Convicted Man Seeks Jail Location for Assisted Suicide
The individual found guilty of attempting to assassinate President Trump while he was golfing in South Florida last year has requested that a federal judge recommend a prison in states permitting assisted suicide.
Ryan Routh, who was convicted on all five counts last month, addressed U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon. He expressed a preference for being housed in a facility where assisted suicide—often termed medical aid in dying—is legal because he views himself as a “constant failure.”
Routh mentioned he is still “holding out hope” for a potential exchange of his life for an American prisoner of war held by an adversary. He stated that he had previously made this proposal, claiming to have communicated it to “countless foreign ministries,” but felt his requests had been “ineffective.”
“Consider trading me for a Palestinian prisoner of war in Israel, or a Ukrainian POW in Russia, or any suffering prisoner of war elsewhere,” Routh wrote. “I may not know about the status of prisoners in Sudan, Haiti, or Myanmar, but it seems we carry out trades everywhere.”
“Please don’t let me take my own life. It’s not in the best interest of anyone,” he added.
A judge can provide a non-binding recommendation regarding the location for serving a sentence, but the final decision lies with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Assisted dying is legally permitted in specific states, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, as noted by Compassion & Choices, an organization focused on improving end-of-life care and options.
After the jury delivered a guilty verdict on September 23, Routh attempted to harm himself with a pen, prompting U.S. marshals to intervene. He was forcibly removed from the courtroom, causing distress for his adult daughter.
Once brought back before the judge, Routh was in shackles. Although his shirt showed no signs of blood, he was no longer wearing his jacket and tie.
Routh represented himself during the trial after terminating his public defender. In his motion submitted on Thursday, he indicated that he still has no legal counsel beyond himself.
According to federal prosecutors, Routh spent several weeks planning the assassination of President Trump, ultimately brandishing a rifle near the sixth hole of a golf course in West Palm Beach last year.
Secret Service officials testified that Routh was spotted before Trump came into view. While investigators fired shots at him, Routh fled without returning fire and was later apprehended on a nearby highway.
This incident marked the second assassination attempt against President Trump in that year, following a bullet grazing his ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, just two months earlier.
