Ryan Routh Stabs Himself After Guilty Verdict in Trump Assassination Plot

Ryan Routh, who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump in September 2024, stabbed himself in the neck with a pen on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, moments after being found guilty on all charges.

The incident took place in a Florida courtroom shortly after the jury delivered a unanimous verdict.

Routh, 59, was arrested last year following a manhunt in Palm Beach, where Secret Service agents found him hiding in bushes near one of Trump’s golf courses. Authorities recovered a gun and camera from the scene.

After the verdict was read, Routh repeatedly stabbed his neck with a pen. His daughter, Sarah Ellen Routh, shouted expletives, cried, and ran out of the courtroom, later seen sobbing outside. His son, Adam Routh, was also seen leaving following the verdict.

Routh was convicted of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, felony firearm and ammunition possession, possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, and assaulting a federal officer.

He faces a possible life sentence, with sentencing scheduled for December 18.

Trump congratulated Attorney General Pam Bondi and her department after the conviction.

“The trial was meticulously handled, and I would like to thank the Judge and Jury for their time, professionalism, and patience,” the president said in a statement.

“This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him.”