Ryan Wesley Routh has been identified as the suspect in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a Florida golf course. Photo / LinkedIn
THREE KEY FACTS:
OPINION
Ryan Routh sat shackled as he scanned the jammed public gallery of courtroom five.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the defendant had allegedly been skulking in the shrubbery on the edge of Donald Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course with an SKS-style rifle.
Now, having swapped his salmon pink T-shirt for prison-assigned navy blue overalls and a silver chain around his waist, the suspected would-be assassin took in the sights of the dimly lit wood-panelled third-floor courtroom.
As his eyes darted around the modest federal courtroom, complete with a plush red carpet, we locked eyes for around five seconds.
I sat frozen as the man who could have changed the entire course of history – had he not been spotted by a US Secret Service agent – glared at me, emotionless and stony-faced.
To say he appeared cool and calm is an understatement.
In the public gallery sat a mix of the world’s press and those supporting their loved ones in court, including a tattooed man wearing black Prada loafers and a tag on his right leg.
At about 10.35am, the courtroom fell silent as Routh was escorted through the dark brown wooden door to the right of the judge’s bench. Routh had initially entered the court just before 10am with three other defendants in matching attire, but was quickly marched out again and brought back just for his appearance.
With his strawberry blonde hair slicked back, Routh, 58, laughed and smiled as he reviewed documents with his lawyer Kristy Militello, a federal public defender. The pair sat huddled together for about 10 minutes as white noise blared through the courtroom speakers on the third floor of the Paul G Rogers Courthouse to drown out what they were discussing.
It is hard to imagine that this mild-mannered, rake-like man spending 12 hours allegedly hiding in the bushes, with a loaded SKS-style 7.62x39 calibre rifle with a scope and food.
According to an unsealed criminal complaint, Routh was spotted by a US Secret Service agent and attempted to flee in a black Nissan with plates from a stolen 2012 Ford.
Routh stood as Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe entered the courtroom at 10.46am, but did not approach the podium as other defendants had earlier in the morning session.
Routh spoke softly to confirm his name as he was sworn in for his initial court appearance.
The former North Carolina resident sat and faced the judge as he was read the details of the two firearms charges he faces – possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial – and the potential penalties they carry. Judge McCabe, a bespectacled man with a crop of brown hair, then asked Routh a string of questions to ascertain his financial situation and whether he qualified for a taxpayer-funded lawyer.
Routh revealed that he earned about $3000 a month, had “zero funds” in savings and “zero” real estate. The only assets he disclosed were two trucks in Hawaii, where he resides, which are each worth about $1000. He said his youngest son, aged 25, is his dependant who is employed but relies on him for “occasional support”. “No I do not,” he responded, after being asked if he had any other valuable possessions such as jewellery. Adam McMichael, prosecuting, argued that Routh should be detained ahead of any trial as he is a flight risk and poses a danger to the community, an issue the judge will rule on in a hearing next week.
More serious charges could still be brought against the man who was arrested in connection with what the FBI described on Sunday as an apparent “attempted assassination of former president Trump”.
The victory could give Trump a broad mandate to pursue an agenda of radical change.