A transcript of Eddie Ray Routh’s confession tape, in which he explained why he shot Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield, was presented to the jury after Routh was found guilty of their 2013 murders.
The 25-year-old Marine named Routh suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Chris Kyle and Chad were killed on February 2, 2013 at a shooting range near Chalk Mountain, Texas.
Kyle, a former Navy SEAL, and Littlefield, a friend, were setting up targets and moving down the line when they were hit 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 in the murders of US Navy Seal Chris Kyle, author of American Sniper, and Chad Littlefield.
The judge sentenced Routh to life in prison without the possibility of parole, although prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. According to his lawyer, the 27-year-old was schizophrenic when the attacks took place two years ago.
However, when he killed the two people at a Texas shooting range in 2013, authorities claimed he acted with knowledge. The film, based on Kyle’s memoir of his four tours of duty in Iraq, earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination earlier this year.
The retired Navy Seal, who has the most confirmed kills of any US sniper, was shot dead alongside Littlefield at a remote firing range southwest of Fort Worth.
According to sources cited by the BBC, Kyle had been helping other troops cope with the stresses 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 when the judge sentenced him to life without 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 he was not guilty of capital murder because of his mental disorder.
The court found that Routh had been drinking and smoking marijuana on the morning of the event. They argued that his drug use caused his paranoia.
Before he blew up, the killer was dissatisfied with his job, finances, life with his parents, and other factors. He also believed Kyle and Littlefield were ignoring him, according to NBC News.
Eddie Ray Routh: Where is he now?
Eddie Ray Routh is still incarcerated and completing his sentence at the Ramsey I Unit in Anderson County, Texas.
Other detainees there include Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was convicted of serious sex crimes against children.
Routh suffered from PTSD after leaving the Marine Corps in 2011. He was sent aboard the USS Bataan in 2007 for a seven-month tour of the Middle East, followed by a mission to Iraq, according to The Sun.
He was also issued a prescription for antipsychotic medications, which are commonly used to treat schizophrenia. Defense attorneys claimed his participation in the Marines’ humanitarian efforts for Haiti following the 2010 earthquake had a detrimental effect on his mental health.