A former Marine Corps veteran, Eddie Ray Routh, was found guilty of murdering Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield in 2013 at a shooting range in Texas.
Kyle, a former Navy SEAL and the author of the bestselling autobiography, “American Sniper,” had offered to take Routh to a shooting range, believing it would have therapeutic value since Routh had been experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after leaving the military.
Kyle regularly worked with other veterans and had been approached by Routh’s mother for help.
In a confession tape played during the trial, Routh explained why he shot both men.
He believed that Kyle and Littlefield were “headhunters, trying to hunt everybody down.” Routh had said, “If I did not take down his soul, he was going to take down mine.”
In the clip, he admitted to knowing that it was wrong to kill them and that he wished he hadn’t done it.
He also said that he would apologize to the families if he could. Four months after the shooting, Routh told a former Erath County Sheriff’s Deputy that he shot them because they were not talking to him.
He said, “I feel bad about it, but they wouldn’t talk to me. I’m sure they’ve forgiven me.”
The murder trial
Routh’s attorneys argued that he was insane at the time of the murders, while witnesses for the prosecution stated that they suspected he was faking schizophrenia.
Prosecutors decided not to pursue the death penalty, so the judge sentenced him to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
During the trial, it was revealed that shortly before being slain, Kyle had texted a friend next to him in a pickup truck that Routh was “nuts.”
Routh was driven to the range by Kyle, who had been helping fellow veterans heal the mental scars stemming from combat.
As the three men drove to the range, Kyle sent a text to Littlefield that read: “This dude is straight up nuts,” according to defense attorney Tim Moore.
Prosecutors told the jury of 10 women and two men in rural Erath County that Routh was aware of what he was doing and acted “knowingly and intentionally” when he gunned down Kyle and Littlefield.
The defense did not dispute that Routh shot the men but pressed their case that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
They argued that he was in a paranoid psychotic episode and did not know his actions were wrong when he shot the two men.
They said Routh suffered from PTSD, which was caused by overseas deployments.
Kyle’s widow, Taya, was the first witness called during the trial. She said her husband was renowned for his skills as a sniper and serviceman.
She knew something was wrong when she spoke to him by phone at the shooting range. “I could tell something was up,” she said, adding that Kyle was quick on the phone, likely to avoid letting Routh know of his irritation. “I texted ‘Are you OK? I am getting worried,'” she said. No response arrived.
A few hours later, a police officer came to her house to say that officers were searching for her husband’s pickup truck. Shortly after that, she learned her husband was dead.
Staff at the lodge that housed the shooting range and emergency medical technicians said Littlefield’s body was found on a shooting platform, while Kyle was found a few yards away in the dirt.
Both were soaked in blood, and there were no signs of life. Taya Kyle said bonding over target practice helped her husband discuss difficult matters with veterans trying to adjust to life after battle.
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