Fort Pierce, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Rouse texted his three adult children and fiancées separately to say he loves them, according to cell phone records.
That same day, Lous called his fiancé from the Palm Beach County Jail to talk about his arrest, but she already knew. “Everyone knows, it was hours,” the woman can be heard saying on a phone recording. “The whole world knows.”
Rous has represented himself in federal court after being accused of attempting Kill Trump, presenting his defense on Monday, calling for only three witnesses.
A veteran prosecutor at the U.S. Lawyer’s Office in the Southern District of Florida took their case off Friday afternoon after spending seven days trying to question 38 witnesses. Louth I’ll spend the rest of my life in prison.
Prosecutors said Rous spent weeks killing Trump as Trump played golf at his West Palm Beach Country Club on September 15, 2024.
Routh pleaded not guilty to the charges I’m about to assassinate Assaulting several firearm violations with presidential candidates, federal officers.
He told District Court Judge Irene Cannon on Friday that he would only need about half a day to present his defense. He shows that he plans to call a firearms expert and witnesses for the two characters. He did not say whether he was planning to testify himself.
Cannon signed off at Rous’ request I represent myself Following two hearings in July. Rous told the judge that the federal public defenders appointed to his court were hardworking, but they didn’t listen to him and were afraid of him.
“Are you supposed to say I’m not a dangerous person when they represent me and don’t believe it?” Rous said in July.
The U.S. Supreme Court held that a criminal defendant has the right to represent himself in court cases as long as he can demonstrate that the judge has the capacity to waive his right to be protected by his lawyer. Routh’s former defense attorney has served as a standby counsel ever since Routh took over his own defense and attended during the trial over the past two weeks.
Cannon said the lawyers are preparing to hold a closing discussion on Tuesday, giving each side an hour and 45 minutes. The ju judges then begin deliberation. Cannon initially blocked more than three weeks for a trial in Fort Pierce Federal Court, but Routh’s relatively short cross-examination led to a faster pace than expected.
Speaking about alleged attacks on the golf course, Secret Service agents testified last week that Trump found Lous before he entered view. Routh aimed his rifle at his agent. The agent fired, and Routh dropped his weapon and ran away without firing a shot, the agent said.
Law enforcement received help from witnesses who testified that they saw someone fleeing the area after hearing gunshots. The witnesses later said they were flying on a police helicopter to the nearby interstate where Lous was arrested, and the witnesses confirmed that it was the person he saw.
Just nine weeks ago, Trump survived Try it About his life during his campaign in Pennsylvania. The gunman fired eight shots with one bullet grazing Trump’s ears. The gunman was later fatally shot by a Secret Service counter sniper.
Routh is a North Carolina construction worker and has recently moved to Hawaii. A self-styled mercenary leader, Rous spoke to people who listened to dangerous and sometimes violent plans to insert themselves into conflicts around the world, an eyewitness told The Associated Press.
The early days of War in UkraineRous tried to recruit soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova and Taiwan to fight the Russians. In his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina, he avoided traffic stops in 2002 and was arrested for barricades by officers with completely automatic machine guns and “weapons of mass destruction.”
In 2010, police searched Routh, a warehouse owned by the company, finding over 100 stolen items, ranging from power tools and buildings to kayaks and spa tubs. For both felony cases, the judge told him either probation or suspended sentences.
In addition to federal charges, Rous also pleaded not guilty to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder.
