Would-be Trump assassin Ryan Wesley Routh gave a harrowing smirk in his mugshot after he was given federal gun charges Wednesday.
It appeared to be a trend, as the man accused of trying to kill Donald Trump smiled and laughed as he made his first federal court appearance where he was hit with gun charges on Monday.
The new photo of Routh 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 nominee through a fence while he was playing a round of golf at the Trump International Golf Club on Sunday.
Trump, 78, was unharmed and rushed to safety by Secret Service in another close call less than two months after he was shot in the ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Routh wore black prison scrubs and had his hand and feet shackled as he walked into the Paul G Rogers Federal Courthouse on Monday morning.
The hearing was eight minutes and Routh was charged on two counts: possession of a firearm while a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
It’s unclear where Routh obtained the AK-47 rifle, especially since it is not a firearm that is available for purchase in Florida.
He is facing up to 20 years for the initial two charges, with more expected in the coming days.
The charging documents released on Monday reveal that Routh was perched outside of Trump’s golf course for nearly 12 hours on Sunday before fleeing the scene.
The cell phone of the Routh, a construction worker, was tracked in the wood around the course starting at 1:59 a.m. on Sunday through 1:31 p.m.
This new information suggests that Routh was staking out the location and somehow had advance knowledge that the former president would be golfing there on Sunday.
Routh will face arraignment in two weeks.
Courtroom sketches were released Monday afternoon showing Routh in his first court appearance.
The drawings show the slender 58-year-old in his dark prison uniform.
One sketch shows a team of three in suits surrounding Routh as they appear before the judge at the Paul G Rogers Federal Courthouse in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Another shows him flashing his teeth in a wide smile, which caught the attention of reporters in court.
Secret Service opened fire on Routh in West Palm Beach after they spotted the muzzle of his AK-47 poking through a fence at Trump International Golf Club while the Republican nominee 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 the Monday hearing.
Routh reportedly spoke in a soft voice and said he makes around $3,000 per month. He says he has no savings, real estate or assets beside his two trucks, which are located in Hawaii and he claims are worth about $1,000.
Routh says he sometimes helps support his 25-year-old son.
DailyMail.com exclusively spoke with Routh’s son Oran, 35, who said his father is not a violent person and did not even believe him to own a gun.
It is not clear if he was referring to Oran or another child he may have.
Oran said his father hates Trump as ‘every reasonable person does.
‘I don’t like Trump either,’ the son added.
But he said his dad is not a violent person and couldn’t believe his father would target the president.
Ryan Routh did not enter a plea for Monday’s charges in part because he does not yet have permanent legal representation.
During a press conference right after the court appearance Martin County Sheriff Will Snyder stoked questions on whether Routh was involved in a conspiracy.
‘How does a guy from not here, get all the way to Trump International, realize that the former president of the United States is golfing and is able to get a rifle in that vicinity?’ the sheriff said while speaking with local media.
‘Is this guy part of a conspiracy, a lone gunman?’ he went on.
‘If he is a lone gunman, President Trump is that much safer because we have him,’ Snyder said. ‘If he is part of a conspiracy then this whole thing takes on a very ominous tone.’
At another point, Snyder said: ‘This is a once in a lifetime event. How many people get a shot off at the former president of the United States? The poor guy has already been shot once and then for that suspect to come into this county.’
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 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 September 23 and a probable cause hearing – or arraignment – is scheduled for September 30.
On Sunday, law enforcement in Palm Beach along with the FBI held a press conference where they shared images and details of the plot by Routh.
Images revealed Routh had a backpack and bag hanging from the chain link fence near hole six of the golf course. He also left behind a GoPro camera, his AK-47 style rifle and ceramic layered bulletproof body armor.
The charges are the most preliminary and more can be added throughout the trial and investigation.
The suspect was not charged Monday with making threats against a former president or candidate for president, which itself carries a five year maximum sentence that could be lengthened since he was also allegedly wielding an AR-15 rifle and made an attempt on the former president’s life.
Part of Routh’s rap sheet in North Carolina includes 2002 ‘weapon law violations’ and ‘terrorist threats,’ according to public records. As well as a three-hour standoff with law enforcement in North Carolina.
When Routh was 36-years-old in 2002, he was convicted for possessing 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.