an adequate legal defense during the trial.