Although American Sniper has been a big blockbuster hit in the cinemas, the real life Iraq war veteran, Chris Kyle did not live to see his story on the big screen. He and his friend, Chad Littlefield were shot on Feb. 2, 2013 by 27-year old deranged, Eddie Ray Routh, also an Iraq veteran whose family claims suffers from PTSD.
Routh is currently on trial in Texas for the slayings of Kyle and Littlefield. As evidence, his videotaped alleged confession was presented to the jury by the prosecution on Monday.
The investigator interviewing Routh in the confession tape apparently did not know that he was diagnosed as psychotic and had just been released from a clinic eight days before he fatally shot Kyle and his friend at a gun range.
The hour-long questioning began with Routh not saying a word for several minutes and slumped over a table. The media was ordered not to release the audio to accompany the video which the jury was presented during the trial.
According to reports, when Routh finally does begin to speak, he starts off with incoherent ramblings about flying pigs devouring his soul. When asked about Kyle, he said that he had to kill him before he took his soul next.
Throughout the confession tape, Routh displays a range of bizarre and even conflicting emotions. From apathy, to boastfulness, to being apologetic, to cynicism.
Routh bragged that his training was better than Kyle's, which is why he had to shoot him.
When asked at least three times during the video if he knew if it was wrong to shoot and kill his victims, Routh responded that he knew what he was doing was wrong but he did it because, in his own words, "If I did not take down his soul, he was going to take down mine."
Routh's trial is still ongoing. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the capital murder charges against him.
Allegedly, Routh was under the influence of alcohol and "wet" marijuana (marijuana laced with unknown substances) prior to the slayings of Kyle and Littlefield. The prosecution is expected to argue that Routh put himself into a violent enough state to murder his two victims, which is not a valid defense for the insanity plea.
