Saturday, May 2, 2015

The Prosecution, Prosecution Witnesses, and Taya Kyle, in Publicity for Her New Book, All Lied About Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield Being Shot in the Back

Immediately after the murders, throughout the two years leading up to Eddie Routh's trial, and during the trial itself, the prosecution, attempting to portray Routh as a coward, repeatedly told the press and jury that Kyle and Littlefield were shot in the back. They even brought in a "forensic operation specialist" from New Jersey, Howard Ryan, who prepared a mannequin depicting the location of the wounds and trajectory of shots on Littlefield to prove the theory he was shot in the back [he testified to two scenarios but told the jury that in "our opinion Littlefield was shot in the back"].

The following are tweets on the testimony of forensic operation specialist from New Jersey, Howard Ryan, as witnessed by reporters [my comments are in brackets].
The jury is not currently present.

First witness is Howard Ryan. A forensic operation specialist from New Jersey.

Ryan spent the last 16 years working for the state police as a crime scene specialist. He analyzed blood stains and recreated crime scenes.

He also worked at the crime scene investigation school in New Jersey, and was also an instructor at a crime scene investigation school in Tennessee.

He was approached by one of the Texas Rangers and was told about the murders of Kyle and Littlefield and was asked to come on board and help.

The prosecution had given Ryan crime scene photographs, crime scene reports, lab submissions and results, and other investigative material such as the autopsy report. Ryan reviewed reports and photos to determine what happened the day they were killed.

Ryan explains that it is important to establish where the shooter and victims were standing when the shootings took place.

Ryan explains that it was very helpful to have the blood stain patterns from the crime scene.

"We had scenarios where he (Kyle) had been standing when the events took place and where his final resting place was," Ryan said.

The wounds to Kyle were close together. Ryan says Kyle was shot on his right side and gunshot wounds were confined to a small space, meaning Kyle didn't move much when shot.

Ryan explains that knowing where the bullets entered and exited were very important because it shows how far away Kyle and Littlefield stood from Routh when he shot them.

Littlefield was shot at various locations on his body, indicating movement, according to Ryan. His wounds were sustained on several sites on his body.

"The wound track on each gun shot, either way the body was down lower, on one knee or both knees (Littlefield), his face and head were exposed to the muzzle. Both gunshots went through the body. We were expecting more of a forward splatter of blood. We were expecting more kinetic energy, bringing more biological evidence with it," said Ryan

"The bullet that passed between his shoulder stayed in his clothing," leaving Ryan to believe that Littlefield could have been up against a hard surface.

"It is our opinion that he was shot in the back," said Ryan of Littlefield.

One of the two shots severed Littlefield's spinal cord.

The prosecution is questioning Ryan about his two scenarios of what position Littlefield was in when he was shot.

Ryan is explaining how gunshot residue aided him in deciding his scenarios.

Judge Cashon has said that this evidence will aid the jury, and they are now being brought in.

The jury is now present.

A ballistics dummy has just been brought in to the courtroom.

Ryan is being officially sworn in, and he is being introduced to the jury.

Ryan has 27 years of experience in the forensic field. He specializes in crime scene reconstruction and blood stain pattern analysis. Ryan is explaining the kinds of training he does for different law enforcement agencies. Ryan is explaining what he received from the Texas Rangers to aid him in the case such as crime scene photos, reports etc.

Ryan says the crime scene was very confined and all shots took place in the same general area.

Routh was standing between Kyle and Littlefield. They were shot and fell immediately. They were not shot from same angle.

Ryan: "I don't think it's coincidental that the position of the shooter was in an area where he could engage two targets."

Two scenarios on Kyle. Either he was shot rapid fire at once, or he was shot twice and then shot again after he fell to ground.

Ryan said when he went to the crime scene and stood on the deck of the gun range, he realized how close everything was, it was a small area. He did not get that impression in the photographs he received.

Ryan describes the space as small. "They weren't far away at all." Not long-distance, difficult shots.

Kyle's wounds were located all on the upper right side of his body [which is not the back, contrary to what the prosecution keeps saying], and Ryan says this is unique.

Ryan explains that Kyle was not facing Routh when he was shot [just as Routh described; he said Kyle started to turn toward him, which would explain why the shots all were to the right side of Kyle's body.] Two wounds on Kyle would've been fatal. One went through his cheek into his spinal cord [probably the first shot as he was turning toward Routh].

Ryan is now explaining what causes gunshot residue. Kyle’s body had gunshot reside indicating it was close range and not facing shooter.

The jury is being shown crime scene photos of Kyle and how he fell when he was shot.

"It was obvious he never saw it coming," said Ryan of Kyle. Ryan says that Kyle’s experience shows he was caught off guard or he would have put up defense.

Crime scene photos of  Littlefield are being shown, and Ryan is explaining blood evidence.

Ryan believes that Littlefield was originally standing when he was shot. He was shot in his hand and there was substantial blood evidence in his hand.

Ryan is explaining to the jury his scenarios on how Littlefield was shot.

Estimates that Littlefied was shot twice in back, hitting spinal cord. This would’ve caused him to drop immediately. Ryan says Littlefield was shot twice in the back first. Those two shots would've caused Littlefield to fall down, possibly to his knees.

Ryan uses diagram held by prosecutor Alan Nash to show where Littlefield was shot and how.

Ryan showing how Littlefield was down after first two shots when he was shot again, including in the head.

Ryan demonstrates how Littlefield was knocked down after two shots, and says the head shot came after he was on ground.

Ryan points to a spot on the crime scene photo where Routh was likely standing between Littlefield and Kyle on the platform at gun range [it was not presented at the trial how Routh shot from two different guns in rapid succession].

Ryan believes that Routh was moving around as he shot them.

Ryan can say that the path of the blood flow from Kyle and Littlefield showed their positions when shot.

Ryan pointing to the crime scene photo of Littlefield that shows blood stain handprint indicating Littlefield fell forward, then backward.

In one scenario, Ryan says, Littlefield was shot in the face while looking up at Routh.

Nash showing Ryan's drawing of how Littlefield was shot in the head, twice.

Diagram of the trajectory of bullets into Littlefield’s head.

Due to wound location, Littlefield likely turned towards Routh to have been shot in his face [this doesn't make sense with the scenarios Ryan is presenting].

Ryan says Littlefield was either shot in the face while on his knees or on his back [the trajectory of the bullet would not support that he was on his back]. Littlefield was found on his back.

Nash showing Ryan's drawing of how Littlefield was found, where gunshot wounds were.

Ryan positioning mannequin to show gun shot trajectory.

Ryan showing how Routh could've been standing when he shot Littlefield twice in the head. Littlefield was likely on his back [the trajectory of the bullet does not support this scenario].

"Mr. Littlefield is either already deceased or he's distressed, but either way he's defenseless," Ryan says.

Ryan believes that the second scenario where Littlefield was shot on his back is more plausible due to blood stains and projectiles.  

Ryan has prepared a mannequin depicting the location of the wounds and trajectory of shots to Littlefield.

Courtroom observers cannot see the mannequin from the pool feed in the overflow room. The jury has been asked to stand and move around to observe.

According to Ryan there are two possibilities concerning the two shots to Littlefield's head. Littlefield was either already deceased or in distress; either way, he was defenseless. Ryan does not believe that Littlefield was deceased when he was shot in the the head.
On the second day of the trial, Dr. Jeffrey Barnard, who conducted the autopsies for both Littlefield and Kyle, testified for the prosecution. The following are tweets on Barnard's testimony as witnessed by reporters [my comments are in brackets].
Looking at Kyle's autopsy report and pictures, Barnard said Kyle was shot six times. Barnard notes that Chris Kyle was 6'1" and 216 pounds. He said that Kyle had tattoos on his upper left arm, which was a cross and eagle and another one of a frog skeleton on his upper back.

Barnard said that Kyle had one substance in his system, which was venlafaxine, an anti-depressant.

Barnard described the bullet wounds to Kyle's body. He was shot five times. Barnard believes the first shot was to the right side of Kyle's face, the jaw area, which he believes caused injury to Kyle's back-side of his spinal cord. Barnard said another shot was to the shoulder but never exited the body. He said those two bullets were rapidly fatal injuries. Another shot, which Barnard believes is the bullet that killed Kyle, bounced around his whole body, from his right to left, hit his heart and arteries, and hit both lungs. Barnard said two other shots broke Kyle's right arm and exited the underside of his arm; one of the two bullets that exited his arm superficially had penetrated his abdomen. He said that those two shots were also rapidly fatal wounds.
Looking at Littlefield's autopsy and pictures, Barnard pointed out his tattoos: the face of Jesus on his right upper arm, the name "Morgan" on the right side of his upper arm, and a tattoo on his ankle that was not described.

Barnard described the bullet wounds to Littlefield's body. He was shot seven times. One shot  entered the left side of his face by the nose, under his eye and traveled down and exited by his left shoulder. Another shot went through the chest and exited the middle of the back. Another shot was through the right upper shoulder. Another shot was through the neck and back of the head. Another shot was through the lower back and exited the right upper chest [how would this be possible? it would make more sense that it entered from the upper chest and exited the lower back when he was down on his knees and as the shooter stood above him]. Another shot penetrated Littlefield on the top of his head. Another shot entered the front of his left palm and exited the back of his left hand [did they recover and account for seven slugs; if not, could this bullet to the left palm have entered his face or chest after exiting his left hand?].

They were shot with two different types of handguns [the prosecution never explained how they were shot rapid fire with two different handguns but only one shooter].

Barnard said the neither Kyle nor Littlefield had a chance of survival.
Throughout the past two years and during the trial, the prosecution said Chad was shot five times in the back and Chris was shot four times in the back. Assistant Attorney General of the Texas Attorney General's Office, Jane Starnes, who assisted Erath County prosecutors in the case, said the following in the State's closing arguments. 
"He waited until Chris' gun was spent to start shooting. He waited for the opportune time. And how did he shoot them? He shot Chad in the back two times. He then shot Chris in the back. He shot him in the face, and then in quick succession he shot him in the arm."

"You heard from Dr. Barnard and Howard Ryan, that this guy who had served four tours was shot down at a shooting range. But Chad's death was not as quick. You know that Chad reached out and was shot through his hand. You know that Chad reached out and ran his hands through that pool of blood. And then you know that he walked around and shot Chad in the back of the head. He wanted Chad dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. He then stood over Chad's body and reload's that magazine [there is no evidence to support that he stood over Chad's body when he reloaded]. What does he need that gun for? He took that gun because it was a trophy [this is pure conjecture]. He then fled that scene because he knew he had to get away." 
The following is an unofficial diagram of bullet wounds to Kyle and Littlefield based on courtroom testimony from Ryan and Barnard and the most logical trajectory of the bullets.



On May 1, 2015, ABC News published a article promoting Taya Kyles book, "American Wife," where they reported that both Kyle and Littlefield were shot six times in the back. The following is an excerpt from the article.
Routh’s mother reached out to Chris Kyle for help with her son, who, after he returned home, was acting erratically, smoking marijuana, drinking heavily and even threatening suicide. Though he never met Routh, Chris Kyle agreed to help and asked Chad Littlefield to come with him to Rough Creek Lodge.

According to Routh’s attorney, Warren St. John, Chris Kyle had not informed Routh or his mother ahead of time about the trip to Rough Creek Lodge.
“[Routh] had no idea they were going to a gun range,” St. John said. “He thought they were going to go grab some coffee. So, when he got in the truck, he was somewhat shocked that it was full of guns and full of multiple pieces of ammunition. ... I don't think he was afraid of the guns. I think he was concerned about what are these guys about to do.”
According to his attorneys, Routh also said he was upset Kyle didn’t shake his hand when they met, and that he was further distressed when Kyle stopped to grab a bite to eat at a fast-food restaurant.
“Chris Kyle gave him a hamburger and basically told him to eat it and he thought that was awful strange,” St. John said.
Routh set off alarm bells for Chris Kyle and Littlefield while the three drove to the hunting resort. He sat in the back, as Littlefield sat up front with Kyle. During the drive, Littlefield texted Chris Kyle, saying, “This dude is straight up nuts.” Kyle responded, “He’s right behind me, watch my six,” which is military slang for “watch my back.”

The tension did not ease once the three men arrived at the range. After waiting for Kyle to fire all his shots down range, Routh used one of Kyle’s 9mm handguns to shoot Littlefield six times in the back, killing him. Routh then killed Kyle with six shots, all in the back.
“Neither one of them saw it coming,” said Taya Kyle.
Routh then took off, taking Kyle’s 9mm and loading it with 15 more bullets, according to authorities. He then jumped into Kyle’s truck and drove back towards his home in Lancaster, Texas.

On the way, he stopped at his sister’s house and told her he had just killed two men. As soon as he left, his sister called 911, saying “my brother just came by here. He told me that he committed a murder.”

Mark Treibly was at the Midlothian police station when he heard a report about a white male driving a supercharged black Ford F350 with jacked up tires.
“I knew immediately that was the description of Chris’ truck,” Treibly said. “I immediately left the police station and went to [Kyle’s] house. ... Taya immediately knew something was wrong, and I told her that it was confirmed that Chris had been murdered.”
Routh made it to his own house, where authorities said he stopped to pick up his dog, Girly, but he barely made it out of the driveway before police swarmed him. Routh then led police on a high-speed chase through residential neighborhoods. He made it to I-35 North, but eventually gave up. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Littlefield and Kyle.
The following is commentary and more courtroom coverage via Twitter of the trial, including the testimony of prosecution witnesses Howard Ryan and Dr. Jeffery Barnard. 

Routh told a prosecution expert that he believed they were taking him to the gun range to kill him. He came to this conclusion during the two-hour drive in the truck to the gun range. Routh said he was surprised that Kyle brought Littlefield along. Routh also said he was offended that Kyle didn't shake his hand. Routh saw all the guns in the truck. Routh was agitated and suspicious. The two of them were texting and not speaking to Routh, plus Kyle texted Routh's girlfiend, Jennifer Weed. He was nervous when the men didn't talk to him. Routh told the prosecution expert that he first thought of shooting Kyle and Littlefield on the way to gun range, but didn't want to get into a car crash.

Routh consistently said he didn't like that Littlefield wasn't shooting at the range. "I better shoot Chad before he shoots me. When I shot them, I thought, 'Jesus Christ, what have I done?'," Routh told one of the prosecutor's experts in an interview before the trial. "I didn't plan it methodically. But in some kind of tactical scheme, I shot the target facing me first. That was Chad." Routh said he didn’t have any problems with Chris but had to shoot him because he knew he’d shoot back. He said Chris wasn't facing him when he shot him. 

Ballistics show that Littlefield and Kyle were shot with different guns, but Routh insists that he shot with one gun. When an expert witness told him that the autopsies showed a .45-caliber handgun and 9mm Sig Sauer handgun were used, Routh said they were wrong. Routh insisted that he only used one gun, a 9mm Sig Sauer.

He said that he waited for Kyle to empty his gun at the practice target, and he then shot Littlefield. He shot Kyle as he turned toward him so that Kyle wouldn't shot at him. Routh told a reporter from the New Yorker about four months after the murders that he should have used the .45 to kill them because the .45 works better. In his taped interrogation at the police station the night of the murders, he said: "I loaded up a 45 and shot it [at the practice target]." When asked if he shot anything else, he starred straight ahead and went silent. When the ranger asked, "Was the gun (the .45) used to shoot anyone today?," Routh answered, "The revolver? No."

According to another prosecution expert who interviewed Routh before the trial, Routh waited for Kyle to empty his weapon before Routh began shooting. He said Routh told him that he fired at Littlefield and saw Kyle turning and he shot at him two to three times with the same handgun, a 9mm Sig Sauer, but evidence shows Kyle was shot six times with a .45 handgun. And when he saw that Littlefield was twitching, he shot him in the head with the same gun. Routh says he shot Chad because he needed to neutralize the threat. 

Investigators say Routh shot Kyle first and investigators say Routh used two guns. Routh insists he used one gun. According to prosecution experts, Routh never opened up about how many times he shot Kyle and Littlefield; however, from his comments to the same experts, he said he shot Littlefield, then he shot Kyle two or three times, and then he shot Littlefield in the head.

Investigators for the prosecution say that Routh shot Kyle six times: five times in the back and side and once in the side of the head, using a .45-caliber pistol; and that he shot Littlefield seven times with a 9mm Sig Sauer pistol: four times in the back, once in the hand, once in the face and once in the head.

NOTE:  The prosecution claims that Kyle and Littlefield were shot in the back, but this is contrary to the evidence. 

Routh also told the defense's expert that he found it odd that Kyle did not shake his hand or introduce himself when picking him up. In the two-hour drive to the gun range, Routh asked Kyle if he was tired of eating other peoples' shit and said he smelled the same smell [in the truck] from neighbors [Routh also told a reporter from the New Yorker four months after the murders: "It was the smell in the air that morning, you know. It smelled like shit"]. According to the defense's expert, Routh got mad when Kyle received a text from Routh's girlfriend, Jennifer Weed. And Routh told him he thought it was a one-way trip to lodge, noting that on the way they passed two white cars, which Routh thought had hybrid pigs in them to kill him.

Routh told the defense's expert that it was odd that Littlefield wasn't shooting at the range: "He felt like he was in danger, like something was going to happen." Routh also told the defense expert that he was irritated Kyle and Littlefield did not ask for help when unloading the guns at the shooting range. At the range, Routh said he shot the handgun given to him by Kyle for target practice, and he noticed Littlefield wasn't shooting, which seemed odd to him. He felt threatened and shot Littlefield. When he saw Kyle turn, he shot Kyle. Littlefield kept twitching so he shot him to kill him.

Routh also told the defense expert that he thought he neutralized the threat, then shot Kyle to keep from being shot. When the defense expert asked Routh why Kyle and Littlefield didn't kill him immediately at the gun range, Routh said he believed that they were waiting for the right time.  

Routh told the defense expert he was sorry, and he commented that assassins pick their times so why did they give him a loaded gun? After he shot them, he said he felt relieved standing over the bodies. He said he knew arrest was likely, but he did what he had to do. He thought Kyle and Littlefield were assassins who needed their fix to kill and it would be him. Routh told the defense expert: "As soon as I did it, I realized I made a mistake." Routh said he knew it wouldn't look good that he killed them.

The diagrams below are of Littlefield's wounds and the position of his body when it was found.







Routh said he shot Littlefield, then he shot Kyle two or three times, and then he shot Littlefield in the head to stop him from twitching. Routh said, feeling in slow-motion, he shot Littlefield, the one facing him, first. He said he didn’t want to shoot Kyle but had to so he wouldn’t shoot him back. Routh insists he used one gun, a 9mm Sig Sauer handgun, to shoot Kyle and Littlefield and that he shot Littlefield first, but investigators say two guns were used. Kyle was shot six times with a .45-caliber handgun and Littlefield was shot seven times with a 9mm handgun. If they were shot with the same gun, you could see how Routh could have wheeled around and shot them both, but unless he was holding both guns, how did he shoot both before one or the other stopped him? You would think that since they both texted on the way to the range that Routh was nuts, they would have kept a pretty close eye on him. This would explain why, according to Routh, Littlefield wasn't shooting at the practice targets while Kyle and Routh were.

Also, it seems like both were shot first in the front/sides, and not the back. Littlefield had three wounds from the front: one shot was through the chest and exited the middle of the back; another shot entered the left side of his face by the nose and under his eye and traveled down and exited by his left shoulder. The shooter would have been standing to Kyle's right when he started shooting Kyle. From the autopsy report, Kyle was hit all on his right side, which suggests a rapid string of fire. The first shot could have been the one on Kyle's right side of his face, the jaw area, which Barnard believes caused injury to Kyle's back-side of his spinal cord. Kyle was found face-down in the dirt just off the shooting platform,which indicates that Routh didn't start shooting immediately after Kyle finished shooting at the practice target since he had left the platform for some reason.

Routh told one of the prosecutors' experts that Littlefield was facing him when he shot him but that Kyle wasn't. "I didn't plan it methodically. But in some kind of tactical scheme, I shot the target facing me first. That was Chad." Routh said he didn’t have any problems with Kyle but had to shoot him because he knew he’d shoot back. A defense expert who interviewed Routh testified: "Routh waited for Kyle to empty his weapon before he began shooting. Routh told him that he fired at Littlefield and saw Kyle turning and shot him two to three times in the back and the upper torso. He saw Mr. Littlefield twitching, so he shot him in the head, and that stopped the twitching." A prosecution witness testified that a blood stain on the crime scene photo shows a handprint, indicating that Littlefield may have dropped to his knees, and then fell forward before falling backward. Littlefield was found on the shooting platform on his back with his legs tucked. He was a few yards from Kyle's body, which was just off the platform.

The prosecution says that Routh shot Kyle six times using a .45-caliber pistol: once in the side of the face and five times in the upper side and back; and that he shot Littlefield seven times with a 9mm Sig Sauer pistol: once in the hand, once in the face, once in the top of the head, and four times in the back. But the testimony of Barnard, who conducted the autopsies, contradicts that they were shot multiple times in the back.

Jeffress, a Department of Public Safety forensic scientist specializing in ballistics, collected the shell casings from the scene and tested them for connections to the guns that were collected. More than nine guns were found on the scene. The bullets found in Chris Kyle match a firearm that was on the scene. Autopsy confirmed that the gun that was used to shoot Kyle was not the same gun used to shoot Littlefield. Littlefield was shot with a 9mm and Kyle was shot with a .45. Six shell casings were found from the .45 that Kyle was shot with.


Prosecutors played a recorded phone calls made by Routh in jail: one call between Eddie and his mom from April 2014 where he talks about a show with pigs that he’s watching while in jail and two calls with a reporter from the New Yorker.
Routh can be heard on an April 11, 2014, talking about "some kind of pig show" he has been watching on TV.

Routh conversation with the New Yorker journalist. Says he’s excited to read story.

Routh on another call with New Yorker reporter after article published. Routh saying it tore his heart out to kill Littlefield and Kyle.

Routh on call: "I don't know why I did it, but I did it. I feel so shitty about it. I guess you live and you learn, you know."

Reporter asks if Jennifer Weed called Chris’ phone. Eddie says she got his number off the refrigerator.

Eddie says he got high that morning and ate at 4 AM; when Chris and Chad got him food at Whataburger, he didn’t want it.

Eddie tells reporter that at the range Chris gave him a gun and got himself one.

Routh said it could be a duel.

Routh says he asked Littlefield what the fuck was he doing (not shooting that day) and admits he shot Kyle second.

Reporter asking if Routh shot Kyle and Littlefield because he thought they were going to kill him. Routh: "Well yeah. That's how I felt that day."

Eddie says he should have used the .45 to kill them because the .45 works better.

Routh describing the smell of cologne in the truck he was riding in with Kyle and Littlefield.
NOTE: The prosecutors and their expert witnesses accused Eddie of making up the story about pigs AFTER the murders to feign pyschosis, but this is refuted by the fact that he said this in a taped interrogation on the day of the murders. Also, in his sister's taped interrogation at the police station immediately after Eddie left her home on the day of the murders, she told police that her brother "was out of his mind, saying people were sucking his soul and that he could smell the pigs."

Friday, March 20, 2015

Dr. Phil Interviews Eddie Ray Routh's Parents and Sister After the Verdict

Dr. Phil: Inside the Mind of the Man Who Shot the "American Sniper" | March 16, 2015

"The ones in the sky are the ones that fly, you know what I mean, the pigs." - Eddie Ray Routh, February 2, 2013, Videotaped Police Interrogation

It took two years for Eddie Ray Routh to face murder charges in the killings of the former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and his friend in 2013, and two weeks for his trial to conclude. In the end, a jury of 10 women and two men took about two hours, including breaking to eat dinner, to reject Mr. Routh’s claims that he was legally insane, find him guilty and, in effect, send him to prison for life. The case attracted global attention as it coincided with the release of the Oscar-nominated movie “American Sniper,” which is based on Mr. Kyle’s experience in Iraq as the military’s deadliest sniper. At the time of the trial, the movie was the number one film at the box office, setting records, and and had been nominated for six Academy Awards (the awards ceremony was televised two days before the jury reached its verdict). “The seriousness of any murder case always depends in some part on who is dead.” [Source]
For Chris Kyle’s killer, Eddie Ray Routh, life in prison may make jail an asylum

By The Washington Post
February 25, 2015

The man who killed Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Based on what we know about former Marine Eddie Ray Routh, it is not hard to figure out how that might go.

In the two years since Routh has been jailed awaiting trial, he has attacked his guards and been placed on suicide watch. While in solitary confinement, he was reportedly strapped to a chair. In another episode, Routh ripped a television from the wall and tried to flood his cell with water from the shower.
Tumultuous would be an understatement.

During his trial, a defense expert concluded that Routh suffered from paranoid schizophrenia – and medicine for the disorder (along with recreational drugs) was found by police in Routh’s home.  But that diagnosis was questioned and undercut by the prosecutor’s expert witness, who argued instead that Routh knew that killing “American Sniper” author Kyle and a friend, Chad Littlefield, was wrong.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Eddie Ray Routh Transported to Texas Department of Criminal Justice Psychiatric Facility for Evaluation to Determine Prison Assignment



On March 9, 2015, Eddie Ray Routh was transferred from a state prison near Abilene, where he underwent various tests and an initial psychological screening, to Jester IV Unit, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice psychiatric facility near Richmond, which has more advanced medical facilities.
According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Routh was transported to Middleton on Friday, March 6, and has since undergone psychological screening.

According to TDCJ spokesperson Jason Clark, during Routh's psychological screening, it was determined he needed further evaluation, which is why he was transported to the Jester IV Unit on Monday, March 9.

After further evaluation, Routh will be permanently assigned to begin serving his life sentence.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Eddie Ray Routh's Attorneys File Appeal and Motion for New Trial

“We are disappointed in the verdict,” Eddie Routh's attorney, J. Warren St. John, told PEOPLE. “Mr. Routh is still suffering from schizophrenia. He had a belief in his mind that day. He believed that they were going to kill him. It was a real belief that he had. We’re disappointed the jury didn’t give that any consideration. They dismissed that.”

Warren St. John said that he believed more than half of the 12 jurors had seen “American Sniper,” which was released three weeks before the trial started in Stephenville, Texas. “They stated prior to being on the jury it didn’t, but I clearly do think it had an effect,” Mr. St. John said. “He had the label of an American hero, ‘American Sniper,’ decorated war veteran. I think it affected their ability to be fair and impartial.”

“We don’t think that we got a fair trial in that small community, not that there’s not some good folks there,” Mr. St. John said. “It’s because of the publicity, and the movie came out right then, and the governor right before we started the trial had a ‘Chris Kyle Day.’ We thought it should be in a bigger jurisdiction where the jury pool would be more diverse than it was in Stephenville.” The trial played out in a tight-knit, old-fashioned town that bills itself as the “Cowboy Capital of the World.” Mr. Routh’s defense team had asked the court to postpone the trial and move it out of the county. The judge, Jason Cashon of Erath County District Court, denied their request, saying that the smoothness of the jury selection process showed that Mr. Routh could receive a fair trial.

Attorneys for Routh filed notice March 4, 2015, that they would appeal his capital murder conviction. Warren St. John also filed a motion for a new trial, arguing the conviction and sentence were contrary to law and evidence.


WFAA8 - Hours after Eddie Routh murdered Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield, a Texas Ranger asked him if he understood his rights. Routh responded with a vulgarity we can't print, but he never said "yes."
"You can watch that 'til you're blue in the face, and never see a response from him," lead defense attorney Warren St. John said on Wednesday.
St. John fought to keep Routh's confession from being entered as evidence, and he said that will be part of an appeal he expects to file within a week.

We asked how Routh took the guilty verdict, knowing he now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"Well, because he's on anti-psychotic medicine, his personality is somewhat flat; he's not happy with it," St. John said on February 25, 2015.
He added that Routh showed no emotion throughout the trial because of the medicine, and because lawyers told him to stay calm. Routh took his medications every afternoon at 2 o'clock.

St. John has handled nine death penalty cases and about two dozen capital murders cases that don't involve the possibility of execution, like Routh's. He had expected the jury to take more time to reach its decision on Tuesday; it took them just over two hours.
"I wasn't surprised by the verdict, just based on the overall tragedy of what happened. I was very disappointed that the jury reached a conclusion so fast. We were very kind of shocked by that," he said.
St. John added that he respected the verdict, but disagreed with it. He also praised Judge Jason Cashon's handling of the case, and the work of Erath County District Attorney Alan Nash and assistant Texas Attorney General Jane Starnes.

The defense lawyer believes Chris Kyle's fame definitely made it harder to try the case in Stephenville — or anywhere else — especially since the former Navy SEAL was such a revered veteran who died as he lived: helping others, often at his own risk.

On the other hand, St. John said Eddie Routh hurt his own defense.
"The first thing you tell every client you ever have is, 'Don't speak to anyone.' You can't control what they do," he said.

Routh explained that he waited for an opportune moment to shoot Chris Kyle.
"It was like I started shooting, and he was just finishing a magazine... just finished his last shell," Routh said in the profanity-laced interview.
Prosecutors said the fact that Routh waited until Chris Kyle's gun was empty is further proof he knew exactly what he was doing.

Jurors clearly agreed.

Warren St. John remains convinced that Routh was psychotic due to severe mental illness. Texas law does not permit jurors to be told that defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity are sent to a mental hospital... not set free.

Eddie Routh has been held for two years in a single cell in the Erath County jail. His attorney fears that once Routh gets to prison, inmates could make him a target for murdering an American hero.


RAW VIDEO: Routh's confession

styrk - Attorneys for Eddie Ray Routh filed a formal appeal on March 4, 2015 of his capital murder conviction in the deaths of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield.

Fort Worth attorney J. Warren St. John, who led the defense for Routh in the two-week trial last month, filed the appeal with the Erath County court, saying the jury's guilty verdict did not match the law or the evidence in the case.

The defense had asked that the trial be moved out of Stephenville, arguing that the popularity of the American Sniper movie based on Kyle's best-selling book would make it impossible for Routh to get a fair trial.

Routh, 27, of Lancaster, a former Marine corporal trained to repair small arms, was convicted Feb. 24 by an Erath County jury that deliberated less than three hours. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole, because prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.

Jurors rejected Routh's insanity defense. Defense attorneys presented evidence that Routh was suffering from schizophrenia and other mental illness when he shot Kyle and Littlefield, and that he did not know what he had done was wrong.

District Attorney Alan Nash, however, who was joined in prosecuting the case by Assistant Attorney General Jane Starnes, presented evidence that Routh confessed to investigators that he knew what he had done was wrong. They argued that he was suffering from psychosis brought on by heavy abuse of marijuana and alcohol.

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Iraq War Veteran Eddie Ray Routh Was Diagnosed with Psychosis and Schizophrenia



On February 2, 2013 Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield were fatally shot on a Texas gun range. Former marine Eddie Ray Routh, who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosis and severe mental illness, confessed to the murders. Routh had been a small arms technician who served in Iraq and was deployed to earthquake-ravaged Haiti before leaving the Marines in 2010.

Eddie Routh's mother, who worked as an aide at the Kyle kids' school, was the person who asked Kyle to take on her son in a program to help rehabilitate wounded and troubled veterans through exercise. The program, sponsored by Fitness Cares Foundation, was established in 2011; however, the company, Fitness Cares, or FITCO, "an elite fitness equipment industry," approached Kyle in 2012 to help promote the foundation by using his name to raise funds. In 2013, the foundation raised $263,067 in private donations: $112,603 (or 43% of funds raised) was used to purchase fitness equipment from the company, FITCO, to then give to veterans; and $96,583 (or 37% of funds raised) was spent on indirect costs/overhead (which included $26,485 for salaries, although none of the seven directors are paid, and a suspicious $11,406 for payroll taxes); leaving $53,881 (or 20% of funds raised) in donations to be invested ($10,014 of the fund balance was used to payoff expenses that exceeded revenue from the previous year).

Kyle agreed to work with Routh a week before the fateful trip to the gun range. Kyle and his neighbor and hunting buddy, Chad Littlefield — a facilities and logistics manager with a lab in DeSoto, Texas, who was not a veteran — decided to take Routh shooting on February 2, 2013. However, no one in Routh's inner circle, including Routh himself, knew that Kyle was planning to pick him up that day: Kyle made multiple calls to Routh's home phone that day, the last call being around noon, before he pulled up in Routh's driveway at 1:07 p.m.

For years the Routh family sought help through the Veterans Health Administration but found themselves adrift in a system struggling to meet the demands spurred by a decade of war and the aging veterans of past conflicts. In 2004, the V.A. Inspector General called the Dallas facility the worst in the nation; in 2012, a Dallas TV station interviewed veterans who alleged that the facility was so poor that it put “lives at risk.”

Routh had been in and out of a psychiatric hospital and the Veterans Affairs hospital in Dallas three times in the months leading up to the killings, and area police reports documented Routh’s mental problems.
Six months before a hunting guide found Kyle and Littlefield's bodies, police caught up with a shirtless, shoeless Routh walking the streets of his hometown. He was crying and smelled of alcohol, police said. His mother told police that Routh had just had an argument with his father who said he was going to sell Routh's gun. Routh left the house, threatening to "blow his brains out," she said. The former Marine was suffering from PTSD, though his family didn't understand what he was going through, according to a September 2, 2012, police report. He would be placed in protective custody and sent to Green Oaks Hospital in Dallas for mental evaluation.

On January 19, 2013, Routh and his girlfriend were hanging around her apartment when he fell into a state of paranoia. He began ranting to her and her roommate about government-surveillance activities. He once told a friend that the helicopters overhead were watching him. Outbursts of this nature had become more frequent. He made sure to cover the camera on his computer (“He felt very strongly about that,” his mother said), and confided to family and friends, “They know what we’re doing.” He also worried that he would be forced to return to Iraq. And yet, for all his distress, Routh sometimes contemplated going back into the service. “He had a lot of guilt that he wasn’t still in the Marines, overseas helping people,” his girlfriend said. Inside the apartment, Routh began pacing in front of  the door, clutching a knife. He said that he was prepared to defend her from government agents who were out to get them. For hours, she tried, unsuccessfully, to calm him. Finally, her roommate texted the police, who arrested Routh and took him to Green Oaks psychiatric hospital. He was transferred to the Dallas V.A. the next day.

After Routh arrived at the Dallas V.A., his mother and girlfriend visited him in the evenings. A week later, he did not seem much better. He was taking several medications, and his mother felt that he could hardly carry on a conversation. She urged the doctors to keep him hospitalized, at least until he was stable. Ignoring his mother's request, the V.A. discharged Routh the next day. When his mother drove to the V.A. to pick up her son, he was already out, wandering in the parking lot. She brought him home and told him about Chris Kyle. “I said, ‘This guy has a big reputation. He’s a really good man and he really wants to help you.’ And then he’s like, ‘Mom, that is so awesome’,” his mother recalled. “Eddie was happy. He could feel that somebody wanted to help him, somebody that understood better than me.”

Routh and His Girlfriend, Who Met on a Dating Website in March 2012


The next few days were difficult. Routh's girlfriend, who is Catholic, said he was fixated on “demons and devils.” He went with her to Mass on Sunday, hoping that it would help him. At home with his mother, Routh fluctuated between being angry and wound up, and being dazed and emotionless. “I could see him having flashbacks,” his mother recalled. “You know when you’re daydreaming? You just kind of get that glaze in your eyes? That was what was happening to Eddie. I knew what he was seeing was not good, ’cause he looked like a scared little child. He didn’t look like a man.” At night, he popped out of bed at the slightest sound, running into his mother’s bedroom to make sure that she was safe. “I thought someone was trying to get you,” he told her. His mother said that during the day “he still wasn’t able to carry on a good conversation. He wasn’t making good sense. He was crying a lot. He would come lay down in our bedroom. We’d bring in the dog and lay in the bed and he’d say, ‘Mom, will you hold my hand? I’m so scared. I don’t feel good. I’m not good.’ ” As she held him, Routh said, “I just wish you could be in my head for just a second, just so you could know what I’m feeling like.” “I wish I could,” she told him. “I would take it from you.”

On January 30, 2013, Routh's mother brought him back to the V.A., for a follow-up appointment. As a psychiatrist reviewed his chart, he noted that Routh had been prescribed only half the recommended dosage of risperidone — a powerful antipsychotic that has been widely used in V.A. hospitals to treat PTSD. The psychiatrist adjusted the prescription and ordered the medication to be sent to the Routh house in two days. Routh's mother was livid. When the psychiatrist questioned Routh, he looked to his mom. “He just wasn’t capable of speaking for himself,” she told the reporter. She explained to the psychiatrist that Routh wasn’t sleeping and “couldn’t think straight.” She pleaded with the psychiatrist to readmit him to the hospital, where “he’s not going to be a danger to others or to himself.” But the psychiatrist, according to Routh's mother, shook his head and said that hospitalization wasn’t necessary. Routh's mother then asked the psychiatrist if he could refer Routh to a residential program for people with PTSD, in Waco, Texas. The psychiatrist told her, “He’s not stable enough for that program.” He instructed Routh to come back in two weeks. His mother recalled, “I thought, Two weeks! That’s a long time. I told the doctor, ‘You know, he can’t even answer your questions! He can’t even carry on a conversation. I really think he needs to be in the hospital’.”
On February 2, 2013, Kyle, driving his custom, black Ford-350 truck, and Littlefield, who was in the passenger's seat, picked up Routh at his home and drove him two hours to a shooting range. Routh was looking forward to an excursion with Kyle: “He needed someone to validate what he was feeling, that it was O.K. for other people to go through it,” his girlfriend said. However, when Routh awoke on February 2, 2013, he, along with his girlfriend and his parents (who were out of town), did not know Kyle was coming by to pick him up. Kyle called Routh at him home multiple times that day, the last time at 12:30 p.m., before pulling into his driveway at 1:07 p.m.

While Routh sat in the backseat by himself with a small arsenal of guns and ammo, Kyle and his friend Littlefield, both of whom Routh had never met, sent text messages to each other about him, barely speaking to Routh. Kyle's text to Littlefield read, "This dude is straight up nuts." Littlefield texted back: "He's [sitting] right behind me, watch my 6," a military term for "watch my back." During the drive, Routh, who was under psychiatric care and taking anti-psychotic prescription medications (one being Risperidone, used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, with side effects that include aggressive behavior, agitation and anxiety), became convinced that the two men intended to kill him.



When they arrived at the resort around 3 PM, they turned up a snaking, 3-mile road toward the lodge, where Kyle parked in front of the main lodge and went inside with Littlefield to register, leaving Routh alone in the backseat of the truck. Then then drove another few miles to the remote shooting range. Kyle was given "exclusive access to the range" as was the case whenever "he came out" to the resort. On the day of the fatal shootings, he said he was going to use the range for about 45 minutes, a resort employee testified.

Shortly after arriving at the the shooting range, Kyle and Littlefield were shot at close range multiple times. With one handgun, Kyle was shot six times, including one shot that struck several major arteries and damaged his lungs. One shot went through his cheek and struck his spinal cord. Several of the shots were considered “rapidly fatal.” With another handgun, Littlefield was shot seven times, including four that would have been instantly fatal. One bullet went through the top of his head, indicating it was likely fired while Littlefield was on his knees. Testimony from the person who conducted the autopsies proves that all the shots, except maybe one, went through his front side. One of those shots traveled through his mid-section, causing massive internal bleeding. The shot to the palm of his left hand exited the front of his hand and could have been one of the shots that hit his face, neck and chest. The shot that the coroner said entered through his back seemed more likely to have entered from the front upper chest, exiting through his lower back. For two years prosecutors claimed that Kyle was shot four times in the back and Littlefield was shot five times in the back, but this is false. They continued to propagate this lie before the jury during testimony in Eddie Ray Routh's murder trial in February 2015.

Barnard said the neither Kyle nor Littlefield had a chance of survival. Click here to read the testimony of Dr. Jeffery Barnard, who conducted the autopsies on Kyle and Littlefield, and Howard Ryan, a forensic operation specialist from New Jersey. Both testified for the prosecution.

The bodies were found by a hunting guide around 5 PM. Littlefield's body was found on a shooting platform, while Kyle's body was found a few yards away in the dirt in front of the elevated platform. "Chris was face-down with his nose in the dirt," said a former resort employee who discovered the bodies. "Chad was on the platform on his back." Both men were armed with .45-caliber 1911-style pistols when they were killed, but neither gun had been unholstered or fired, and the safeties were still on. Prosecutors have not elaborated on how Routh initiated the attack or whether he opened fire on the two men at the same time. Kyle was killed with a .45-caliber pistol, while Littlefield was shot with a 9mm Sig Sauer handgun. Both guns belonged to Kyle, and the Sig Sauer was found in Routh’s possession later that night. The only loaded weapons at the crime scene were the two 1911-style handguns that were in Kyle and Littlefield's waistband holsters, with their safeties on.

Shooting Platform at Crime Scene: Kyle and Littlefield's Bodies Cropped from Image


After leaving the scene in Kyle's truck, Routh stopped briefly at his uncle's house and then drove to the home of his sister and brother-in-law, 65 miles away from the gun range. He admitted to the killings and told his sister, "People were sucking his soul." He left their home in Kyle's truck and headed to his parents' small home in Lancaster, where he had been living. He’d gone home to get his dog and planned to drive to Oklahoma. His sister called 911, telling the operator he claimed to have killed two men. "He said that he killed two guys. They went out to a shooting range. Like, he's all crazy. He's f***ing psychotic. I'm sorry for my language." Routh's sister, who drove with her husband to the police station immediately after calling 911, told police that her brother "was out of his mind, saying people were sucking his soul and that he could smell the pigs." Routh's sister told The New Yorker that her brother said “he killed them” — Kyle and Littlefield — “before they could kill him; he said he couldn’t trust anyone anymore.”

Routh's Sister's Terrified 911 Call


In Routh's sister's 911 call (video above), she does not say that her brother told her that "I sold my soul for a truck," which was reported by the mainstream media. The person who said that is Randy Fowler, an investigator with the Erath County Sheriff’s Department in Texas. Fowler wrote in the affidavit: "Routh drove to his sister’s home in Midlothian, about 50 miles from the gun range where the shooting took place, shortly after the incident. Routh was driving what his sister, Laura Blevins, described as a 'big dark or black Ford F-250 pickup that she had never seen before.' It substantiated Routh’s claim that he had murdered Chris Kyle and his friend, and he told the Blevinses that he had killed Kyle and that he had 'traded his soul for a new truck'." Routh's sister told The New Yorker that her brother asked her if the world was freezing over, then announced that he had a new truck. She then asked if he had traded in his car, a Volkswagen Beetle; he said no, but added, “I sold my soul for a truck.” It is this statement that the defense is using as a motivation for the crime, rather than insanity due to Routh's severe mental illnesses. It is important to note that there was no other vehicle at the crime scene when Routh drove off in Kyle's truck, so it was the only vehicle he could take to flee the scene.

Officers were waiting for Routh that evening when he arrived at his parent's home. A police video displayed for the jury at Routh's trial, which began on February 11, 2015, showed police at Routh's home trying to coax him from Kyle's pickup. Officers in the video are seen trying to talk Routh into surrendering as he makes comments such as: "The [expletive deleted] anarchy has been killing the world," "I can feel everybody feeding on my soul," "Is this about hell walking on earth right now?," "Is voodoo all around us?," and "I didn't sleep a wink last night at all." He also expressed concerns about being stalked by cats and at one point announced, "I need to take a nap" and said he wanted his parents to come home (his parent were out of town). "There's no trust anymore," the video showed Routh saying.

Police Dashboard Camera Show Officers Arresting Eddie Ray Routh


One police officer, who happened to be a neighbor of Routh’s, was recorded by his body camera telling him: “I don’t want to hurt you, buddy. We all grew up together here.” Routh reportedly told the police officer: “It happened so fast. I don’t know if I’m going insane.” Kyle refused to leave the vehicle and eventually sped off with police in pursuit. He stopped six minutes later after a police vehicle rammed into the truck. Police video showed Routh opening the driver's-side door, emerging with his hands up, and sinking to the ground. He surrendered peacefully, police said. An officer is seen on the footage giving himself the sign of the cross.

Routh told police: "It wasn't a want to. It was a need to, to get out of that situation out there today or I was going to be the one out there to get my head shot off."

Weapons and Shooting Platform at Crime Scene


Weapons, Shooting Platform and Crime Scene Markers




Kyle's Custom, Black Ford-350 at Crime Lab


"When he took their lives, he was in the grip of a psychosis," Routh's court-appointed defense attorney said, "a psychosis so severe that he did not know what he was doing was wrong." The defense said Routh's psychosis kicked in during the two-hour drive to the gun range as he sat amid "an arsenal" of guns large enough to support "a small army." During the drive, Routh apparently became convinced that the two men intended to kill him. Their texting back and forth to each other about Routh as he watched from the back seat, no doubt, had something to do with it. "He thought he had to take their lives because he was in danger," Routh's attorney said. According to an affidavit, Routh told his brother-in-law he "couldn't trust them, so he killed them before they could kill him."

According to reports on the opening days of his trial, Routh had a "fitful" last night before the killings. He proposed to his girlfriend (who accepted the proposal) but also paced throughout the home, warning her not to speak out loud "because people were listening."

The prosecution is alleging that Routh drank whiskey that fateful morning and may have smoked "wet" marijuana (cannabis laced with formaldehyde) before getting into Kyle's truck. A Texas ranger found Routh's anti-psychotic prescription medications (one being Risperidone, used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, with side effects that include aggressive behavior, agitation and anxiety), a whiskey bottle on the table, a bong, and rolling papers when he searched Routh's home after the arrest. However, on cross examination, the ranger said he saw no evidence that Routh was intoxicated or under drug influence at time of his arrest.

Routh's uncle, James Watson, 45, testifying for the prosecution, said the two of them smoked non-laced marijuana between 30 minutes and an hour and a half before Routh left to go to the gun range, and said that they may have had whiskey that morning. Watson was at Routh's home because Routh's then-girlfriend was concerned for his well-being after the two had argued that morning. The previous evening, Routh had proposed to Jen. “We were in the kitchen,” she recalled. “I was getting him his medicine. I turned around, and he got to one knee and asked me to marry him.” Routh didn’t have a ring — he was broke — but pledged to save up for one. Jen accepted the proposal, and spent the night at Routh's home. They got into an argument the next morning, however, and she left around 10 AM.

Prosecutors, trying to support their contention that Routh's motivation for the crime was to steal Kyle's truck, also had Routh's uncle testify about the truck. After Routh left the crime scene, he first drove to his uncle's home, where he stopped briefly. Watson testified that Rough said: "Check out my truck. I'm driving a dead man’s truck." On the "dead man's truck" comment, Watson testified: "I thought he was talking about himself... he would often make bizarre comments like that."

On deferred adjudication for assault on a paramedic in Johnson County, Texas, Watson denies he made any deal with prosecutors. Watson testified that he grew up with Routh and that he learned about religion and morality from his family. “We’re God-fearing people," he said. When the prosecutor asked, "Does he have a sense of morality?," Watson replied: "Yes, he does." When the prosecutor asked, "Does he know right from wrong?," Watson replied, "Yes, he does."

Routh’s attorney is making the case that his client is not guilty by reason of insanity. In opening statements he said that Routh was suffering from severe mental illness at the time of the crime and could not tell right from wrong. Prosecutors have described Routh as a troubled drug user who used marijuana and whiskey the day of the killings, but say he knew right from wrong despite any history of mental illnesses.

Part of the grand jury indictment of Eddie Ray Routh, handed down on July 24, 2013, was the judge’s gag order, effective immediately:
"Due to the 'unusually emotional nature' of the case, its 'unique nature of security issues' and the 'extensive local and national media coverage' that it has already received, the judge directed all relevant law enforcement and judicial bodies, as well as Routh and his family, to refrain from any interaction with the media that might 'interfere with the defendant’s right to a fair trial'."
Despite the gag order, Routh’s lawyer was able to say his client will plead not guilty by reason of insanity and that he planned to present evidence Routh was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when he killed Kyle and Littlefield. The gag order applied only to the Routh family: the Kyle and Littlefield families were free to speak to the media. In an interview with The Los Angeles Times in January 2015, widow Taya Kyle said she believes the PTSD defense is a cop out.





Houston criminal defense attorney George Parnham said Routh — who has been imprisoned since the 2013 murders — is at a disadvantage because of the gag order issued on his family members and attorneys in 2013. At the time, the judge said he was issuing it because of the “unusually emotional nature of the issues involved in the case.” In light of the movie, Parnham said the gag order is now unfair. He explained: “It’s going to be very difficult for him to get a fair trial, not only because of the movie, but because of the media surrounding the movie. Mr. Kyle is a hero in many people’s eyes. Due to the fact that this movie has gained intense public attention, it’s doubtful that a fair jury can be selected anywhere.” Anticipating that finding an unbiased jury would be difficult, Kyle's court-appointed attorney filed a motion in 2013 to change the location of the trial, but it was denied.

Before the gag order, on February 27, 2013, it was reported that Jodi Routh, Eddie Ray Routh's mother, thanked the family of Chris Kyle for trying to help her son: "Jodi Routh hoped Chris Kyle could help her son 25-year-old, who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Eddie Routh is currently on medication and finally agreed to see his family. Today it was his mother Jodi and father Raymond who released an statement, expressing their sorrow their son caused to the Kyles and Littlefields, as well as thanking Kyle for trying to help her son." The family issued the following statement:
"Raymond and I want to express our deepest condolences to the Kyle and Littlefield families. We are incredibly heartbroken for your loss. We wish we could thank Chris Kyle for his genuine interest in helping our son overcome his battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We want others with PTSD to know their struggle is recognized and we hope this tragedy will somehow help in getting greater care for and assistance to those in need. No words can truly express the sorrow we feel for the Kyles and Littlefields, their extended family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with you all." – The Routh Family


Brian J. Klingenberg · Survey Technician at Premier Factory Safety"
"Routh is a friend of mine, deployed with him and was in the same units as he was. Something must have spooked him, it's very unlike his personality to be violent..."

Corey Smalley, Waynesburg, United States:
"I lived and slept next to Eddie while in Iraq when he was not on prison duty. Although Eddie was like my brother, what he did is wrong and he needs to pay for it. If the people writing this crap [lies about Eddie] want the truth, look me up on Facebook (Corey Smalley). I will be glad to help you understand."

Read more at:

Crime Scene, Trial and Evidence Photos for Chris Kyle's Murder















































Rough Creek Crime Scene - Long Distance Shooting Range and Shooting Platform


Shooting Platform at Rough Creek Where Bodies of Kyle and Littlefield Were Found








Unofficial Diagram of Bullet Wounds Based on Courtroom Testimony



"One of Two Semi-automatic Pistols That Matched Bullet Fragments Taken from the Bodies"






Chris Kyle's Parents


Eddie Ray Routh's Mother, Jodi, Testifying at His Trial


Routh's Sister, Brother-in-Law and Girlfriend Testifying at Trial


Marine Corporal Eddie Ray Routh


Eddie Ray Routh and His Father on the Day of His Graduation, June 2006


Eddie Ray Routh and His Father




Eddie Ray Routh's Father