VIDEO: Inside "American Sniper" Murder Trial
STEPHENVILLE (CBSDFW.COM) - For the first time, the public is able to hear audio from inside the so-called American Sniper murder trial. Until the jury reached it's verdict, the judge presiding over the case banned any audio from inside the courtroom from being broadcast. After the jury arrived at a guilty verdict and Eddie Routh was automatically sentenced to life in prison for the murders of navy sniper Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield.
From the beginning, there was no doubt about who killed Chad Littlefield and Chris Kyle. Prosecutors told the jury that Routh gunned down Kyle and Littlefield by shooting them in the back. After the murders, Routh stole Kyle's pickup and headed to his sister's home.
"He said he sold his soul for a pickup," Laura Blevins, Routh's sister testified. She also called Routh psychotic.
"The first thing he said was, 'Is it just me or is the world freezing over?'" testified Routh's brother in law, Gaine Blevins.
After he bought two burritos at Taco Bell, police caught up with Routh in front of his mom's house. In video played in court, you could hear officers yelling, "Eddie? Turn it off Eddie! Ed! Turn it off Ed!"
"At that point, he had told us he had taken a couple of souls and he had a couple more souls to take," said Lt. Michael Smith of the Lancaster Police Department.
Video of Routh in the back seat of the police car was played for the jury.
"I've been so paranoid and so schizophrenic all day I don't know what you even think of the world right now. I don't know if I'm sane or insane. I don't even know what's sane in the world right now," he said.
When he was asked during interrogation if there was anything he'd like to say to the families, Routh responded, "Yeah. I'm just sorry for what I've done and we can work this out."
We also learned during the trial Routh's family enjoyed getting high with him.
"On the weekends or, you know, occasionally," said Jodi Routh's mother from the stand, as she admitted smoking drugs with Routh.
Routh's attorneys argued he was schizophrenic. Prosecutors said he was a chronic drug abuser.
At the end of the trial, Judy Littlefield, Chad's mother said, "We waited two years for God to get justice for our son, and as always Ge has proven faithful."
