A convicted killer wants the Massachusetts Department of Corrections to pay for a sex-change operation, saying hormones and other treatments didn't work.

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Robert Kosilek, who is serving a life sentence for the 1990 slaying of his wife, said the state should pay for his sex-change as a treatment for medical condition.

His attorney, Frances Cohen, said "we ask that gender identity disorder be treated like any other medical condition."

The 57-year-old Kosilek, who goes by Michelle, petitioned for the surgery in 2002, the Boston Herald reports.

Judge Mark Wolf denied it but authorized female hormone treatment and laser hair removal.

The treatment has resulted in larger breasts, among other changes, but Kosilek said he needs the full change.

A psychiatrist has said Kosilek will commit suicide without the surgery.

He has tried suicide before after suffering from gender identity disorder since he was three, Kosilek said.

Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey said taxpayers shouldn't pay for a sex-change for a convicted killer.