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| Eddie Ray Routh guilty of American Sniper Chris Kyle's murder | Eddie Ray Routh guilty of American Sniper Chris Kyle's murder |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Eddie Ray Routh has been found guilty of the murder of US Navy Seal Chris Kyle, who wrote American Sniper, and a second man by a Texas jury. | Eddie Ray Routh has been found guilty of the murder of US Navy Seal Chris Kyle, who wrote American Sniper, and a second man by a Texas jury. |
| The judge sentenced him to life in prison without parole; prosecutors had not sought the death penalty. | The judge sentenced him to life in prison without parole; prosecutors had not sought the death penalty. |
| Defence lawyers for Routh had claimed the 27-year-old was psychotic at the time of the shootings two years ago. | Defence lawyers for Routh had claimed the 27-year-old was psychotic at the time of the shootings two years ago. |
| But prosecutors said Routh was aware of what he was doing when he gunned the pair down at a Texas gun range in 2013. | But prosecutors said Routh was aware of what he was doing when he gunned the pair down at a Texas gun range in 2013. |
| The film based on Kyle's memoir of his four tours of duty in Iraq was nominated for best film at the Oscars this year. | The film based on Kyle's memoir of his four tours of duty in Iraq was nominated for best film at the Oscars this year. |
| The former Navy Seal, who has the most recorded kills of any US sniper, was shot and killed along with his friend Chad Littlefield at a rural shooting range south-west of Fort Worth. | The former Navy Seal, who has the most recorded kills of any US sniper, was shot and killed along with his friend Chad Littlefield at a rural shooting range south-west of Fort Worth. |
| Having retired from the military Kyle had been helping other veterans deal with combat-related stress and mental health issues. | Having retired from the military Kyle had been helping other veterans deal with combat-related stress and mental health issues. |
| On the day of the killings, Kyle and Littlefield took Routh with them to go shooting after the defendant's mother asked for help in dealing with her troubled son. | |
| Routh, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, was under extreme mental distress and was convinced the two men would turn on him on the day of the killing, his lawyers argued. | Routh, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, was under extreme mental distress and was convinced the two men would turn on him on the day of the killing, his lawyers argued. |
| The court also heard that Routh was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol at the time of the shooting. | The court also heard that Routh was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol at the time of the shooting. |
| In addition, he had been prescribed anti-psychotic medication often used for schizophrenia, reported the Associated Press news agency. | |
| Defence lawyers said Routh had been mentally affected by the time he spent helping earthquake relief efforts in Haiti with the Marines in 2010. | |
| He had pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder on grounds of insanity. | He had pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder on grounds of insanity. |
| However a psychologist testified for prosecutors that Routh was not legally insane, but instead had a paranoid disorder made worse by his drink and cannabis abuse, according to the Associated Press. | |
| As prosecutors had not sought the death penalty, the sentence of life imprisonment without parole was imposed automatically by the judge. | As prosecutors had not sought the death penalty, the sentence of life imprisonment without parole was imposed automatically by the judge. |