DOJ asks for indefinite delay in prosecution of would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh, citing large amounts of new evidence
"Over the past two weeks, the United States has interviewed hundreds of witnesses. It has also executed 13 search warrants in Florida, Hawaii, and North Carolina, and seized hundreds of items of evidence, including multiple electronic devices."
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday requested an indefinite delay in proceeding with the trial of Ryan Routh, the man charged with attempting to assassinate Trump in September, citing a large amount of evidence gathered since Routh’s arrest.
Prosecutors requested that Florida District Judge Aileen Cannon designate Routh’s case as "complex," ABC News reported. They wrote in the filing that "Over the past two weeks, the United States has interviewed hundreds of witnesses. It has also executed 13 search warrants in Florida, Hawaii, and North Carolina, and seized hundreds of items of evidence, including multiple electronic devices."
There are reportedly over 100 outstanding subpoena returns in connection with the investigation, as well as "thousands of videos to review."
"All videos, still images, text files, and audio files constitute approximately 4,000 terabytes (4 million gigabytes) of digital review to complete," the filing stated.
The filing stated that Routh’s attorneys did not oppose to the indefinite delay request. A trial start date of November 18 had been set by Cannon on Tuesday.
The FBI is also in the process of conducting forensic tests on evidence including "ballistics testing, and fingerprint and DNA comparisons," which will likely result in the requirement of expert witness testimony in advance of the trial.
Routh allegedly camped out near Trump International Golf Course in Florida for 12 hours on September 15 waiting for the former president, who went golfing that Sunday. Prosecutors said that Routh’s attempt was stopped before shots could be fired after Secret Service agents spotted a rifle sticking through the fence at the golf course and opened fire. Routh was later arrested on I-95.
This attempt came around two months after gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at Trump's July Butler, Pennsylvania rally, hitting Trump in the ear, injuring two attendees, and killing another.
