American Sniper trial hears opening statements in Texas

A former US Marine acted with forethought and malice when he fatally shot Chris Kyle, the former Navy SEAL whose bestselling autobiography was turned into the movie American Sniper, prosecutors told a Texas jury on the first day of the trial .

Opening statements began in the trial of Eddie Ray Routh (27), who is charged with murdering Kyle, as well as Kyle's friend Chad Littlefield in February 2013 at a shooting range about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Fort Worth.

A jury of 10 women and two men is hearing the case in rural Erath County.

Defence attorneys said Mr Routh was insane at the time of the incident, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by overseas deployments. They argued that when he killed the victims, Mr Routh was in the grip of a psychosis so severe that he did not know it was wrong.

Mr Routh had been taken to the range by Kyle, who had been helping fellow veterans heal the mental scars stemming from combat.

Text message

The court heard that while riding in a truck on the way to the range, Kyle sent a text message to Littlefield, who was sitting next to him in front, about Mr Routh. The message read: “This dude is straight up nuts.”

Erath County district attorney Alan Nash said evidence will show that Mr Routh shot the two men multiple times in the back and knew it was wrong.

“These are the two ultimate issues that you are going to have to decide,” Mr Nash told jurors.

Mr Routh was hospitalised several times leading up to the shooting and had been diagnosed as psychotic, his lawyers said.

Mr Nash said evidence will show Mr Routh served as a weapons tech in a safe zone in Iraq. However, the defence told the jury that Mr Routh was severely affected mentally by his earthquake relief efforts with the Marines in Haiti in 2010.

Mr Routh is also accused of stealing Kyle’s truck after killing the two men. He has been jailed on $3 million (about €2.7 million) bond.

The trial is expected to take about two weeks. If Mr Routh is convicted, prosecutors said they will seek a life sentence.

After opening statements, Kyle’s widow, Taya, is expected to be one of the first witnesses to testify.

Chris Kyle has been credited with the most kills of any US sniper.

American Sniper, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper, has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture.

Reuters