Eddie Ray Routh in court on February 11, 2015, in Stephenville, Texas (Photo Credit: Tom Fox-Pool | Getty Images)
Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
America’s deadliest sniper Chris Kyle’s killer, Eddie Ray Routh, went to the Texas gun range with Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield on February 2, 2013. Fox 13 stated that Routh, an Iraq war veteran, fatally shot the two before feeling the scene in Kyle’s truck. He shot Kyle six times and Littlefield seven times. The victims were reportedly helping their shooter battle his mental illnesses when the incident occurred.
Routh’s defense later pleaded not guilty by the reason of insanity, claiming he suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Guardian stated that they also alleged that he was a paranoid schizophrenic since he shot Kyle and Littlefield during a psychotic episode. However, prosecutors argued that the killings were “cold,” “calculated,” and deliberate during his February 2015 trial, per Reuters.
According to The Guardian, a jury convicted Eddie Ray Routh of capital murder on February 24, 2015. He then received a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield. The Texas Department of Corrections notes that Routh is serving his sentence in the W. F. Ramsey Unit (Ramsey I).
Director Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-nominated film American Sniper explores the life of Chris Kyle and is based on the sniper’s 2012 autobiography. Renowned actor Bradley Cooper plays the role of Kyle in the movie. Additionally, an episode of The Real Story of… explores the true events of the film.
Why did Eddie Ray Routh shoot Chris Kyle & Chad Littlefield?
Speculation still surrounds Eddie Ray Routh’s motive to gun down Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield, who were helping him despite his capital murder conviction. Kyle once told NBC News that he was helping his fellow veterans battle PTSD after leaving the US Navy SEAL in 2009. At the time of his death, he was reportedly assisting Routh in battling the same problem as he had served in Iraq. The latter was also present in Haiti during the earthquake in 2010, reported FOX 13. Routh’s mother had requested Kyle for his help.
The outlet stated that Kyle, Littlefield, and Routh arrived at the gun range in Rough Creek Lodge and Resort, Texas. There, Routh shot Kyle and Littlefield multiple times and then fled the scene in the sniper’s truck. The crime scene was discovered by a resort employee. CNN stated that afterward, Routh drove to his uncle’s house and talked about “driving a dead man’s truck.”
According to CBS News, during an interrogation, Eddie Ray Routh made a bizarre confession to a Texas ranger. He admitted to shooting Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield multiple times, saying, “I knew if I didn’t take out his soul he would take mine.” Throughout the interrogation, he admitted a couple of times that he knew what he had done was wrong. Routh said, “I’m sorry for what I’ve done. We can work it out.” This recorded confession was later played in court.
CNN further reported that then-Erath County Sheriff’s Deputy Gene Cole heard Routh confess about the shootings. At the time, Routh was being held in the Erath County Jail. Four months after the murders, Cole heard Routh say, “‘I shot them because they wouldn’t talk to me. I was just riding in the back seat of the truck and nobody would talk to me. They were just taking me to the range so I shot them. I feel bad about it, but they wouldn’t talk to me. I’m sure they’ve forgiven me.’”
Eddie Ray Routh stood trial in February 2015. His defense team tried to secure a not-guilty verdict by reason of insanity. Per The Guardian, Routh’s lawyers argued that not only did he suffer from PTSD, but he was also a paranoid schizophrenic. They alleged the defendant shot Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield during a psychotic episode.
A psychiatrist, who testified on behalf of the defense, Routh was delusional, per the outlet. The psychiatrist, Mitchell Dunn, said the defendant believed his colleagues were “cannibal” and killer pigs. Dunn further stated that he thought Kyle and Littlefield to be “some type of pig assassins – hybrid pigs sent here to kill people.”
Moreover, several of Routh’s family members testified about his deteriorating mental health. His behavior changed after 2010 when he left the military and in the years following his departure. They made these claims about the former marine – a technician who had not witnessed direct combat during both deployments.
The prosecution’s psychiatrist testified that Routh’s drug, alcohol, and marijuana usage possibly prompted his mood disorder. The psychiatrist also alleged that his mental illnesses had been exaggerated and that he was pretending to be a schizophrenic.
Eddie Ray Routh’s defense claimed that he believed he was acting in self-defense when he shot Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield. The defendant’s lawyers alleged that he believed Kyle and Littlefield were plotting his murder. The prosecution argued that Routh’s behavior after he committed the shootings suggested otherwise. He tried to evade arrest and also confessed to the crime to family members. Prosecutors alleged he murdered the duo as they were acting coldly towards him.
Routh’s high-profile trial resulted in a capital murder conviction and a life sentence.
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