Ryan Routh, accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump in 2024, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Rourth, 59, was found guilty by a jury in September last year on five charges, including attempted murder, after representing himself during the trial. U.S. District Court Judge Eileen Cannon handed down the sentence in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Prosecutors had recommended a life sentence, and Rout asked the Trump-appointed judge to impose a 27-year sentence.
Prosecutors said in a document that Rout's crimes "unquestionably merit a life sentence" because he planned the murder for months, was willing to kill anyone who got in his way, and showed no remorse or remorse.
Rout has denied intending to kill Trump and said he is willing to undergo psychological treatment in prison. Rout suggested that the jury was misled about the facts of the case due to his failure to mount an adequate legal defense during the trial.
He was found guilty on three counts of unlawful possession of firearms and one count of obstructing a federal officer during his arrest.
During Rout's trial, a Secret Service agent who helped guard Trump at the golf course testified that he had spotted Rout before Trump came into his view. Rout aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Rout to drop his weapon and flee without firing a single shot.
Rout carried six cellphones and used false names to conceal his identity, trial evidence showed, and prosecutors said he waited hidden in bushes for nearly 10 hours on the day of the attempted assassination.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, but has fired his lawyers and decided to represent himself at trial, despite having no formal legal training.
Prosecutor John Shipley told jurors that Rout's plan was "carefully crafted and serious," adding that without the intervention of the "Secret Service" "Donald Trump would not be alive".
Trump expressed satisfaction with the verdict in a post on "Truth Social" and wrote: "This was a malicious person with bad intentions and they got him."