Convicted would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh requests imprisonment in state with assisted suicide

Ryan Routh, who was convicted last month of attempting to assassinate President Trump last year, has asked a federal judge to imprison him in a state that allows assisted suicide.

Routh, who was found guilty on all five counts in September, told U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon that he is a “constant failure” and asked to be imprisoned in a facility where assisted suicide is permitted, The Hill news outlet reported.

He said he “still hold(s) out hope” that he may be traded for U.S. prisoners being held by a foreign adversary, which he suggested ahead of his trial and claimed he had made requests to “countless Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” but has found his recommendations to be “ineffective.”

“Trade me for a Palestinian prisoner in Israel to have my spot in Hawaii, or a POW of Ukraine suffering in Russia or any prisoner anywhere that is suffering,” Routh wrote. “I’m unaware of prisoners in Sudan, Haiti, Myanmar or all the other places of conflict but trade meanywhere (sic).”

“Do not let me take my own life and it have zero benefit for humanity or mankind,” he added.

Judges can make nonbinding recommendations about where a defendant lands, but the Federal Bureau of Prisons ultimately makes the decision.

Assisted suicide is allowed in Washington, D.C., and 11 states: California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

Routh has represented himself since firing his public defenders before his trial.

After being found guilty last month, Routh grabbed a pen and attempted to stab himself in the neck with it, prompting U.S. marshals to intervene.

In September 2024, Routh was set up with a rifle at Trump's West Palm Beach golf course while the president was golfing. A Secret Service agent saw Routh and shot at him, which caused him to flee without firing his rifle. Routh was later arrested while driving on a nearby highway.