Prosecutors plan to ask grand jury to consider attempted murder charge against Ryan Routh

Prosecutors revealed in court Monday that they plan to ask a grand jury to consider the charge that Ryan Wesley Routh attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump.

The federal judge at the hearing in West Palm Beach denied bail, ruling that Routh should remain in custody pending resolution of the charges, calling him a serious flight risk and a danger to the community.

Routh, 58, was previously charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number for the incident at Trump International Golf Club on Sept. 15.

Routh has not entered a plea to his original charges and is scheduled to appear in court on September 30.

On Monday, prosecutors presented new details of their investigation and said there were “probable grounds to support additional charges that can and should be considered by the court.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dispoto said the government was prepared to “ask a grand jury to consider a charge that the defendant attempted to assassinate Trump,” which carries a “maximum sentence of life in prison.”

Routh had a list with dates from August to October of places where Trump had appeared or was supposed to be — and is suspected of traveling near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago golf course and resort on multiple occasions in the month before his arrest, prosecutors said in a detention filing.

In their memo, prosecutors also revealed that Routh allegedly sent a letter “several months before” his arrest to a civilian witness that read: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed.”

Trump was playing golf on the course when a Secret Service agent spotted a gun barrel protruding from the tree line near the sixth green, investigators said.

Dispoto went into detail Monday, describing the fence surrounding Trump’s golf club and the moment the Secret Service forward saw the barrel of a gun.

“What they found, your honor, was nothing less than a sniper position,” Dispoto said, comparing it to something seen “in the movies or a war zone.”

The government argued that the only reason Routh was in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15 and the previous month was “for one reason only: to kill the former president of the United States.” Dispoto said that if the Secret Service had not acted quickly, “the defendant may very well have succeeded.”

According to a rough estimate by an FBI special agent, the distance from where Routh was allegedly positioned on the fence to the green of the course’s sixth hole was 100 feet, or about 32 yards.

“It was an easy shot. He was about 12 to 15 minutes from where he was,” Dispoto said of Trump’s positioning on the course at the time. Dispoto said there was no obstacle to Routh’s “sniper nest” if Trump had gotten to the sixth hole.

FBI Special Agent Christopher Hull said the view from the fence to the sixth hole was “generally an open view” with “very minimal” obstructions.

“I don’t think anything could have obstructed” the view from the fence to the sixth hole, Hull said. Hull said he looked at other areas of the fence and any other areas would have been “an obstructed view.”

The evidence, Dispoto said, “clearly demonstrates the existence of a month-long plan to assassinate the former president.”

According to the government, Routh’s rifle contained one bullet in the chamber, indicating that the shot could have been fired by pulling the trigger. The rifle’s magazine contained a total of 11 bullets, the government said.

Prosecutors also said that shortly after his arrest, Routh spoke with a woman he knew and told her he was on a recorded line. Routh then told the person he was sorry.

The man, whose identity was not released by prosecutors in court, responded to Routh by saying, “I’m processing the most horrible thing you could have done.” Routh, the government said, responded by apologizing again.

Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe said the weight of the government’s evidence – on the two gun charges – is “strong” and further noted that the government’s evidence on possible additional charges is even stronger.

The judge said Routh’s alleged movements and locations leading to his arrest constitute an “apparent effort to stalk (Trump) for 30 days with the goal of assassinating him.”

The investigation is ongoing, and the FBI has scoured Routh’s social media and criminal history and spoken to family members for more leads.

As authorities try to unravel the motive and details of the case, sources said investigators are looking into whether Routh was frustrated with Trump’s stance on Ukraine.

Trump said Monday that the initial charges against Routh, which include the firearms charges, were a “slap on the wrist” and appeared to criticize the FBI and Justice Department’s handling of the case.

Investigators also revealed Monday that three days after arresting Routh, a civilian witness contacted them to inform them that Routh had dropped off a box at their home several months ago containing “ammunition, a metal pipe, various building materials, tools, four telephones and various letters.”

“A handwritten letter to The World stated, in part, ‘This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I betrayed you,'” the filing said. “I did my best and showed all the courage I could muster. Now it’s up to you to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whoever does.”

Prosecutors plan to ask the grand jury to consider the attempted murder charge against Ryan Routh.