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Trial date for Ryan Routh in Trump assassination attempt moved to February

Routh faces charges of attempting to assassinate major presidential candidate

A new trial date has been set for the suspect accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump in Palm Beach County.

By: Aja Dorsainvil

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FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A new trial date has been set for a man, who authorities said, spent 12 hours camped outside Donald Trump's golf course before Secret Service spotted him with a rifle.

The case for Ryan Wesley Routh is set for jury trial during the two-week trial period that begins Feb. 10, 2025 at Alto Lee Adams, Sr. United States Courthouse in Fort Pierce.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon issued the court order of a new trial date on Friday in order "to permit appropriate consideration and adjudication of any anticipated pretrial motions, and in light of the arguments raised to date regarding scheduling."

The original trial date was initially set for Nov. 18.

The order comes a three weeks after Routh pleaded not guilty during federal arraignment in West Palm Beach. Routh appeared briefly in federal court after a grand jury handed down a five-count indictment stemming from the second attempt on Trump's life since July.

Routh was initially charged in a criminal complaint only with gun offenses before prosecutors pursued additional charges before a grand jury. Prosecutors will often quickly bring the first easily provable charges they can and then add more serious charges later as the investigation unfolds.

Other charges he faces include illegally possessing his gun in spite of multiple felony convictions, including two charges of possessing stolen goods in 2002 in North Carolina. He's also accused of having a weapon with a serial number that was obliterated and unreadable to the naked eye, in violation of federal law.

A status conference will be held on Dec. 11 at 10 a.m. and Routh is expected to attend.

A pretrial hearing will be held at 1:45 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2025 at the courthouse in Fort Pierce.

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