Ryan Routh’s SUV looked ‘lived in,’ filled with passports, phones and notes, FBI special agent testifies

An FBI evidence specialist testified Monday that Ryan Routh’s black Nissan Xterra was cluttered with clothing, tools and handwritten notes — and appeared as though someone had been living in it — when she searched it the day after his arrest.

FBI Special Agent Cindy Barrois, an Evidence Response Team leader in the Miami Field Office, said the Xterra’s back seats were folded down with what looked like a mattress.

“It appeared the vehicle was lived in,” she said. 

In court Monday, she displayed six cellphones collected from the SUV, Routh’s expired Hawaii driver’s license, a valid U.S. passport and handwritten notes — including a list with “pipe,” “C-clamp,” “blanket,” “pillow,” “tape,” “paint,” “green poncho” and phone numbers. 

Another note listed flight options to Mexico and Colombia under the name “Bryan Wilson.” A separate Bank of Hawaii paper read, “Make tourniquet.”

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Routh is on trial representing himself for federal charges filed against him for allegedly attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump exactly one year ago on Sept. 15, 2024. 

Barrois testified in court Monday the vehicle was “not organized,” and included food, tools, gloves, a disposable tablecloth and a .45-caliber cartridge casing in the glove box. Photos shown to jurors included the passport in the driver’s area, multiple phones and where they were found, and a close-up of the .45 casing. 

She also pointed to alleged stickers on the Xterra that appeared to have been blacked out with spray paint, showing drip marks. Items presented in court from the SUV included a red Harbor Freight flashlight, an Akaso camera battery, a black metal rod like those used in chain-link fences, multiple pairs of work gloves, a black mask, poncho and zip tie in a Ziploc and a large quantity of orange earplugs.

Prosecutors also walked jurors through receipts they say place Routh in Palm Beach County, Florida, for weeks: cash overnight-parking slips from a Marathon gas station in South Bay, Florida, dated Aug. 14 (eight nights), Aug. 21 (six nights), Aug. 29 (six nights), Sept. 5 (six nights) and Sept. 12 (four nights), plus local receipts from Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and McDonald’s. 

Jurors also saw two unopened cans of Vienna sausages and a 56-ounce SunnyD bottle allegedly found in the car, along with a SunnyD receipt. Barrois said North Carolina and Ohio license plates were recovered under the driver’s seat; a North Carolina registration in the glove box listed Routh’s daughter, Sara Ellen Routh.

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Routh, representing himself, asked whether some items “could have been in there for years” and why one photo showed the .45-caliber casing in the glove box and another did not. For the first time in the trial, the prosecution came up after Routh’s cross-examination to “re-direct” the witness with further questioning.

Routh also said there were dress clothes in the SUV and referenced a note that read, “If you need this car moved text,” listing numbers for “Sarah” and “Oran.”

Later, FBI Evidence Analysis Request Coordinator Erin Farais testified about items removed from the SKS rifle. She said a fingerprint was found on tape from the gun but did not identify whose it was.  

When Routh asked whether removing tape affected scope accuracy testing, Judge Aileen Cannon told jurors, “This case isn’t about how accurate the gun shoots.”

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Court staff told media that trial exhibits will be made public only after the proceedings conclude. 

Routh also told the judge he hadn’t decided whether to call his son, Oran, to the witness stand. Judge Cannon noted “a lot of work” had gone into arranging his transport. 

Prosecutors said additional FBI forensic witnesses — including a firearms/toolmark examiner — were slated to follow.