A transcript of Eddie Ray Routh’s confession recording, in which he explained why he shot Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield, was provided to the jury after Routh was found guilty in 2013 of their murders.
The 25-year-old Marine named Routh experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. Chris Kyle and Chad were slain on February 2, 2013, at a shooting range close to Chalk Mountain, Texas.
Kyle, a former Navy SEAL, and Littlefield, a friend, were putting up targets and moving down the line when they were shot by Eddie’s bullets.
What happened to the person who killed Chris Kyle, Eddie Ray Routh?
Eddie Ray Routh was found guilty by a Texas jury of the murders of US Navy Seal Chris Kyle, the author of American Sniper, and Chad Littlefield.
The judge sentenced Routh to life in prison without the possibility of parole, although the prosecution did not ask for the death penalty. The 27-year-old was schizophrenic, according to his attorney, when the attacks took place two years ago.
However, when he killed the two people in 2013 at a Texas shooting range, authorities asserted that he was acting with knowledge. The film based on Kyle’s memoir on his four tours of duty in Iraq received an Oscar nomination for best picture this year.
The retired Navy Seal, who has the most confirmed kills of any US sniper, was shot and killed next to Littlefield at a remote shooting range southwest of Fort Worth.
According to the sources cited by the BBC, Kyle had been helping other troops deal with the stress of war and mental health issues after leaving the service.
Killing of American Sniper Chris Kyle by Eddie Ray Routh
Eddie Ray Routh remained silent as the judge sentenced him to life in prison without the chance of parole for killing American Sniper Chris Kyle.
On February 2, 2013, at the Rough Creek Lodge and Resort shooting range, southwest of Dallas, Eddie admitted to killing the former soldier. He claimed that because of his mental disorder, he was not guilty of capital murder.
The court found that Routh drank and smoked marijuana the morning of the event. They argued that his drug use caused his paranoia.
Before he blew up, the murderer was unhappy with his work, his finances, living with his parents, and other factors. He also believed Kyle and Littlefield ignored him, according to NBC News.
Eddie Ray Routh: Where Is He Now?
At the Ramsey I Unit in Anderson County, Texas, Eddie Ray Routh is still incarcerated and completing his term.
The other people detained there include Warren Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who was found guilty of serious child sex crimes.
Routh experienced PTSD after leaving the Marine Corps in 2011. He was sent to the USS Bataan for a seven-month Middle East deployment in 2007, which was followed by a mission to Iraq, according to The Sun.
A prescription for anti-psychotic medications, which are widely used to treat schizophrenia, had also been given to him. Defense attorneys claimed that his participation in the Marines’ humanitarian efforts for Haiti after the 2010 earthquake had a detrimental effect on his mental health.