The suspect being investigated in the recent apparent assassination attempt of former President Trump wrote a letter detailing his plans months prior, prosecutors alleged in court documents filed Monday.
“Dear world, this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster,” the alleged letter reads.
A photo of the first page was attached as part of prosecutors’ written arguments for why Ryan Routh, the 58-year-old suspect, should continue to be detained ahead of trial.
The suspect appeared in court later Monday, when a judge agreed to keep him in custody without bail because the “weight of the evidence against the defendant is strong,” according to The Associated Press.
Prosecutors said Routh put the letter inside a box and dropped it off with an unnamed witness “several months” before he pushed the muzzle of a rifle through the perimeter of Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course in Florida on Sept. 15.
The witness only opened the box, which also contained ammunition and other letters, after learning of the incident.
Prosecutors’ filing also revealed that Routh’s phone pinged cell towers near Trump’s golf course and Mar-a-Lago estate for nearly a month in the lead-up to the incident. When searching Routh’s car, authorities also purportedly found a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump had appeared or was expected to be present.
“Everyone across the globe from the youngest to the oldest know that Trump is unfit to be anything, much less as US president. U.S. presidents must at bare minimum embody the moral fabric that is America and be kind, caring and selfless and always stand for humanity,” Routh’s letter reads.
Routh faces charges of possessing a gun while a felon and having an illegally obliterated serial number on his firearm. He allegedly pushed the muzzle of a rifle through the perimeter of Trump’s golf course while the former president was a hole away, prompting a Secret Service agent to fire.
The Secret Service has said Routh did not take any shots and never had Trump in his line of sight.
In a statement, Trump’s campaign called the charges against Routh a “slap on the wrist” and blamed the “Kamala Harris/Joe Biden Department of Justice and FBI” for purportedly mishandling the case.
“It’s no wonder, since the DOJ and FBI have been coming after me nonstop with Weaponized Lawfare since I announced my first Historic Campaign for the Presidency,” the campaign claimed.
Prosecutors are expected to seek an indictment from a grand jury in the coming days that could include additional charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dispoto said in court Monday that prosecutors would pursue additional charges before a grand jury, such as attempting to “assassinate a major political candidate,” the AP reported.
Their new filing indicated Routh traveled from the Greensboro, N.C., area to West Palm Beach on Aug. 14.
After arriving in Florida, prosecutors say Routh’s cellphone pinged towers near Trump’s golf course and his Mar-a-Lago residence “on multiple days and times” in the weeks before the incident.
Routh’s marked the second attempt on Trump’s life in recent months. In July, a gunman shot and injured the former president and fatally shot an attendee at a rally in Butler, Pa. The incidents have raised renewed concerns about the Secret Service’s protective methods and current funding levels.
When Routh was first arrested, an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit that two bags, a loaded rifle with a scope and other items were found near the tree line Routh allegedly fled from after the Secret Service fired at him. The suspect was pulled over by law enforcement in a neighboring county and answered affirmatively that he knew why he was being stopped, according to the affidavit.
Additional investigation found Routh’s cellphone was present along the tree line for about 12 hours before the incident occurred and left the area just after.
Routh has a long history of run-ins with law enforcement.
Authorities in North Carolina have filed dozens of charges against the suspect over the years. Many involve traffic violations or minor charges, though he was also convicted on felony counts of possessing a weapon of mass destruction and possession of stolen goods.
Federal prosecutors cited that history in arguing Routh should remain in custody ahead of trial.
Routh’s public defender, Kristy Militello, told the judge Monday that Routh should be allowed to live with his sister in North Carolina as the case progresses, pointing to his track record of consistently showing up for court appearances across decades of legal troubles.
Routh’s arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 30.
Updated at 3:35 p.m. EDT