Eddie Ray Routh - Over the past two months, movie fans have been thrilled by Clint Eastwood's American Sniper, which depicts the life of US Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who is widely regarded as the most lethal sniper in the US military history. But what the movie fails to delve into, and what many avid viewers are eager to know, is who killed Chris Kyle.
The 25-year-old Iraqi veteran Eddie Ray Routh, who is accused of killing Kyle, is currently being held under suicide watch at the Erath County Jail with a bond $3 million. Routh, who also served in the Haiti relief mission in 2010, has a history of mental illness related to post traumatic stress disorder.
On Feb. 2, 2013 Routh shot and killed Kyle and Chad Littlefield at the Rough Creek Ranch in Glen Rose, Texas. Reports indicate that Kyle and his friend Littlefield were attempting to help Routh with his post traumatic stress disorder. It is unclear what exactly happened in the moments right before Kyle's death. Officials were alerted a few hours after Kyle arrived there with Littlefield and Routh when someone found two dead bodies.
Routh was later apprehended at his sister's home in Lancaster. He reportedly made off with Kyle's truck after the incident and had been planning to evade capture by heading for another state.
Routh is set to go on trial in February for the murder of Kyle and Littlefield. Prosecutors have noted that they are not seeking the death penalty. Routh could therefore be sentenced to life imprisonment. His legal team has revealed that they would enter a plea of insanity in his defense.
Clint Eastwood's American Sniper is based on Kyle's bestselling autobiography under the same name. Kyle, who had up to 160 kills, is widely regarded as the most lethal sniper in the US military history.
In light of some comments about the movie's insistence on Kyle's kills, his father Wayne Kyle has noted that the number of lives his son saved is more important than how many he took.
