Jury deliberating in trial of "American Sniper" killer
STEPHENVILLE, Texas -- A Texas jury has begun deliberations in the murder trial of a former Marine in the fatal shooting of "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle and a friend.
State District Judge Jason Cashon turned the case over to the Erath County jury Tuesday evening after about three hours of closing arguments.
There was no indication how long jurors would be asked to deliberate Tuesday evening.
In closing arguments, prosecutors said the shooter, Eddie Ray Routh, knew that what he was doing was wrong and fled because he knew he'd committed murder, CBS News correspondent Manuel Bojorquez reported.
Defense attorneys argued that Routh was battling schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the 2013 shooting and should be found not guilty by reason of insanity. They said Routh was delusional and thought Kyle and Littlefield wanted to kill him.
Routh's friends and family have testified that his behavior in the weeks before the killings was increasingly erratic. They said he acted as if he believed that someone was going to hurt him and that the government was listening to him.
About a week before the slayings, Routh was released from the hospital after having a psychotic episode.
Dr. Mitchell H. Dunn testified Thursday as a defense witness after spending more than six hours interviewing Routh in April 2014 to determine his state of mind at the time of the shootings. Dunn said Routh described seeing neighbors and friends as turning into pig-human hybrids.
The doctor said Routh was displaying signs of schizophrenia as early as 2011, when he was first taken to a mental hospital. Routh left the Marines in 2010.
Prosecutors said any history of mental illnesses should not absolve Routh of being held accountable for the deaths. Dr. Randall Price, a forensic psychologist, testified as a prosecution rebuttal witness Friday that Routh had a paranoid disorder made worse by his use of alcohol and marijuana.
"In my opinion, he did know what he was doing was wrong, and he did it anyway," Price said.
Routh, 27, faces an automatic life sentence without parole if convicted, since prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.