Ryan Routh questions first witnesses as his criminal case nears its final stage

Ryan Roth, the man accused of trying to assassinate a secret candidate at the time Donald Trump At its stadium at the Golf Stadium in Florida last year, he said that he would not take the situation in its criminal case on Monday – the strongest sign so far that the defense is preparing for the convenience of its case and kicking the trial in the final stage before the deliberations of the jury.

Ruth, 59, was in the federal criminal trial. He recognized that he was not guilty of the charges of assassinating a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and possessing a firearm, among other crimes. If convicted, he may face life in prison.

He previously presented the possibility that he could testify on his behalf-a risky strategy that would give up protecting the fifth amendment against self-criminalization, and opening it to interrogation by federal public prosecutors.

American boycott judge Eileen Cannon Roth asked over and over again On Monday morning, whether he has enough time to look at his decision not to testify, and whether he wants to consult the lawyer for the readiness. He said it’s sure. The general prosecutors then asked for lunch at the time of reporting whether they would contact the witnesses.

If none of them is called, the defense is expected to rest within hours, which wipes the way to close the arguments and the jury’s deliberations.

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He drew a scheme depicting the court’s procedures during the trial of Ryan Roth in Fort Pierce, Florida on September 15, 2025. Ryan Roth was accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump in his club West Palm Beach Golf in 2024. (Luther Speer)

Ruth opened his defense on Monday with a testimony from Michael McLei, a Arms Watch the only expert; Followed by the family friend, Atwell Milson, and a former colleague, Marshall Hinisho.

McLei, an expert in snipers, confirmed firearms and tactics with a large -scale profession in army enforcement and law enforcement, at the beginning of Ruth’s interrogation that he had called for testimony, and he did not want to appear on behalf of Roth.

Ruth spent most of the time interrogating McLei about the scope of operation of the concerned rifle, including trying to doubt the possibility that the SKS gun in question cannot reach a target of 375 yards.

McLei said he depended on the skill of the shooter – but he stressed that the Venice was able to hit a goal from that distance.

During the interrogation, prosecutors asked McLei whether the gun had caused a person damage to that distance, which McLei confirmed.

Ruth questions about McLei were renewed by a temporary stop and sighs from Roth, who hopes at some point, loudly: “I must ask for my questions, or I will feel confused.”

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Law enforcement officials at the crime scene are working outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida on September 16, 2024, after the assassination attempt on Sunday for the wonderful candidate Donald Trump. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

The list of Ruth witnesses was few compared to dozens of witnesses presented by the general prosecutors, including forensic experts, FBI agents, and Secret service Agents over a period of two weeks.

Instead, he used his personal witnesses to support his attempts to throw himself as a “calm, kindness, and hardening.”

Before his former colleague, Marshall Henshu, the situation, he repeated the defender of the risk of the entry of personalities, indicating that personal relationships can leave these witnesses exposed to difficult interrogations. American assistant John Shipply told Judge Cannon in response to being intended to limit such questions.

The largest part of the questions posed by Ruth of his witnesses, focused closely on his reputation and participation within society. “I was very loved,” Hinisho told “Ruth”, adding that he “does not expect” to harm anyone.

When asked if he could run for the city council, Hinisho replied, “Certainly.”

Some questions, including the former Ruth wife, pushed the cannon to intervene several times, noting that she was out of the case.

His family’s friend, Atwell Millson, said that Roth is not a violent person. “I was always a Julie person,” he said, “He said he offered” everything he has “to the local community.

However, the absence of Ruth of the lawyer was starkly displayed. His questions prompted the visual frustration of Cannon, who was sometimes forced to stop the procedures and direct the jury to ignore questions or statements from Routh.

Sometimes, his questions deviated to a very unconventional area, leaving the cannon apparently confused.

At some point, Ruth Milson asked if “Tony Hawk met.” Millson replied, “Yes,” and if not because of Ruth.

Then Ruth asked, “Will you be ready to go with me to Taiwan to host an international music festival?” Pay the cannon to cut a dung from his questions completely.

“I gave you a great deal of latitude, [but] I told him that this should stop. “

In the interrogation, the representatives of the prosecution asked Melson if he realized that Ruth ran on an employee with his truck. Milson answered that he was not aware of this.

Both witnesses admitted during the interrogation that they had not spoken to Ruth for years.

A scheme depicted the court’s procedures during the trial of Ryan Roth in Fort Pierce, Florida, on September 18, 2025. Ryan Roth was accused of an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in his club West Palm Beach Golf in 2024. (Luther Speer)

Ruth was not expected to provide any evidence on his behalf. At some point, I suggested the idea that had a “new lamp element” to present it, although it was not clear, exactly, he was referring to it.

Canon told him that he would need a “appropriate basis position” before providing any evidence. When asked if the lamp has an exhibition number, Ruth told her, “It is a new element that we just created.”

Canon told him that the matter was postponed to the readiness advisor and a return to questioning his witness.

His previous offers to the court considered unacceptable evidence. Prosecutors observed that the relevant exhibits include books composed by Ruth, as well as handwritten drawings Eagle scouts Awards from his childhood. Canon previously said that she would keep exhibitions on the list to give Ruth the ability to challenge the court’s ruling, if he feels the need to do so.

Ruth’s attempt to defend himself in his criminal trial contrasts with minimal evidence and a gentle list of witnesses, in starkly with the prosecution, which spent nearly two weeks carefully and available in his case against Roth to the jury in Fort Pierce, Florida.

During this period, jury heard 38 witnesses and reviewed hundreds of exhibitions – text messages, call records, banking records and mobile phone data – which link Roth to buy alleged weapons and place it near the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in the weeks before the assassination attempt.

Prosecutors also provided digital evidence and blurring wide range. Federal Bureau officials Last week witnessed that the DNA was found in Routh, the grip of the domain, a glove, a Benji wire, and a bag recovered from the “sniper nest” near the sixth hole, where he claimed that he had waited at least 12 hours for the president’s arrival.

Before her case was resting on Friday, the government’s final witness, the FBI undersecretary, Kimberly McGrvi, walked in the form of jury through large -scale mobile data, licensing boards records, monitoring clips, and other prosecutors who claimed Ruth to Trump’s movements in weeks before the alleged attempt.

Cannon, despite its visible frustration, seems to be seized by Routh to give the opportunity to testify on his behalf.

“Did you have enough time to make a decision?” I pressed him at one point during the day.

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“General”, Ruth told her in response.

After the defense break, both sides will offer their final arguments to the jury before they circulated the ruling. The closing arguments are expected on Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest.