FORT PIERCE — Expert witness testimony resumed on Sept. 16 as federal prosecutors sought to link various items of evidence to the man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump a year ago at his golf course near West Palm Beach.
The day’s testimony session in the trial of Ryan Routh began with FBI ballistics expert Austin Scott Patterson. Patterson described firing test shots at a metal plate that investigators say was recovered from Routh’s belongings after his arrest on Sept. 15, 2024, along Interstate 95 in Martin County.
Prosecutors alleged that Routh intended to use the metal plates as ballistic shields as he stood outside Trump International Golf Club and aimed a rifle in the direction of its sixth hole as Trump, then running for his second term as president, played a round on the course. Secret Service agents spotted the rifle while Trump still was on the course’s fifth hole.
Patterson told jurors that a test-firing using one of the metal plates determined that the item was impenetrable.
In his cross examination, Routh, who is representing himself, questioned Patterson about the range of an AK-47, drawing objections from prosecutors. U.S District Judge Aileen Cannon upheld the objection, finding that Routh’s questions were beyond the scope of Patterson’s testimony during direct examination.
Routh faces charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and firearms violations. If convicted of the first charge, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
DNA on items recovered after assassination attempt linked to Routh
Kara Gregor, an FBI forensic examiner, described various items that were tested for Routh’s DNA, including a rifle, a backpack, a bungee cord and a glove. Gregor told jurors the items had moderate to strong support inclusion of Routh’s DNA.
Routh mostly sat quiet through the proceedings, not raising objections to testimony or evidence.
During his cross-examination of Gregor, Routh asked if other items collected were tested for DNA, specifically mentioning bullet casings, a golf tee, a fence part, a blue flash light and large Sunny D drink container.
Gregor said those items were not included in her testimony, and Routh ended his questioning.
Jerry Llanes, a digital forensic data specialist from the FBI’s Miami division, spoke of examinations conducted on various cell phones purportedly linked to Routh.
Llanes said one phone contained a number with a Hawaii area code and was linked to Routh’s Facebook account. He described various tabs stored on the phone’s browser, including a weather.com page that had a satellite image from an airport.
Llanes remained on the witness stand as Cannon concluded the morning session and released jurors for their lunch break. He was scheduled to resume testimony when the afternoon session began. Llanes testified to anti-Trump text messages purportedly recovered from cellphones used by Routh.
“He needs to go away. He canceled JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) for Iran,” Routh allegedly wrote in one message. “What an idiot. I (expletive) hate him.”
In another message, Routh reportedly made a reference to Trump being “a big problem for Ukraine.”
Christopher Goodrich, an FBI special agent for the Cellular Analysis Survey Team, or CART, testified to Routh’s suspected movements in the months and days leading up to the alleged assassination attempt. Goodrich told the jurors that cellphone tower data and license plate reader data taken between late March and early April of 2024 placed cellphones and a vehicle belonging to Routh in Palm Beach County and near the Trump International golf course.
Goodrich said cellphone data recorded on April 5, 2024 showed that Routh drove from West Palm Beach to somewhere near the Georgia and South Carolina state line, and that he flew from Atlanta to Honolulu a couple of days later.
Cellphone data recorded on Aug. 14 showed Routh driving back to West Palm Beach from Greensboro, N.C. Cellphone and license plate data showed that Routh remained in South Florida in the days and weeks leading up to the assassination attempt, with Routh frequently making trips to and from the South Bay, Goodrich said.
Investigators tracked the movements of two phones allegedly belonging to Routh, saying the devices frequently connected to cellphone towers near the Trump golf course, often during overnight hours.
Goodrich said a cellphone tower hit recorded in late August also placed Routh’s device near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. On the day of the assassination attempt, license plate readers tracked Routh’s Nissan SUV’s movements from South Bay east to to the Trump golf course, Goodrich said.
The last communication for one of Routh’s devices was just prior to his being stopped and taken into custody by authorities in Martin County, Goodrich said.
During his cross-examination, Routh asked Goodrich about the range of the towers. Repeatedly snapping his fingers, Routh asked it if is possible that frequent late night cellphone tower hits could have been an indication of someone spending time at one of the dance clubs on Summit Boulevard.
Goodrich said the celllphone data could have been an indication of someone being at a dance club, or near the Trump golf club. Pressed further about clubs in the area, Goodrich replied he wasn’t familar with that area’s nightlife scene.
“I’ll take you sometime,” Routh quipped before concluding his cross-examination.
Prior to ending for the day, Routh told the judge that he will be withdrawing a subpoena for his son. Federal prosecutors indicated that their case could conclude on Sept. 18, but may extend until the following day.
Jurors heard testimony about rifle Routh allegedly sought to fire at Trump
On Sept. 15, the jury saw the rifle prosecutors say defendant Routh sought to fire at Trump. It was purportedly the weapon a Secret Service agent canvassing the golf club grounds saw peaking of out trees.
The spotting of the firearm ultimately led to the capture of Routh, and potentially saving Trump’s life.
Firearms expert Erich Smith at one point stepped off the witness stand and into center of the courtroom while testifying as he held up the SKS rifle that purportedly belonged to Routh and explained its features.
Smith said there was evidence that someone attempted to remove the weapon’s serial number, describing identifying information in various areas of the gun as “obliterated.” He described attempts to restore the serial number, which resulted in a partial recovery.
Smith described the rifle as a World Ward II-era weapon typically manufactured in China, North Korea and Egypt.
When asked what type of impact the weapon could have, Smith replied by saying, “Bullets are designed to put holes in things. It would put a hole if it hit a target.”
In a brief cross-examination, Routh asked if there had been a video recording of the weapon being test fired. Smith replied that his unit does not videotape test fires and noted that the tests can be duplicated if necessary. When asked about the range of the weapon, Smith replied that it was not his area of expertise.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates at www.PalmBeachPost.com.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump assassination attempt trial: How Ryan Routh expected to block Secret Service gunfire
Reporting by Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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