Would-be Trump assassin Ryan Wesley Routh flashed a heartbreaking smile in his mugshot after he was charged with federal weapons possession on Wednesday.
It seemed to be a trend, as the man accused of trying to kill Donald Trump smiled and laughed as he made his first appearance in federal court, where he was charged with gun possession on Monday.
Routh’s new photo was released Wednesday night by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
The 58-year-old is accused of pointing an AK-47 at the Republican presidential candidate through a fence as he played a round of golf at Trump International Golf Club on Sunday.
Trump, 78, was unharmed and whisked to safety by the Secret Service in another incident less than two months after he was shot in the ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Alleged Trump assassin Ryan Wesley Routh flashed a heartbreaking smile in his mugshot after being charged with federal weapons possession on Wednesday
The 58-year-old is accused of pointing an AK-47 at the Republican presidential candidate through a fence as he played a round of golf at Trump International Golf Club on Sunday.
Routh was wearing a black prison uniform and had his hands and feet handcuffed when he entered the Paul G Rogers Federal Courthouse on Monday morning.
The hearing lasted eight minutes and Routh was charged with two counts: possession of a firearm while a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
It is unclear where Routh obtained the AK-47 rifle, especially since it is not a firearm that is available for purchase in Florida.
He faces up to 20 years in prison for the initial two charges, with more expected in the coming days.
Charging documents released Monday reveal that Routh was outside Trump’s golf course for nearly 12 hours on Sunday before fleeing the scene.
The cellphone of Routh, a construction worker, was tracked in the woods around the camp from 1:59 a.m. Sunday until 1:31 p.m.
This new information suggests that Routh was keeping an eye on the location and somehow had advance knowledge that the former president would be playing golf there on Sunday.
Routh will be arraigned in two weeks.
Routh was smiling and laughing when he arrived at the courthouse on Monday.
A courtroom sketch shows a slight Routh in a dark prison uniform as he is charged with two felonies.
Courtroom sketches showing Routh making his first court appearance were released Monday afternoon.
The drawings show the slender 58-year-old in his dark prison uniform.
A sketch shows a three-person team in suits surrounding Routh as they appear before Judge Paul G Rogers Federal Court in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In another photo he is seen showing his teeth in a wide smile, which caught the attention of journalists in the court.
The Secret Service opened fire on Routh in West Palm Beach after seeing the barrel of his AK-47 crash through a fence at Trump International Golf Club while the Republican candidate was playing a round.
Routh was arrested in Martin County on Sunday, about 50 miles from the scene of the golf course shooting.
The suspect provided routine information to court officials during Monday’s hearing.
Routh spoke softly and said he makes about $3,000 a month. He says he has no savings, real estate or assets other than his two trucks, which are in Hawaii and he says are worth about $1,000.
Routh was charged with two counts: possession of a firearm while a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and is scheduled to be arraigned in two weeks.
Mugshot of Routh from February 2010 provided by the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina
Routh says he sometimes helps support his 25-year-old son.
DailyMail.com spoke exclusively to Routh’s son Oran, 35, who said his father is not a violent person and did not even believe he owned a gun.
It is unclear whether she was referring to Oran or another child she might have.
Oran said his father hates Trump “like any reasonable person.”
“I don’t like Trump either,” the son added.
But he said his father is not a violent person and he could not believe his father would attack the president.
Ryan Routh did not enter a plea to Monday’s charges in part because he does not yet have permanent legal representation.
During a news conference immediately after the court appearance, Martin County Sheriff Will Snyder fueled questions about whether Routh was involved in a conspiracy.
The Secret Service opened fire on Routh in West Palm Beach after seeing the barrel of his AK-47 crash through a fence at Trump International Golf Club as the Republican candidate was playing a round.
“How is it possible that a guy who is not from here, who goes to Trump International, realizes that the former president of the United States is playing golf and can get a rifle in that vicinity?” asked the sheriff when speaking to local media.
“Is this guy part of a conspiracy, a lone gunman?” he continued.
“If he’s a lone gunman, President Trump is much safer because we have him,” Snyder said. “If he’s part of a conspiracy, then this whole thing takes on a very sinister tone.”
At another point, Snyder said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. How many people dare shoot the former president of the United States? The poor guy has already been shot once and now this suspect is coming to this country.”
Snyder compared himself and his team to the Dallas police who caught President John F. Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald.
Routh could face up to 20 years in prison in total for both charges, a maximum of 15 if convicted of possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and five years for the second charge.
His bond hearing is set for Sept. 23 and a probable cause hearing — or arraignment — is scheduled for Sept. 30.
On Sunday, Palm Beach law enforcement along with the FBI held a press conference where they shared images and details of Routh’s plot.
West Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw holds a picture of Routh’s backpack, purse, GoPro and AK-47-style rifle that were left outside Trump International Golf Club on Sunday when he fled the scene when Secret Service opened fire.
The gunman was positioned two holes down from where Trump was golfing on Sunday when the Secret Service fired in his direction. The hole is the area of the course closest to the road and presents the most “vulnerabilities,” according to people familiar with the course.
The footage revealed Routh had a backpack and a purse hanging from the chain-link fence near the sixth hole of the golf course. He also left behind a GoPro camera, his AK-47-style rifle and a bulletproof vest with ceramic coatings.
The charges are only preliminary and more may be added throughout the trial and investigation.
The suspect was not charged Monday with making threats against a former president or presidential candidate, which carries a maximum sentence of five years that could be extended since he was also allegedly wielding an AR-15 rifle and attempted to kill the former president.
According to public records, Routh’s criminal record in North Carolina includes “gun violations” and “terrorist threats” in 2002, as well as a three-hour standoff with law enforcement in North Carolina.
In 2002, when Routh was 36, he was convicted of possession of a weapon of mass destruction.
He was arrested after a standoff with police where he barricaded himself inside a local roofing business in Greensboro after speeding away from a traffic stop with a firearm.
