Jury selection began Monday in the criminal trial of Ryan Routh, the man charged with trying to assassinate President Trump last year in South Florida.
Routh, 59, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations. He is set to represent himself in the trial, after a federal judge signed off on his request earlier this year. Routh has also pleaded not guilty to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder.
Opening statements are expected on Thursday.
The trial is being overseen by Judge Aileen Cannon. During Monday’s jury selection, Cannon spent several minutes related to a question submitted to potential jurors by Routh, which he ultimately ended up not asking. Showing how Routh may approach his own defense, the approximated question was, “If you were driving down the street and saw a turtle trying to cross the road, would you stop to help it or continue driving?” which Routh said would reflect any juror’s “mindset.”
Sixty potential jurors were told to report on Monday, and they were given questionnaires to go through. Prosecutors challenged 20 of them, who were then dismissed, leaving 40 potential jurors who will return on Tuesday. Routh will be given the opportunity to present his seven challenges on Tuesday.
There were no jurors selected on Monday. Sixty more potential jurors will be called on Tuesday.
There are 50 witnesses listed for potential use for the trial, the vast majority of which are from the prosecution. The potential witnesses are primarily FBI, Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and crime technician types, with a much smaller number of character witnesses for Routh.
Prosecutors say Routh methodically plotted to kill Mr. Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as Mr. Trump played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club. A Secret Service agent spotted Routh before Mr. Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and flee without firing a shot.
Prosecutors also alleged in court filings that Routh attempted to acquire an anti-aircraft weapon to shoot down Mr. Trump’s plane.
The government said that in August 2024, “Routh sought to purchase the devices online from an associate Routh believed to be a Ukrainian with access to military weapons.”
Routh allegedly told an associate to “‘send me an rpg [rocket-propelled grenade] or stinger and I will see what we can do,'” according to the court document.
“I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected,” Routh told his associate.
The government said Routh also sought to purchase a .50 caliber rifle the same month, and this rifle would have been an even more destructive and powerful version of the one he had already allegedly obtained. Prosecutors said Routh hoped to purchase the .50 caliber rifle at a gun show, but his contact was ultimately not able to locate the type of gun Routh wanted until after the assassination attempt at the golf course.
Routh was armed with an AK-47-style rifle and was allegedly 300-500 yards away from Mr. Trump when the Secret Service agent spotted his rifle in the tree line, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
Two people have been charged with selling the gun to Routh, though both defendants told law enforcement they did not have any advance knowledge of Routh’s alleged plans.
Two defendants — Tina Brown Cooper and Ronnie Jay Oxendine — have pleaded guilty to gun-related charges in federal court, after being indicted in March and arrested in April. Cooper pleaded guilty to firearm trafficking on Monday, and Oxendine pleaded guilty last month to possessing an unregistered firearm after police found a short-barreled shotgun in his storage building.
In court papers filed in both cases as part of the plea agreements, the Justice Department said the two sold Routh a Chinese-made SKS rifle in August, with Cooper allegedly acting as a middleman in a sale between Routh and Oxendine. Law enforcement said Cooper worked for Oxendine at the time of the sale at a roofing company in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Federal prosecutors alleged Cooper, Routh and Oxendine met at the roofing company’s headquarters, where Routh paid Oxendine $350 cash for the SKS rifle and $100 to Cooper for helping to arrange the sale.
About six weeks later, Routh was allegedly found with an SKS-style rifle outside Mr. Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach. In a filing in Routh’s criminal case, prosecutors said the gun he brought to Trump International Golf Club was the same one allegedly sold to him by Oxendine and Cooper.
Records show Routh’s issues with the law go back to the 1990s and include lesser charges of writing bad checks. But in 2002 he was charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction, a felony, according to North Carolina Department of Corrections records. In another incident, he was charged with misdemeanors, including a hit-and-run offense, resisting arrest, and a concealed weapons violation, the records show.
But his son, Oren Routh, told CBS News his father wasn’t violent, and he said he was “definitely surprised” by the latest allegations.
“He’s a good person and has been a hard worker his whole life. He’s a great man and good dad, non-violent, and was never abusive. I was definitely surprised this happened. He taught us to work hard and be good people. I haven’t known him to own guns or ever hurt anyone in any way, always tried to help his community in any and every way possible,” Oren Routh said.
Routh voted Democratic in the 2024 primary election in North Carolina, and he voted in person, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. He appears to be registered as an unaffiliated voter.
His account on X, formerly known as Twitter, has now been suspended, and it included a number of posts about Mr. Trump.
Since being granted the ability to defend himself in court, Routh’s filings have been filled with rants about Mr. Trump and international affairs. In a motion to attempt to dismiss evidence that the Justice Department says it will present during his trial, Routh said he would trade the evidence being submitted into the record in exchange for a subpoena of Mr. Trump, calling him a “dumbass” and even suggesting “a round of golf with the racist pig,” and if Trump wins, Trump “can execute me.”
Daniel Shepherd contributed to this report.
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