“American Sniper” verdict in—Routh GUILTY of murder
Insanity claim rejected
A Stephenville, Texas jury has found Eddie Ray Routh guilty of the 2013 murders of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield. Routh was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
ABC News has the details:
The judge instructed the jury of 10 women and two men that they were to consider three possible decisions: guilty, not guilty, or not guilty by reason of insanity.
State prosecutors have made it clear that they would not be seeking the death penalty in the case, and while the sentence for murder is life in prison, Routh’s sentence officially will come at a later court hearing.
Routh pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and his attorneys have argued that the former Marine had mental disorders and was in the grips of psychosis when he fatally shot Kyle and Littlefield during a trip to a gun range on Feb. 2, 2013.
During the 9-day trial, the prosecution and the defense have presented dueling testimony from mental health experts about whether Routh was insane when he committed the murders. Under Texas law, even if a person was suffering from a mental illness, they can be found guilty as long as they understood that what they did was wrong.
This will be an emotional night for Chris’s and Chad’s families. We’ll be praying for them.
Twitter reacts:
Victim impact: “You took the lives of two heroes, men that tried to be a friend to you, and you became an American disgrace." #snipertrial
— Tasha Tsiaperas (@ttsiaperas) February 25, 2015
Eddie Ray Routh stands to receive life sentence in prison for capital murder. #snipertrial pic.twitter.com/4iV8BR4DaN
— Tasha Tsiaperas (@ttsiaperas) February 25, 2015
JUSTICE! Chris Kyle's killer convicted of capital murder. Jury didn't buy insanity defense. #AmericanSniper #ChrisKyletrial
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) February 25, 2015
JUST IN: Jury returns guilty verdict in "American Sniper" murder trial http://t.co/8NcqKGF3Zs pic.twitter.com/ZSade2qZmw
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 25, 2015
Two men died. They both have names: Chad Littlefield and Chris Kyle. pic.twitter.com/JGSbxK5V1K
— Libertarian Nole (@LibertarianNole) February 25, 2015
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Comments
Guilty as sin!
P.S. You’re Welcome!
– The People of the State of Texas
Seems like Branca’s expert opinion is not needed on this case.
I don’t understand why cable news is spending so much time covering what was the obvious outcome.
Was watching the verdict come in on Fox4 here in DFW.
So glad that the insanity defense failed and the families found justice.
I was very pleased that Fox 4 showed Littefield’s mother talking about the verdict and happy she was to have justice after two years. Everyone talks about Kyle of course, which is a great loss, but Littlefield seems to get lost in the mix and I am happy for his family too.
That was C-H-A-D L-I-T-T-L-E-F-I-E-L-D. His father’s statement really got to me. So sorry for these families.
I got notice of the verdict from my Fox News app on my iPhone. I then went online and turned the TV on at the same time.
I was surprised they were going into the night for this. I thought they were going to wait until the next morning. For maximum impact, at least.
I frankly don’t think the pain of losing a son, a spouse or someone so close to you to murder ever goes away. I still remember the video the Professor posted of the lady who said farewell to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and who still reiterated that the pain of losing her son to a terrorist attack in Israel was something she never got over. Just pray for comfort for these families. They will need it every day.
over/under on this dirtbag’s life expectancy in prison?
Not long. I just hope Obama does not decide to pardon him just before he leaves office. You know, as a final insult to America before he’s done.
Professor,
Do you think this verdict may be appealed? We all know their probable justification for it…