Murders of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield
| Murders of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield | |
|---|---|
  Chalk Mountain  Chalk Mountain | |
| Location | Chalk Mountain, Texas, U.S. |
| Date | February 2, 2013 |
Attack type | Double murder |
| Weapons | .45 caliber M1911 pistol, 9 mm SIG Sauer handgun |
| Deaths | 2 |
| Perpetrator | Eddie Ray Routh |
The murders of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield occurred on February 2, 2013 at a shooting range near Chalk Mountain, Texas. Chris Kyle, 38, and Chad Littlefield, 35, were both killed by Eddie Ray Routh, a 25-year old former Marine. The case attracted attention due to Kyle's fame as the author of the bestselling autobiography, American Sniper, published in 2012. An eponymous film adaptation of Kyle's book, directed by Clint Eastwood, was released two years later.[1][2][3]
Perpetrator
Eddie Ray Routh was born on September 30, 1987 in Lancaster, Texas to Raymond and Jodi Routh. He has an older sister, Laura Blevins. He had wanted to join the Marine Corps since he was thirteen years old, and did so after high school. He was deployed to a base near Baghdad in September 2007, where he worked for six months as a prison guard and repaired weapons. In January, 2010 he was sent on a humanitarian mission to Haiti. He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in July 2011 after serving for seven years.[4][5]
In late July 2011, Routh was diagnosed by clinicians at Veteran's Affairs as having post-traumatic stress disorder and was prescribed antipsychotics and antidepressants. He was experiencing auditory hallucinations and paranoia, and had threatened suicide. VA clinicians believed Routh's psychotic symptoms were caused by alcohol abuse and offered inpatient treatment. He declined and stopped taking his medication.[5]
Events
Chris Kyle had begun working with veterans after leaving the military. Routh's mother, who worked at the school that Kyle's children attended, had heard of his work and asked him to help her son. He agreed to take Routh to a shooting range, which Kyle believed had therapeutic value.[5]
On February 2, 2013 Kyle, along with Chad Littlefield, took Routh to the shooting range.
Trial
Routh's attorneys argued that he was insane at the time of the murders.[6] Forensic psychologist Randall Price, a witness for the prosecution, suspected Routh was faking schizophrenia. He said that Routh actually had paranoid personality disorder exacerbated by drug use. He also testified that Routh's psychotic symptoms could be attributed to marijuana and alcohol abuse. Another expert, Dr. Michael Arambula, testified he did not believe Routh was schizophrenic, and was not insane at the time of the murders because he was intoxicated.[7]
References
- ↑ Lamothe, Dan (February 13, 2015). "The fatal intersection of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and the Marine veteran who killed him". The Washington Post.
- ↑ Thompson, Mark (February 8, 2013). "Chad Littlefield, 1977-2013: The Other Shooting-Range Victim". Time, Inc.
- ↑ Childs, Martin (February 5, 2013). "Chris Kyle: US Navy Seal sniper". The Independent.
- ↑ Gould, Martin (March 16, 2015). "'Have you ever watched a scary movie and the villain's eyes turn BLACK?' American Sniper killer's sister reveals the moment her brother confessed his devastating crimes". Daily Mail. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- 1 2 3 Mike Spies (November 23, 2015). "Inside the Tortured Mind of Eddie Ray Routh, the Man Who Killed American Sniper Chris Kyle". Newsweek. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ↑ Ed Lavandera, Jason Morris and Chris Lett (February 25, 2015). "'American Sniper' trial: Defense makes case for Eddie Ray Routh". CNN. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
- ↑ Emily Shapiro (February 20, 2015). "'American Sniper' Trial: Eddie Ray Routh Knew His Actions Were Wrong, Psychologist Says". ABC. Retrieved February 5, 2017.