By Holmes Lybrand, Randi Kaye, CNN
(CNN) — After plotting, stalking and lying in wait for the right moment to shoot and kill then-former President Donald Trump, the man who set up a sniper’s nest on the edge of Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course in Florida and was thwarted by a Secret Service agent, will be sentenced Wednesday.
Ryan Routh was convicted of five counts in September after a disastrous attempt to represent himself at trial – where he was constantly reprimanded by the federal judge presiding, Aileen Cannon.
Cannon will be tasked with determining Routh’s sentence for the convicted charges, which include attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate. Routh is expected to argue in court Wednesday against prosecutors’ attempts to add a terrorism enhancement to increase his sentence.
“He’s his own man, he doesn’t follow the advice that lawyers give him, but he’s well within his rights to say whatever is on his mind and whatever is on his chest,” Martin Roth, an attorney for Routh hired after his conviction, told CNN.
Roth said that his client’s comments Wednesday “will be unusual” and likely “will only be partially about the case.”
Prosecutors are asking Cannon to impose a life sentence.
“Routh’s crimes undeniably warrant a life sentence – he took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major Presidential candidate,” prosecutors said in a court filing last month. Routh “demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims.”
During his trial, Routh was constantly shut down by Cannon after veering into off-topic areas or potential explanations for his actions, including drug use.
The failed plot
According to evidence presented at trial, Routh had been near the golf course and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in the weeks leading up to his thwarted assassination attempt. Burner phones used by Routh also showed searches for “Trump’s upcoming rallies” and “Palm Beach traffic cameras.”
In a letter quickly uncovered by investigators, Routh had written a confession of his attempt to assassinate Trump, writing on the first page: “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.”
There’s no indication Routh had the money to fund his offer.
Armed with an old, Soviet-styled rifle and protected by armored plates hanging over the fence, Routh set his sights on the sixth hole of Trump’s golf course on September 15, 2024, with the former president playing a round of golf one hole back, just minutes away.
A Secret Service agent, tasked with clearing the area ahead of Trump, spotted Routh’s partially obscured face and the barrel of a rifle sticking through the chain-linked fence bordering the course.
With the gun pointed at him, the agent fired several shots from his pistol before taking cover behind a tree and radioing in the threat.
Routh fled the scene but was spotted by a citizen, Tommy McGee, crossing the street, getting into a vehicle and driving away.
McGee, who testified at Routh’s trial, took down the license plate of the car and was later flown that same day to where local authorities located and stopped Routh to identify the would-be assassin.
During his cross-examination at trial, Routh told McGee, “You’re a good man. You’re my hero. You’re an American hero.”
Other evidence presented at trial showed Routh plotting his getaway, searching terms like “Directions to Miami airport” and “flights to Mexico.”
A unique trial and near-deadly end
Routh chose to represent himself early on in his case, including through public court filings before trial where he called Trump