Prosecutors are expected to rest their case Thursday in the federal trial of Ryan Routh, who is accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in 2024.
The testimony has centered on a gray storage box recovered in North Carolina that contained ammunition, four phones, pipes and what investigators described as an improvised firing mechanism, along with a handwritten letter addressed to “Dear World.” The government has used the box and its contents to tie Routh to the alleged plot, as prosecutors laid out the sequence of events and the evidence collected at the scene.
Jurors were shown only the first three sentences of the 12-page letter, in line with Judge Aileen Cannon’s ruling. The words displayed were: "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump … I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job." Routh, who is defending himself, argued that the entire letter should be admitted or, at minimum, three words from near the end to provide context. Cannon rejected the broader admission, saying the full letter was not necessary for the jury to understand the case and that three sentences were the limits of admissible content.
Two former associates, brothers Samuel and Lazaro Plata, testified about finding the gray box at Lazaro Plata’s home and alerting authorities. Samuel described discovering cartridges, pipes, four phones and the letter, while Lazaro recalled three phrases from the letter: "Dear World," "Donald Trump" and "$150,000." Lazaro said Routh had left the box at his home and that those phrases stuck in his memory. A text displayed in court showed Routh writing, "Ryan Routh here. Want to give you my son Oran’s number in case I die in the next 10 or 20 years, so you can reach him." On cross-examination, Routh pressed the witness, asking, "Are you mad at me?" Lazaro replied, "How do you want me to feel?" The judge halted the exchange when the line of questioning became unproductive.
The investigation and the box’s contents have been a central pillar of the prosecutors’ case, with authorities presenting how the items and the letter fit into an alleged plan to harm the president at a private setting. FBI Special Agent Garett Foo testified about the evidence and walked jurors through the box’s contents, the phones and the other materials found in North Carolina. The government also presented exhibits that depicted the letter’s wording and the physical characteristics of the items recovered.
Prosecutors plan to finish their case, and Cannon told the defense to be ready with witnesses Friday morning. Routh has indicated he intends to call a firearms expert along with character witnesses, though it remains unclear whether he will testify on his own behalf. The proceedings have continued in Fort Pierce, Florida, and prosecutors are seeking to demonstrate intent and opportunity around the alleged plot to harm a sitting president at a golf club.
As the trial advances, the case has drawn renewed attention to the intersection of political sentiment and violence, underscoring the government’s focus on whether the defendant acted with the intent to carry out the attack and how the evidence supports that claim. Defense strategy remains focused on contesting the interpretation of the letter and the relevance of the box’s contents, with Routh seeking to present expert testimony on firearms and possible alternate explanations for the evidence.
The court will continue to weigh the remaining witnesses and exhibits as the prosecution works to close its case. If the prosecution finishes, the defense will present its own witnesses and potential testimony, including whether Routh testifies himself. The timeline places the trial in a critical phase for both sides as jurors assess the credibility of the evidence and determine whether the alleged plot crossed from theory to proven fact.
