Hollywood to reality: 'American Sniper' trial begins

Rick Jervis | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption PTSD claims questioned in 'American Sniper' case Lawyers for Eddie Ray Routh, the veteran accused of killing 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield, claim their client suffers from PTSD. But prosecutors say he has long history of voluntary intoxication and violence.

AUSTIN — The film American Sniper is capturing the attention of millions of moviegoers — and now millions more will be focused on the trial of a mentally troubled man who killed the hero upon whom the film is based.

Opening statements in the trial of suspected murderer Eddie Ray Routh are expected Wednesday in the North Texas city of Stephenville (pop. 18,000), as attorneys dissect the motivations behind the shooting death of author and former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and his friend and neighbor, Chad Littlefield.

The trial has gained increased notoriety as the Oscar-nominated American Sniper, the Clint Eastwood-directed film about Kyle's service in Iraq as a celebrated military sniper based on his best-selling book, continues to fill theaters across the USA.

A key issue in the trial will be Routh's alleged post-traumatic stress disorder, which could play a central role in his defense. Routh, 27, has confessed to the Feb. 2, 2013, killing of Kyle, 38, and Littlefield, 35, at an upscale shooting range near Fort Worth. Family members have said Routh, a former Marine and Iraq War veteran, was suffering from PTSD and had checked out of a psychiatric hospital just five months before the shootings. His attorneys plan to pursue an insanity defense.

Attorney: Insanity plea likely in Chris Kyle murder Attorneys say an insanity plea is likely for alleged Chris Kyle killer, Eddie Routh. Opening statements in the trial are expected to begin midweek.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty and will ask that Routh be given life without parole, if convicted.

"This trial will scare many people in the public who don't know about PTSD," said Harry Croft, a San Antonio-based psychiatrist who has evaluated veterans with combat-related anxiety for more than two decades. "PTSD by itself is not a common cause of this kind of violence."

Attorneys for Routh tried to have the trial moved and have questioned whether their client can get a fair trial given the growing popularity of the film, which has grossed more than $280 million at the box office. It took defense attorneys and prosecutors several days to whittle down the pool of 800 potential jurors to 12 jurors and two alternates.

But attorneys didn't need to find jurors who hadn't heard of Kyle or seen the movie based on his life — only those who agreed to judge the case impartially based on the evidence, said Geoffrey Corn, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who teaches criminal law at South Texas College of Law in Houston.

Winning an acquittal on reasons of insanity is difficult and extremely rare in murder cases, he said.

"An insanity defense normally fails," Corn said. "A jury tends to believe if you're sane enough to pick up a gun, you're sane enough to be held accountable for what you did."

Kyle was born in the oil town of Odessa in West Texas. He served four tours in the Iraq War as a member of Navy SEAL Team 3, spending much of his time in the western province of Anbar, and became one of the most proficient and deadliest snipers in U.S. military history, reportedly killing more than 160 enemy targets. He received two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars, a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

His proficiency in killing the enemy became so well known on the battlefield that he earned the nickname "Devil of Ramadi" by Iraqi insurgents, who put a bounty on his head. He was honorably discharged in 2009.

But Kyle also struggled with combat-related anxiety upon returning home, jumping at loud noises or wrestling with the memories of wounded or slain military friends. He helped found FITCO Cares, a non-profit group that helped those struggling with PTSD, where he mentored other veterans with combat injuries. He also wrote a book about his experiences in war zones, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice, which became a best seller.

Police said Kyle and Littlefield were trying to help Routh cope with his PTSD from his time in Iraq when they took him to the Rough Creek Lodge and Resort, about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Later that day, Routh's sister, Laura Blevins, called 911 to say her brother had confessed to the killings.

"He's all crazy," she told the operator during the panicked call. "He's (expletive) psychotic."

Her husband, Gaines Blevins, told the operator Routh had been released from a psychiatric hospital five months earlier. "He was recently diagnosed with PTSD," he said.

About one in five veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have some form of PTSD, Croft said. For years, they've fought to shake off the stigma surrounding the disorder, often getting bypassed for jobs because they've had diagnosed combat-related anxiety, he said.

PTSD also affects around 7% of the general population, from victims of rapes and muggings to hurricane survivors, but they don't face nearly the same amount of discrimination as veterans, Croft said.

The stigma of combat-related PTSD could amplify with this trial, even though only a small fraction of combat-related PTSD leads to violence, he said. "It's a very rare phenomenon," Croft said.

Andrew O'Brien, a former Army gunner and Iraq War vet who speaks to other veterans about the pitfalls of PTSD, said many military members hope the trial reveals what drove Routh to kill Kyle and Littlefield.

But he also fears it could bring undue prejudice on veterans battling PTSD. O'Brien began speaking to others about the disorder after his own affliction forced him to nearly take his own life.

"No one I've ever spoken to has ever told me, 'I've thought of killing someone,'" he said. "They've talked about killing themselves, but not harming others."