Verdict in “American Sniper” Trial

Verdict in “American Sniper” Trial

Eddie Ray Routh, the man accused of killing “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield, was found guilty of Capital Murder during his trial on Tuesday, February 24th. A unanimous decision by a Texas jury of 10 women and 2 men, Routh was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.

Routh’s defense was seeking to claim insanity, which would have changed the sentencing to life in a psychiatric hospital, with chance of release when found to no longer suffer from mental illness. In Texas however, a claim of insanity is difficult to prove.

“In Texas, you have to prove that you didn’t know what you were doing was wrong,” criminal defense attorney Charles Magill explains. Indeed, the jury was not convinced, and believed that Routh knew what he was doing when he pulled the trigger.

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