Prosecution rests in Trump assassination trial as Ryan Routh plans to defend himself
Prosecutors rested their case in the federal trial; the defendant, Ryan Routh, will present his defense starting Monday with three witnesses as the defense phase begins.
The prosecution rested its case in the federal trial of Ryan Routh, accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in 2024. Representing himself, Routh is expected to begin his defense Monday by calling three witnesses, court records show.
Friday's final government witness, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Kimberly McGreevy, walked jurors through phone data, license plate records, bank transactions, and surveillance footage prosecutors say tie Routh to Trump's movements in the weeks before the alleged attempt. McGreevy testified that Routh’s "home base" between Aug. 14 and Sept. 15, 2024, was the Marathon truck stop in South Bay, Florida, where receipts showed he paid cash for overnight parking. Body-cam footage from a welfare check at the truck stop showed Routh wearing madras shorts later found in his Nissan Xterra and seen in airport surveillance on Sept. 7, when he was recorded watching Trump’s plane lift off. Jurors also saw evidence of extensive online searches and surveillance. Reports from Routh’s phones included searches for Trump’s campaign schedule, rally tickets, and golf course properties, as well as live airport feeds and plane-tracking websites. One exchange presented to the jury included an aerial image of Trump’s plane. A contact named Vladmir texted, "Palm Beach, yours?" and Routh responded, "Trump’s plane. He gets on and off every day."
Prosecutors showed financial records indicating large deposits and transfers through accounts in Routh’s daughter Sara’s name, with funds moved to Routh. Text messages and PayPal activity also reflected exchanges around money transfers, including a March 29, 2024 message to his son Oran: "Got a real phone… in West Palm Beach… Can you Western Union the rest of the money…."
Prosecutors ended their case Friday after presenting dozens of witnesses, including Secret Service agents, FBI experts and former associates. Starting Monday, the jury will hear from Routh’s defense, which is expected to include a firearms expert and character witnesses.