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[h=4]State outlines case in "American Sniper" trial[/h]Prosecutors file motion listing 37 extraneous offenses they will present if judge allows.
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The "American Sniper" trial begins in 15 hours. New tonight, we know prosecutors will argue the man accused of killing Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield was addicted to drugs and alcohol and that he claimed to have PTSD to defend a history of violent acts.
Accused killer Eddie Ray Routh in a Stephenville courtroom on February 10, 2015.(Photo: WFAA)
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Prosecutors in the "American Sniper" trial hope to be able to tell jurors that Eddie Ray Routh has a long history of "self-intoxication."
On Tuesday morning, they filed a motion listing 37 extraneous offenses they will present if District Judge Jason Cashon allows it. Among other things, prosecutors want to show that on the morning the former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and friend Chad Littlefield were gunned down at a remote gun range, Routh got high on alcohol and marijuana and had threatened his girlfriend with a knife.
Cashon said he'll rule on a case-by-case basis on admitting any of Routh's other offenses and "bad acts" outside of the day he was arrested and the day after.
Accused killer Eddie Ray Routh enters a Stephenville courtroom on February 10, 2015.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: WFAA)
Routh appeared in court again Tuesday, wearing a suit and walking with a straight back, like the Marine he once was. Routh was a small arms technician who served in Iraq and was deployed to earthquake-ravaged Haiti before leaving the Marines in 2010.
Prosecutors hope to tell jurors that even as a Marine, Routh was using marijuana, K-2, methamphetamine and other drugs and was drinking excessively.
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According to a supporting brief, on the morning of the day Kyle and Littlefield were shot, Routh "... threatened Jennifer Weed with a knife in hand." The document also states that "defendant was smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol that morning."
Weed was Routh's girlfriend. According to documents, on Jan. 19, 2013 — a few days before the Feb. 2 murders — Routh held Weed and a friend hostage. Routh "threatened them with a large kitchen knife and sword, threatened to kill them."
Weed told responding police Routh was a vet with post-traumatic stress syndrome who needed help.
Eddie Ray Routh as a U.S. Marine and as a suspect in the murder of former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Courtesy Routh family, Erath (Texas) County Sheriff's Office)
They took him to Green Oaks Hospital, which transferred him to the VA hospital.
Prosecutors say they want to establish a pattern of voluntary intoxication. Documents detail a family gathering four months before the murders, when Routh again was allegedly drunk and high on pot.
"Defendant made threats to shoot/kill family members and shoot/kill himself," the motion states.
It says he left the party shirtless, crying and intoxicated. Lancaster police took Routh to Green Oaks Hospital, which transferred him to VA. The documents list three hospital stays.
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In court Tuesday, the state got permission to photograph one of Routh's tattoos. According to the state's motion, the tattoo spells out "High Life." Prosecutors say it provides insight into his drug use, "... and therefore his state of mind and voluntary intoxication at the time of the offense."
Authorities say that after the shooting of Kyle and Littlefield, Routh drove to his sister Laura Blevins' house in Kyle's truck, admitted to the killings and told Blevins "people were sucking his soul."
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Opening statements are set for 9 a.m. CT Wednesday. Routh's trial is expected to last two weeks.
Chris Kyle's widow, Taya, will be among the first to testify against the man charged with killing her husband. Another of the first witnesses prosecutors plan to call is Littlefield's mother, Judy. Cashon ruled that she and Taya Kyle can stay in court to watch proceedings after testifying.
Actor Bradley Cooper, left, with Taya Kyle, widow of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, speaks to reporters during the Washington premiere of the movie "American Sniper" in Washington Jan. 13. Cooper portrayed Chris Kyle in the movie.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP)
A jury of 10 women, two men and two alternates will hear the case. If they convict him, Routh faces an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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