瑞安·劳斯被指控试图刺杀唐纳德·特朗普在特朗普的西棕榈滩高尔夫球场,周二被判有罪,他面临的五项指控全部成立。
在宣读判决后,他试图用钢笔刺自己的脖子,在一片混乱中被强行带离法庭。
一名消息人士称,劳斯拿到的钢笔是专门为不伤害而设计的,所以这只在他的脖子上留下了瘀伤或痕迹,他没有受伤。
四名武装法警包围了劳斯,当陪审团离开法庭时,劳斯似乎站了起来。劳斯随后被带出法庭。
他的女儿萨拉·劳斯坐在法庭上喊道:“爸爸,我爱你。什么都不要做。我会救你出去的。”
“他没有伤害任何人。这不公平。这都是作弊。你们这些家伙是a - s,”她喊道,然后也被护送出法庭。
美国地区法官艾琳·坎农随后允许劳斯带着镣铐在法警的护送下回到法庭。他被告知将于12月18日被判刑。
根据联邦检察官的说法,一些陪审员在离开时看到了这种爆发。
“在被告的行为发生时,陪审团还没有离开房间,”一名检察官说。
坎农法官曾监督并驳回了特朗普的一项指控刑事案件感谢律师和劳斯的时间,“尽管你今天爆发。”
尽管缺乏任何法律教育或经验,劳斯仍为自己辩护,他面临五项刑事指控,包括企图暗杀一名主要的总统候选人,使用枪支实施犯罪,袭击一名联邦官员,作为一名重罪犯拥有枪支,以及使用一把序列号被污损的枪。他面临终身监禁。
陪审团经过大约两个小时的商议后做出了裁决。他们唯一的字条是要求查看劳斯据称使用的步枪、弹药和弹匣。
坎农法官允许陪审员在公开法庭上观看展品。
检察官声称劳斯拼凑了一个有条理的计划——包括购买一件军用级别的武器,研究特朗普的动向,利用十几部一次性手机——基于政治不满杀死特朗普。
劳斯藏在特朗普棕榈滩高尔夫球场的灌木丛中,手持一支步枪,据称来到一个几百码在一名特勤局特工发现他的步枪从树林里伸出来之前。
劳斯据称逃离了现场,但后来在附近的州际公路上被当地警长办公室逮捕。
劳斯在周二的结案陈词中辩称,他无意枪击特朗普,他缺乏“杀人的能力”。
劳斯在长达55分钟的结案陈词中漫无边际地说,“被告有最好的机会向总统开枪。”。“为什么没有扣动扳机?”
劳斯说,他从未挥舞步枪向特朗普或发现他的特勤局特工开枪,他说任何表明相反情况的证据都是“明目张胆的捏造”。
“那只是一个人站在围栏上,拿着一把枪,”劳斯告诉陪审员。
在他的整个辩论中,Rough反复声称他的“意图是无害的”。他辩称,杀死特朗普是一种“幻想”,将这种想法比作渴望一辆高端跑车,梦想一座度假别墅,或者渴望他最好的朋友的妻子。
“这永远不会发生,”他告诉陪审员。“它不在被告的心里。”
“机会就在那里,”劳斯说。"这是如此简单和容易-只要扣动扳机."然而,劳斯说,“这个人没有能力射杀其他人。”
坎农法官打断了劳斯的结案陈词大约六次,以提醒陪审团他们的法律指示,包括两次她原谅陪审团,以便她可以控制劳斯。
在政府的结案陈词中,检察官认为劳斯应该被判有罪,因为他仍然采取了多种措施来实施他所谓的暗杀阴谋,这使劳斯的核心论点受到质疑,即他缺乏实际射杀特朗普的意图。
美国助理检察官克里斯托弗·布朗告诉陪审员,劳斯“只差一颗子弹”就能杀死特朗普,并确保他不能再次当选总统。
在80分钟的结案陈词中,布朗向陪审团介绍了30多名证人的证词和数百件展品,强调劳斯17次深夜前往他所谓的狙击位置——在袭击发生前的一个月里,他在那里总共呆了90个小时——并花了数千美元购买物资,包括非法购买的步枪、防弹板和9部一次性手机,以执行他的计划。
“毫无疑问——无论合理与否——被告意图杀害唐纳德·特朗普,”他说。“法律惩罚那些没能成功杀死目标的潜在刺客。法律没有说没有伤害就不算犯规。”
Browne引用Thomas Jefferson关于Routh所谓的计划的潜在后果的话作为结束语。
“人民的意愿是政府唯一合法的基础,”布朗说。"没有一个人带着奇怪的议程和枪."
美国司法部长帕姆·邦迪(Pam Bondi)在判决宣布后在社交媒体上写道,“今天对特朗普潜在刺客瑞安·劳斯(Ryan Routh)的有罪判决表明,司法部致力于惩罚那些参与政治暴力的人。”
邦迪写道:“这一未遂暗杀不仅是对我们总统的攻击,也是对我们国家本身的冒犯。”。
展示他的辩护案件周一,劳斯打电话给一位枪械专家和他的两位老朋友为自己辩护。
"你个人认为我是和平、温和、非暴力的吗?"劳斯问他的第二个证人,他的老朋友马歇尔·欣肖.
“我会这么说,”欣肖说。"我不希望你伤害任何人,瑞安."
劳斯辩称,他没有能力杀死特朗普,尽管他在审判中似乎承认了检方的一些指控。他承认他写了一封信,检察官说这封信概述了他杀害特朗普的计划。
周一,坎农法官多次打断了他的发言,并在周二收盘前对劳斯发出了警告。
“你提出的任何论点...必须合理地与被接受的证据相联系。你明白吗?”法官问劳斯,说任何偏差都会“造成问题”。
“是的,大人,”劳斯说。
Ryan Routh, would-be Trump assassin, tries to stab himself after being found guilty on all counts
Ryan Routh, the man accused of trying toassassinate Donald Trumpon Trump's West Palm Beach golf course last year, was found guilty Tuesday on all five counts he faced.
He was forcibly removed from the courtroom in a chaotic scene following the reading of the verdict after he tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen.
A source said the pen Routh had access to is specially designed not to injure, so it only left bruises or marks on his neck and he was not injured.
Four armed marshals surrounded Routh, who appeared to stand once the jury left the courtroom. Routh was then walked out of the courtroom.
Sara Routh, his daughter seated in the courtroom, shouted, "Dad, I love you. Don't do anything. I will get you out."
"He didn't hurt anybody. This is not fair. This is all rigged. You guys are a------s," she shouted before also being escorted from the courtroom.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon subsequently allowed Routh back in the courtroom in shackles and escorted by marshals. He was informed that he will be sentenced on Dec. 18.
According to federal prosecutors, some of the jurors saw the outburst as they were exiting.
"The jury has not yet left the room at the time of the defendant's conduct," a prosecutor said.
Judge Cannon, who previously oversaw and dismissed one of Trump'scriminal cases, thanked the lawyers and Routh for their time, "despite your outburst today."
Routh, who was representing himself despite lacking any legal education or experience, faced five criminal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon, and using a gun with a defaced serial number. He faces up to life in prison.
The jury reached their verdict after deliberating for approximately two hours. Their only note was a request to see the rifle, ammunition and magazine that Routh allegedly used.
Judge Cannon allowed the jurors to view the exhibits in open court.
Prosecutors allege that Routh put together amethodical plan-- including purchasing a military-grade weapon, researching Trump's movements, and utilizing a dozen burner phones -- to kill Trump based on political grievances.
Hiding in the bushes of Trump's Palm Beach golf course and armed with a rifle, Routh allegedly came within afew hundred yardsof the then-presidential nominee before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of the tree line.
Routh allegedly fled the scene but was later arrested by a local sheriff's office on a nearby interstate.
Routh argued during his closing argument Tuesday that he did not intend to shoot Trump and that he lacks "the capacity to kill."
"The prime opportunity was there for the defendant to shoot the president," Routh said in a rambling, 55-minute closing argument. "Why was the trigger not pulled?"
Routh said that he never brandished his rifle to shoot either Trump or the Secret Service agent who spotted him, and he said any evidence suggesting otherwise was a "blatant fabrication."
"It was just an individual on the fence with a gun resting there," Routh told jurors.
Throughout his argument, Rough repeatedly claimed his "intent was harmless." He argued that killing Trump was a "fantasy," comparing the idea to longing for a high-end sports car, dreaming of a vacation home, or lusting for his best friend's wife.
"It was never going to happen," he told jurors. "It is not in the defendant's heart."
"The opportunity was there," Routh said. "It was so simple and easy -- just pull the trigger." And yet, said Routh, "This human being does not have the capability to shoot someone else."
Judge Cannon cut off Routh's closing about half a dozen times to remind the jury about their legal instructions, including two instances when she excused the jury so she could rein Routh in.
In the government's closing, prosecutors argued that Routh should be found guilty because he still took multiple steps to carry out his alleged assassination plot, casting doubt on Routh's central argument that he lacked the intention to actually shoot Trump.
Routh "was just one bullet away" from killing Trump and ensuring he could not be re-elected to the presidency, Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Browne told jurors.
Across an 80-minute closing, Browne walked the jury through the testimony of more than three dozen witnesses and hundreds of exhibits, highlighting that Routh made 17 late-night trips to his alleged sniper perch -- spending a combined 90 hours there in the month ahead of the attack -- and spent thousands of dollars on supplies, including a rifle purchased illegally, bulletproof plates, and nine burner phones, to execute his plan.
"There is no doubt -- reasonable or otherwise -- the defendant intended to kill Donald Trump," he said. "The law punishes would-be assassins who did not succeed in killing their targets. The law does not say no harm, no foul."
Browne concluded his closing by invoking the words of Thomas Jefferson about the potential consequences of Routh's alleged plan.
"The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of government," Brown said. "Not one man with some weird agenda and a gun."
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, posting on social media following the announcement of the verdict, wrote, "Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice's commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence."
"This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself," Bondi wrote.
Presenting hisdefense caseon Monday, Routh called a firearms expert and two of his longtime friends in his defense.
"Is it your personal opinion of me that I am peaceful and gentle, and nonviolent?" Routh asked his second witness, longtime friendMarshall Hinshaw.
"I would say so," Hinshaw said. "I would not expect you to harm anyone, Ryan."
Routh argued that he lacked the capacity to kill Trump, though he appeared to concede some of the prosecution's allegations during the trial.He acknowledged that he authored a letter that prosecutors say outlined his plans to kill Trump.
He was cut off multiple times Monday by Judge Cannon, who ended the day with a warning for Routh ahead of Tuesday's closings.
"Any argument you make ... must be reasonably tied to the admitted evidence. Do you understand?" the judge asked Routh, saying that any deviation will "cause a problem."
"Yes, your honor," Routh said.