America
Life in prison for American Sniper's killer
Austin, Feb 25
Former US Marine Eddie
Routh has been sentenced to life in prison for the murders of Chris
Kyle, who inspired Clint Eastwood's box-office hit “American Sniperâ€,
and Chad Littlefield two years ago.
A jury of 10 women and two
men Tuesday declared Routh to be guilty at the end of a trial that
lasted two weeks in Stephenville, Texas, during which the former Marine
tried to avoid conviction by claiming that he suffered from dementia.
Routh was given an automatic life sentence on being found guilty, as the prosecution did not seek the death penalty.
Routh
shot dead Kyle and Littlefield Feb 2, 2013, at a Texas shooting range
when they were trying to help him with the problems he suffered after
serving in Iraq and Haiti.
The defence unsuccessfully tried to
establish that Routh committed the crimes under schizophrenia-related
psychotic delirium and post-traumatic stress that he suffered from his
military service, and was not aware of what he was doing.
The
trial generated huge media interest as it coincided with the success of
“American Sniperâ€, directed by Eastwood and which is based on Kyle's
memoir of his experiences.
Kyle served in the Navy SEALS, the
most elite unit of the US military during the US occupation of Iraq, and
was known as the most lethal sniper in the country's history, with 160
confirmed kills to his name.