FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WSVN)– Prosecutors tried to lay out an exact timeline of how a man carefully planned his assassination attempt on President Donald Trump while the commander in chief played golf in South Florida, as the trial for the man accused entered its second day.
Wearing a jacket and tie, Ryan Routh sat in a courtroom Friday, listening to the arguments as he prepared to continue representing himself.
U.S. attorneys said the 59-year-old was positioned along the sixth hole of the Trump International Golf Course, while then candidate Trump was at the fifth, around 12 minutes away.
Secret Service agent Robert Furcano told the court that he spotted Routh’s face in the bushes and then the gun pointing directly at him through the fence.
The jury of seven women and five men heard from Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kenneth Mays, the deputy who first crawled into the brush to find the gun, two bags and a camera tied to the fence.
Mays told the jury he was worried about one of the bags that was spray-painted with a reddish color.
“Not knowing what’s in them. I didn’t know if any explosives or anything hazardous were inside the bags,” he said.
Soon after finding the bags, Palm Beach County officials were able to X-ray the items in their exact spot in the brush and determined them safe.
Another agent testified that the pants Routh was wearing had a paint stain that matched the color on the bags.
An FBI expert also showed an analysis of the scene with drones and special animation. She called the extensive process “a tool to bring you back to the scene.”
When it was time for Routh’s cross-examination of the witnesses, he asked very few questions, including, “Was the SKS rifle ever fired?” The expert responded that it wasn’t part of her expertise.
U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the case, reminded the defendant about being properly prepared, to which he replied, “I’m very simple-minded, yes.”
For some of the other witnesses, Routh had no questions at all.
Throughout the day, other FBI agents and forensic experts who collected photos and evidence attempted to recreate the events of that day for the judge.
In addition prosecutors said Routh brought Vienna sausages to the scene of the crime, and many of the witnesses who’ve testified said they saw them at the scene and took evidence photos of them.
Prosecutors said this can of sausages is another piece of evidence tying Routh to the scene, as he took a selfie at another location with them.
Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations. He faces a possible life sentence if convicted.
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