FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) – Lawyers for the man charged with attempting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump in September told a federal judge Wednesday they need more time to review evidence against him. Therefore, he requested that the trial be postponed until December next year. Decide whether to initiate an insanity defense.
Ryan Wesley Routh’s public defenders told District Judge Eileen Cannon that they would not be able to have their case ready by February, when the trial is currently scheduled, and the He said there was insufficient time to consider phone and computer evidence. Routh is in possession of 17 cell phones and numerous other electronic devices, and hundreds of hours of police body camera and surveillance video have been provided to the defense.
Assistant Federal Public Defender Kristi Militello told Cannon that the clients for whom more extensive evidence has been presented to date are those accused of complex fraud and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. They told Cannon that they were the only two people charged with participating in the event. Militello said the only people working with her on the case are her attorney and investigators, and she has other clients who need her time.
Militello told Cannon, a Trump appointee, that unlike prosecutors, “we don’t have the FBI resources” to scrutinize the evidence.
Routh, 58, sat quietly throughout Wednesday’s hearing, shackled to the same seat that Trump had occupied during pretrial hearings in his case. Routh, who lives in Hawaii, has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutor John Shipley Jr. told the Cannon that while he agreed that February is not a realistic timeline, delaying the trial by a year would violate President Trump’s speedy trial rights. , said Routh, a Secret Service agent, is accused of pointing a rifle at the suspect. He did not suggest a specific date, but said next summer would not be a good time because many prospective jurors could compete for vacation time.
He told Cannon that although the computer files were large, most of them belonged to Routh, and that his lawyer should be able to help him organize them. He also said that unlike fraud cases, where the evidence is often complex, the charges against Routh are straightforward.
Prosecutors said Routh had been planning to kill President Trump for several weeks before using a rifle to target the president on September 15 while they were playing golf at a West Palm Beach country club. It is said that he was doing so. Routh was spotted by Secret Service agents before Trump showed up. Routh allegedly pointed a rifle at the agent, but the agent opened fire, causing Routh to drop the weapon and flee without firing a shot. Prosecutors say he left a note stating his intentions.
He was arrested a short time later while driving on a nearby interstate.
Both teams briefly showed insane defensive potential. Militello said the last person Routh spoke to before he was found on the golf course told the FBI that Routh appeared to be hallucinating. She said other witnesses told investigators Routh was paranoid.
Mr. Shipley told Mr. Cannon that an insanity defense had no merit because his lawyer would have to prove that Mr. Routh was mentally ill or defective and unable to understand the nature or illegality of his actions. He said there was no such thing. Mr Shipley said he clearly understood his actions. Among the evidence prosecutors say they have is computer searches made by Routh for flights to Mexico from nearby Palm Beach International Airport.
Routh’s charge of attempting to assassinate a leading presidential candidate could carry a life sentence if convicted. Other charges include assault on a federal officer and three firearms charges. He is being held without bail at a federal prison in Miami.
Routh’s arrest comes two months after Trump was shot and wounded in the ear during an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service acknowledged failures leading up to the shooting but said security worked to thwart the attack in Florida.
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