Defense rests its case in 'American Sniper' trial

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[h=4]Defense rests its case in 'American Sniper' trial[/h]STEPHENVILLE, Texas — The defense has rested its case in the Stephenville 'Sniper Trial,' and Eddie Routh has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Court is in recess until Friday morning, when rebuttal

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A psychiatrist testified in court on Thursday that he believed Eddie Ray Routh was mentally unstable months before he shot 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle and one other. VPC


Former Marine Cpl. Eddie Ray Routh enters the court after a break during his capital murder trial at the Erath County, Donald R. Jones Justice Center Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015, in Stephenville, Texas.(Photo: LM Otero, AP)


STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Attorneys for former Marine Cpl. Eddie Ray Routh have rested their insanity defense in the "American Sniper" trial.
Routh, 27, did not testify in his own defense in the shooting deaths of famed former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield at a gun range in February 2013.
The capital murder trial has drawn intense interest, partly because of the Oscar-nominated film based on Kyle's memoir.
On Thursday, jurors heard from a forensic psychiatrist who said Routh has schizophrenia and showed signs of psychosis in the weeks leading up to the slayings.
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About a week before the slayings, Routh had been released from a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital after having a psychotic episode. Dr. Mitchell H. Dunn, testified that after Routh returned to work, he thought two of his co-workers were cannibals who were going to harm him.
Routh's friends and family have testified that his behavior in the weeks before the killings was increasingly erratic. They said he acted as if he believed that someone was going to hurt him and that the government was listening to him.
Dunn, who spent more than six hours interviewing Routh in April 2014 to determine his state of mind when he shot Littlefield and Kyle, testified that Routh described seeing neighbors and friends as turning into pig-human hybrids.
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The doctor said Routh, who left the Marines in 2010, was displaying signs of schizophrenia as early as 2011, when he was first taken to a mental hospital.

Chris Kyle, a former Navy SEAL and author of the book "American Sniper," poses in Midlothian, Texas, on April 6, 2012.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Paul Moseley, AP)

After leaving the military a two-time Silver Star recipient, Kyle volunteered with veterans facing mental health problems, often taking them shooting.
Routh's mother had asked Kyle to help her troubled son, so Kyle and Littlefield took Routh to Rough Creek Lodge and Resort for target practice at its shooting range on Feb. 2, 2013. There, about 5 p.m., a resort employee discovered Kyle's and Littlefield's bodies.
Routh faces an automatic life sentence without parole if convicted, since prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty. The jury could also find him not guilty by reason of insanity. In that case, the court could initiate civil proceedings to have Routh committed.
Court is in recess until Friday morning, when rebuttal witnesses are expected to testify.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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