If you’ve watched Bradley Cooper’s 2014 film American Sniper, you should know that Eddie Ray Routh, a former US Marine, killed an American sniper named 38 years of age in real life. This occurrence served as the inspiration for the plot of the film. The following article will be a thorough case study that describes the occurrence, the victims, and Eddie Ray Routh’s horrible deed.
Who is Eddie Ray Routh?
Eddie Ray Routh completed his graduation from the same high school as Chris Kyle, in Midlothian. In 2006, Eddie enrolled in the United States Marines at the age of 18, eventually specializing in armorer duties. He was deployed to Iraq in 2007 before being sent to a seven-month Middle East deployment in USS Bataan.
After all this, Eddie served in Haiti for four months but then he got disturbed due to the experience he had in the January 2010 earthquake. Eddie Ray Routh expressed his grief and sadness to his father by stating his traumatic phase of taking out hundreds of dead bodies of men, women, and children from the ocean, piling them up, and dumping them into mass graves.
Struggles With His Mental Health
Eddie Ray Routh was struggling a lot with his mental issues after returning from the service. There was tension in his life between his job and his routine which led him to receive a diagnosis of PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, upon admission to the Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital in 2011.
After an extended time of delusional episodes that made him sedated, admitted, and out of the hospital, Routh appeared to get well and moved in with his fiancee, Jennifer Weed. Later, he used a knife to hold Weed and her roommate hostage at their apartment until police arrived during an incident, leading to his re-admission to the Veterans hospital.
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Why Did He Murdered Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield?
When Eddie Ray Routh was discharged from the hospital and was sent back under the supervision of his mother Jodi. His mother herself approached Chris Kyle and asked to help her son with his mental issues. Jodi worked at the school where Chris Kyle’s kids went, and Kyle consented to talk to her son about his experiences in the military and with mental health.
Married to Taya and father of two, Kyle chose to accompany Routh, then 25 years old, on that fateful excursion to the shooting range with Littlefield. The court learned throughout the trial that Routh had used and drunk marijuana the night before.
In his confession, he told the court that during the journey Kyle and Littlefield were not talking to him and also that the vehicle was loaded with weapons was triggering him and making him anxious. All of this was convincing enough for Eddie to kill Chris and Chad.
Later, Eddie Ray Routh armed himself with a Springfield.45 handgun and a 9mm Sig Sauer P226 MK25 pistol, a variant that is preferred by Navy Seals.
Using the 9mm pistol, he shot Littlefield seven times before turning to shoot Kyle six times.
After that, Routh drove away from the scene in Kyle’s black Ford vehicle, saying to his uncle, “Check out my truck,” as he drove there. “I’m driving a dead man’s truck”.
Where is Eddie Ray Now?
Eddie Ray Routh was convicted of killing Littlefield, his companion, and American Sniper Kyle. The court denied his allegations that he was going through a psychotic episode, and he was sentenced to life in jail without the possibility of release. It is believed that he is presently imprisoned at Anderson County, Texas’s Ramesy Unit I. This decision of the court made people satisfied but the loss of such dedicated army troops will never be recovered for the nation and the family too.
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Chris Kyle’s Death
Following Kyle’s passing, there was a great deal of mourning throughout Texas. At a funeral ceremony held at Texas Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, Kyle was honored as a hero. It also struck a chord with gun aficionados throughout the nation, who welcomed Kyle as a superstar at important occasions like the yearly weapons industry convention, and SHOT show, in Las Vegas.
The Bradley Cooper-starring movie version of his narrative had already opened in Stephenville cinemas on February 11, 2014, the day of Routh’s murder trial. Local sellers peddled Chris Kyle baseball hats outside the courthouse. Governor Greg Abbott had proclaimed February 2, the anniversary of the killings, Chris Kyle Day one week prior.
Kyle Too Had PTSD!
The mother of Eddie Ray Routh, a troubled 25-year-old Iraq War veteran who was on eight different medicines and suffering from PTSD, approached Kyle, and Kyle agreed to assist. He admitted to having had PTSD to Routh. In February 2013, Kyle drove Routh to a shooting range close to his Texas house with the help of a buddy. Kyle believed that giving Routh some gunfire may be healing. But this idea of giving Routh therapy soon turned into a nightmare.
Wrapping Up With Final Thoughts!
From an outsider’s viewpoint, it’s hard to imagine that Routh, a combat veteran, would feel untrustworthy of one of the most respected warriors of recent years, a man who generously donated his time to support other veterans. However, Routh discovered from both his training and personal combat experiences that a lot of people who appeared kind or innocent were not. Though it is uncommon for a soldier’s allies to be included in this mistrust, almost anything may happen when a person’s mind is twisted by a mixture of medications and stress.
Killing someone else is a grave offense and ethically unacceptable. In a conflict, it’s not illegal either. People are trained to kill without warning or inquiry in any other situation. Generally speaking, you should fire first and address any moral difficulties afterward.
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