By suzanne downing 
The trial of the 59-year-old North Carolina construction worker accused of attempting to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15, 2024, moved into its final stages Friday after federal prosecutors rested following roughly 10 days of testimony and hundreds of exhibits.
Ryan Routh, who is representing himself in court, has pleaded not guilty to numerous charges that include attempted assassination, assault on a federal officer, and firearms offenses.
Prosecutors told jurors they had presented a “mountain of evidence” tying Routh to the plot. They showed more than 300 exhibits and digital data, according to court filings and press accounts, and argued that Routh planned the attack for weeks, using burner phones and aliases to track movements and to scout the golf course. Much of the government’s case relied on physical evidence recovered at the golf course, digital location data, forensic links and eyewitness testimony.
Key items shown to jurors included an SKS-style rifle with its serial number obliterated, found at a concealed position near the sixth hole and described by agents as “prepared to fire” (there was a round in the chamber and the safety was off), a GoPro camera and black backpack recovered nearby, and what prosecutors say were ceramic tiles intended for body armor.
Secret Service testimony described an agent spotting a person in the bushes near the rifle and firing to stop him; the agent testified he came within roughly five feet of the barrel before realizing the suspect was armed.
Prosecutors also introduced a handwritten “Dear World” letter left with an acquaintance months before the attempt in which Routh admitted the incident was an assassination attempt; the government was allowed to admit portions of the 12-page document. The judge limited the amount presented to the jury. In addition, testimony and exhibits included a plastic tote recovered months earlier from a relative’s home that investigators say contained homemade firing mechanisms, pipes, wires, bullets and other components prosecutors described as possible improvised explosive devices. ATF and explosives experts walked jurors through that material during recent testimony.
The next court date is Sept. 22, when Routh will bring his defense.
Majority of voters support firing employees who celebrate assassinations online: Survey
Suzanne Downing
One of the biggest disgraces is that, after an entire year, the trial process is still not yet done. There needs to be time limits on the process. Or, perhaps hire another million judges and prosecutors to clear the backlog.