Ryan Routh, the 58-year-old man convicted of attempting to assassinate President Donald J. Trump at a Florida golf course in 2024, has filed an extraordinary request to serve his sentence in a state that permits physician-assisted suicide. The request, submitted on October 30, 2025, to U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, seeks a recommendation for Routh to be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ custody in such a jurisdiction—though any judicial suggestion would not bind the agency.
Routh, a former North Carolina roofer turned Ukraine aid organizer, 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.”
Routh’s path to infamy intertwined fervent pro-Ukraine activism with deep-seated anti-Trump animus. After Russia’s 2022 invasion, the Hawaii resident founded the International Volunteer Center in Kiev, recruiting veterans, many from Afghanistan, to join Ukraine’s International Legion despite visa hurdles. He lobbied Congress for more aid and appeared in an Azov Brigade video, among other stunts. Legion insiders introduced him to journalists in 2023, praising his efforts despite language barriers. A vocal Biden-Harris supporter, Routh’s social media railed against Trump and Israel.
Months before the September 2024 attempt, Routh penned a note to an associate, admitting Democratic-inspired motives. He decried Trump for allegedly abandoning America’s “kind, caring, and selfless” ideals, blamed him for Middle East chaos via a “juvenile” Iran pullout, and offered 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 said 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 a short distance from President Trump. Agents fired shots and sent him fleeing; he never discharged his rifle, but a young girl was almost killed during his escape attempt.
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 court 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. Notably, federal prisons generally avoid assisted-suicide states.
