(TJV NEWS) A Florida courtroom erupted in chaos Tuesday when Ryan Routh, the man convicted of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen moments after jurors delivered their verdict. The bizarre and violent outburst came after a jury found him guilty on five federal counts, including attempted assassination, assault on a federal officer, and weapons charges, the New York Post reported.

Routh, 59, had been on trial for plotting to kill Trump last September while the then–GOP nominee played golf at his West Palm Beach course. Secret Service agents discovered him hiding in a sniper’s nest with an SKS assault rifle aimed through a fence. He was spotted before he could fire a shot, and agents opened fire, forcing him to flee, the Post reported.

The jury deliberated for just two hours before convicting Routh, who represented himself in court after firing his attorneys earlier this summer. Moments after the verdict was read, he grabbed a pen and began jabbing at his neck in front of shocked jurors. Marshals rushed in to restrain him as his daughter screamed, “Dad, I love you. Don’t do anything. I’ll get you out,” according to the New York Post.

Routh was later brought back into the courtroom in shackles, his shirt showing no visible blood. Judge Aileen Cannon set his sentencing for December 18, when he could face life in prison, the Post reported.

Throughout the trial, Routh mounted what the judge repeatedly described as a “bizarre” defense. He rambled about prehistoric history, foreign leaders, and even challenged Trump to a golf match to the death — suggesting that if he won, he should become president, and if Trump won, he could be executed. Judge Cannon shut down his theatrics, cutting off his opening statements and rejecting most of his outlandish questions during jury selection, the New York Post reported.

Court filings showed Routh’s unhinged tactics went beyond the courtroom. He asked why his case wasn’t death penalty–eligible, suggested he be traded in a prisoner swap with hostile nations, and submitted a witness list that included Trump, pro-Palestinian activists, and even a Secret Service agent he claimed once made a bizarre sexual comment, the Post reported. Most of those proposed witnesses were barred by the judge.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, relied on 38 law enforcement witnesses, including the Secret Service agent who discovered the sniper nest. Routh called just three defense witnesses, none of whom could counter the mountain of evidence against him, the New York Post reported.

Trump, responding on Truth Social, praised the jury, the judge, and the Secret Service agent whose quick instincts prevented what could have been a devastating attack. “This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him,” Trump wrote, calling the conviction a “very big moment for JUSTICE IN AMERICA,” the Post reported.

The plot marked the second attempt on Trump’s life in just over two months. In July 2024, 20-year-old Michael Thomas Crooks opened fire during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing Trump’s ear before being killed by a counter-sniper.

Now, Routh awaits sentencing in what prosecutors say was a meticulously planned but ultimately foiled attempt to alter the course of U.S. history from the shadows of a golf course, the New York Post reported.