Criminal defense attorney and former Florida Bar president Michelle Suskauer recently spoke with WPTV about Ryan Routh’s trial, where he represented himself after being charged with attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
Court records showed Routh tried to introduce dozens of unusual exhibits as evidence (including personal writings, items from his past, and character witnesses) most of which were rejected by the judge as irrelevant.
“He’s not familiar with the rules of federal criminal procedure, and he’s not an experienced attorney, so that is certainly a detriment to him and his defense,” Suskauer explained.
Suskauer noted that while defendants have a constitutional right to represent themselves, Routh’s inability to properly apply courtroom rules ultimately weakened his defense.
Read the full story here: Why Was Ryan Routh Allowed to Defend Himself During Trump Attempted Assassination Trial? (WPTV)
Photo by: Lothar Speer
