Federal authorities prosecuting would-be presidential assassin Ryan Routh, who they allege was planning to shoot Donald Trump on a golf course last month, have asked for more time to analyze the mountains of evidence they’ve gathered in the case.
In a filing on Wednesday, prosecutors argued that the case against Routh is “unusual and complex,” and motioned to have upcoming deadlines canceled and the case removed from the trial calendar.
Routh, 58, was initially charged right after the incident on Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, with owning a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a weapon with an obliterated serial number. Prosecutors added the attempted assassination charge days later.
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Routh pleaded not guilty to all charges on Monday.
On Wednesday, prosecutors said they have interviewed hundreds of witnesses and executed 13 search warrants across three states, which have resulted in “hundreds of items of evidence, including multiple electronic devices.”
Those electronic devices contain a total of 4,000 terabytes of video, still image, text, and audio files that investigators are still working to review. Among the data trove are “thousands” of videos, the filing states.
Investigators also need time to conduct forensic testing, prosecutors argued, including “ballistics testing, and fingerprint and DNA comparisons,” as well as coordinate expert witness testimonies.
They also stressed that because the ongoing prosecution was “reactive,” investigators believe they will likely have to interview more witnesses, collect more evidence, and issue more subpoenas in the future.
