Suspect in Navy SEAL sniper killing set for trial
Chris Kyle’s celebrity hangs over murder case
• The trial of the man charged with killing Chris Kyle, a former Navy SEAL sniper, is scheduled to start here on Wednesday at 9 a.m. The blockbuster war movie about Mr. Kyle, American Sniper, is now playing at a cinema about five kilometres away.
The convergence of the movie, the trial and the fierce emotions both have stirred up have set this town 160 kilometres southwest of Dallas on edge, as legal experts have questioned whether Eddie Ray Routh, 27, the mentally ill veteran accused of killing Mr. Kyle and Mr. Kyle’s friend at a shooting range in 2013, can receive a fair trial here.
Mr. Kyle’s celebrity hangs over the trial and the town, larger in death than it was in life. The sign outside the Grand Entry Western Store advertises Chris Kyle baseball caps. More ominously, a man called the local newspaper, The Stephenville Empire-Tribune, and told the managing editor a bomb was going to go off before jury selection.
Officials have earmarked US$1 million for security in and around the courthouse where the trial will be held. On the first day of the juror qualification process last week, the judge excused 39 potential jurors, including 12 who said the pretrial publicity made them biased about the case.
“The death happening here, that makes it more personal,” said Chick Elms, 68, co-owner of the Grand Entry, a Western wear shop. “They’re not seeking the death penalty, which I think is hogwash.”
Mr. Routh’s lawyers, Warren St. John and Tim Moore, have cited the movie and local support for Mr. Kyle in asking Erath County District Judge Jason Cashon to postpone the trial. He denied their request.
The lawyers also asked the judge to move the proceedings from Erath County, describing “so great a prejudice” against their client he could not get a fair trial.
Judge Cashon was expected to turn down that motion as well, but it was clear last week he had concerns about the publicity surrounding the case.
“Stay away from it,” he told prospective jurors bluntly.
Mr. Kyle, who became the military’s deadliest sniper while protecting U.S. Marines in Iraq, took Mr. Routh to the range on Feb. 2, 2013, as part of therapy for wounded and troubled veterans. Once there, Mr. Routh shot Mr. Kyle, 38, and Chad Littlefield, 35, then fled in Mr. Kyle’s truck.
He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have told the judge they planned to raise an insanity defence. The former Marine who served in Iraq told authorities in the months before the shooting he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“We’ve never had anything like this in this town,” said Carol Gibson, 64, owner of the Rockin’ P Bar and Grill across from the courthouse.
“When it first happened, everybody was talking about it. Then it calmed down. Now the movie’s come out, the trial’s getting closer and the talk is back up about it again.”
The movie has only heightened Mr. Kyle’s stature in Texas. His memorial service was held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington and he was buried in Austin at the Texas State Cemetery, alongside former Texas governors and senators. Many of the county residents who received the 800 juror summons have seen the film.
“If ever there were grounds for an out-of-state change of venue, this has to be the case,” said Brock Hunter, a Minneapolis lawyer who is an expert on defending veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder in criminal cases.
“The tough-minded Texas culture would make it difficult enough, but this veteran has the additional burden of having killed a bona fide Texas hero.”