Attempted Trump Assassin Tries To Stab Himself In Neck After Guilty Verdict

A jury on Tuesday found Ryan Routh guilty of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course last year.

After the verdict was read, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen, prompting law enforcement to restrain and shackle him.

🚨🚨BREAKING: Would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh tries to stab himself in the neck with a pen after guilty verdict read in court.🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/bnpYKeerVp

— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 23, 2025

The Florida jury spent roughly two hours in deliberations after the two-week trial wrapped up earlier Tuesday. Routh represented himself at the close of the trial, giving closing remarks for less than an hour before he was stopped by Judge Eileen Cannon, who previously admonished Routh for moving off topic, according to NBC News.

Routh, 59, faced five counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assault of a federal officer, and multiple firearms offenses. Routh pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The convicted attempted assassin made the decision early on in his trial to forgo the court-appointed attorneys provided to represent him. Routh struggled throughout the trial to make a viable defense of himself or even navigate the court process.

Over the course of the two week trial, prosecutors called on dozens of witnesses and introduced evidence from cell phone data, DNA matches, bullets found in a “sniper’s nest” at the golf course, and other materials to build their case.

“This was not a publicity stunt,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Browne said, according to Fox News. “The evidence has shown one thing and one thing only — the defendant wanted Donald Trump dead.”

Routh is not a lawyer, nor does he have any legal training. He asked Cannon in July if he could represent himself after claiming to have irreconcilable differences with the court-appointed attorneys tasked with representing him. Cannon agreed, but told Routh that representing himself in the case is a “bad idea.”

During his closing argument, Routh meandered from the charges against him and the assassination attempt to topics such as the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, Ukraine, the Revolutionary War, broadcaster Edward Murrow, and other issues. He said during his closing that the only charge he could be guilty of is caring “deeply for this country,” according to The New York Times.