Federal prosecutors have requested an indefinite delay in the trial for Ryan Routh, the suspect in the second assassination attempt on former President Trump, due to the tremendous amount of evidence gathered since his arrest. Prosecutors have asked the Florida District Judge to officially designate Routh’s case as “complex” citing the investigation spanning multiple states, involving hundreds of interviews and hundreds of digital media for review. They have executed multiple search warrants and seized numerous electronic devices. Currently, there are over 100 outstanding subpoena returns pending and thousands of videos to review from the large volume of electronic devices seized.
The FBI is conducting forensic tests on the evidence, which include ballistic testing, fingerprint and DNA comparisons. This will likely involve several expert witnesses to testify. Due to the extensive amount of evidence collected, prosecutors are asking for the trial to be delayed indefinitely to allow time for parties to review the discovery and determine any necessary motions. The government has also requested that motion deadlines, the calendar call, and the trial date be delayed indefinitely. While Routh’s defense attorneys did not oppose the delay request, he is still facing attempted assassination charges and charges related to illegally possessing a gun as a felon. Routh pleaded not guilty in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida.
On September 15, Routh allegedly hid in bushes outside Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach with a rifle as Trump was playing golf. A Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of the gun and immediately opened fire. Routh then attempted to flee but was captured shortly after. He was previously charged federally with possession of a gun with a scratched-out serial number and illegally possessing a gun as a felon. Routh was ordered by a federal judge to remain in custody. The extensive investigation has included interviewing hundreds of witnesses, executing numerous search warrants, and seizing electronic devices, resulting in a vast amount of digital evidence to review.
The government has diligently worked on investigating the incident since September 15, conducting numerous interviews and executing search warrants in Florida, Hawaii, and North Carolina. The massive amount of evidence collected includes videos, images, text files, and audio files, totaling approximately 4,000 terabytes of digital data that needs to be reviewed. Prosecutors have estimated that they have thousands of videos to review from the electronic devices seized during the investigation. This overwhelming amount of evidence collected is the reason for the indefinite delay request for the trial, to allow adequate time for all parties to review the discovery and prepare any necessary motions.
The FBI’s forensic testing of the evidence includes ballistic testing, fingerprint and DNA comparisons to determine the validity of the evidence against Routh. Prosecutors have noted that in addition to the extensive digital evidence, there are numerous expert witnesses that could be called to testify in the case. The delay in the trial date will allow for the thorough review of the evidence and for the preparation of expert witnesses. Routh’s defense attorneys have not opposed the delay, allowing more time for the complex case to proceed appropriately. While facing charges related to the attempted assassination of former President Trump, Routh is also facing charges related to illegally possessing a firearm with a scratched-out serial number and as a felon.
