The judge pushed back, noting Routh’s history of arrests, to which Roth said, « He’s a complex person, I’ll give the court that, but he has a very good core. »
A courtroom sketch of Ryan Routh during legal proceedings in a Florida courtroom.
A sketch depicting court proceedings during the Ryan Routh sentencing in Fort Pierce, Fla., on Feb. 4, 2026. (Lothar Speer)
Routh then read from a statement, during which he said all he ever tried to do was be a good American and asked to be exchanged for a long list of political prisoners around the world.
About seven to eight minutes into his statement, Judge Cannon stopped him and asked him in an exasperated tone how much longer he had. Routh said he had about 20 pages, timed out to be about 30 minutes.
« I never drank, never smoked, never did drugs, » Routh said at one point. « I gave every ounce of myself to make America a better place. »
Cannon eventually cut him off.
« It’s clear to me that the guideline of life imprisonment and the minimal mandatory sentencing is in order, » she said.
« Your plot to kill was deliberate and evil, » she added. « You are not a peaceful man. And your criminal history shows it. »
She then issued his sentence: Life without parole, plus 7 years on a gun charge. His sentences for his other three crimes will run concurrently.
SECRET SERVICE AGENT DETAILS ‘TEXTBOOK AMBUSH,’ BIZARRE SELF-REPRESENTATION IN RYAN ROUTH TRIAL
