Federal prosecutors have officially requested a life sentence for Ryan Wesley Routh, arguing that the man convicted of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump has shown “neither regret nor remorse” for his actions.
In a sentencing memorandum filed Friday in the Southern District of Florida, the government backed the Presentence Investigation Report’s recommendation for life imprisonment. The filing comes months after a jury in Fort Pierce convicted Routh on five counts following a two-and-a-half-week trial in September 2025.
The memo paints a picture of a calculated, months-long plot to kill the former president. Prosecutors emphasized that Routh was prepared to eliminate anyone who interfered with his plan.
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They urged the court to reject Routh’s request for a lighter sentence, dismissing his defense’s arguments for leniency as “wholly meritless.”
“The Constitution affords citizens many peaceful avenues to oppose or express strong dissent about a Presidential candidate—murder is not one of them,” prosecutors wrote in the filing.
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The government contends that Routh’s lack of contrition and the premeditated nature of the crime leave no room for a downward variance in sentencing. They argue he demonstrated a clear “will to kill anybody in the way” to achieve his political objective.
The case, overseen by Judge Aileen Cannon, is now moving toward its final phase. With the government and the probation office united in their recommendation, Routh faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in federal prison.
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