Federal prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice disclosed on September 22, 2024 that Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, left a handwritten note explicitly expressing his intent to assassinate former President Donald Trump before positioning himself near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The note's disclosure represents a significant escalation in the evidentiary record against Routh as the case proceeds through federal court.
Routh was arrested on September 15, 2024, after U.S. Secret Service agents conducting a protective perimeter sweep spotted him concealed in dense shrubbery along the golf course fence line. Agents located an AK-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks, a GoPro camera, and approximately a dozen rounds of ammunition at the site. Routh fled in a vehicle but was apprehended within minutes by Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies on a nearby highway.
Written Note Reveals Alleged Premeditated Intent
According to documents filed in the Southern District of Florida, the handwritten note recovered from Routh's possessions stated a clear intent to kill the former president. Prosecutors argue the note demonstrates not merely opportunity but documented premeditation—a key threshold in federal assassination-attempt statutes. The note was consistent with social media posts Routh had made in prior months calling for actions against Trump.
Investigators from the FBI's Miami Field Office and the Secret Service's Protective Intelligence division worked jointly to reconstruct Routh's movements in the days preceding the incident. Court documents allege he traveled from North Carolina specifically for the purpose described in the note, had researched Trump's golf schedule, and staked out the location for several hours before detection.
“This defendant allegedly came armed with a rifle and a written plan to commit a political assassination. The Justice Department will pursue these charges with every resource available.”
Charges, Timeline, and What Comes Next
Routh faces charges of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm with an altered serial number. If convicted on the assassination attempt charge alone, he faces mandatory life imprisonment. A prior conviction in North Carolina for weapons charges made his possession of the AK-style rifle independently a federal felony.
The case drew immediate comparisons to a separate incident weeks earlier in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman wounded Trump on stage at a rally. The two incidents—occurring within weeks of each other—prompted a congressional review of Secret Service resources and led to a leadership change at the agency. Routh's trial is expected to be scheduled for 2025 in Florida federal court.
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