Kevin Quinn@imkevinquinn
Routh sentenced to LIFE in prison w/o parole #snipertrial #AmericanSniper #abc13

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Deliberations took 2.5 hours

Come on Texas... what took ya so long?

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Jury Returns Guilty Verdict in 'American Sniper' Trial

NBC5DFW | 24 February 2015, 10:16PM
By Ken Kalthoff and John L. Mone

Updated 1 minute ago - Videos

An Erath County jury has found former Marine Eddie Ray Routh guilty in the murders of "American Sniper" author and former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield.

With the state not seeking the death penalty, a guilty verdict gives Routh an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Routh was silent for the reading of the verdict.

Kyle’s widow Taya Kyle was not present for the reading of the verdict, she angrily left the courtroom after the defense's closing statement and slammed the door behind her.

"We waited two years for God to get us justice for us on behalf of our son and as always God has proved to be faithful," Chad Littlefield's mother Judy said outside the courthouse. "We're so thrilled that we have the verdict that we have tonight."

The jury left the courtroom at 6:36 p.m. CT Tuesday but did not begin deliberations immediately, they first had dinner.

State District Judge Jason Cashon turned the case over to the Erath County jury Tuesday evening after about three hours of closing arguments.

There was no indication how long jurors would be asked to deliberate Tuesday evening.

...more at link
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Closing-Arguments-Begin-in-Eddie-Ray-Routh-Murder-Trial-293918521.html

Hi back to you, Rumpole and to everyone here.

That was a quick verdict and although I leaned toward guilty but not totally sure about it this seemed too fast. This beat the almost 4-hour time frame for deliberating the OJ Simpson case.

Hello, Packy!

I have been reading a bit, and you aren't the first one to think the verdict was too quick. I'm looking for any interviews with jury members and will post if I do find any.

I'm going to surmise that the State put on a clear cut case assisting the jury in their speedy decision. But really, who knows? Back to looking for jury statements

I think it's marvelous... I might move to Texas

There is a LOT in trials that is time wasting drivel.

Give em a fair trial.. then hang em.... seems to be the Texas way.

It is a HUGE breath of fresh air and gives me renewed hope after the Arias farce in Arizona... still going

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

'American Sniper' Trial: What Evidence Convinced the Jury to Convict Eddie Ray Routh

ABCNEWS
Feb 25, 2015, 10:48 AM ET
By MEGHAN KENEALLY

While calling rebuttal witnesses to the stand on Tuesday, the defense also re-called Dr. Mitchell Dunn, the psychiatrist who concluded that Routh was insane in earlier testimony. Dunn said Tuesday that the forensic psychologist hired by the prosecution, who concluded that Routh was not insane, used flawed methods.

According to Yager, the jury was influenced by the "pattern behaviors" they heard about during the testimony of medical specialists.

Texas law dictates that a medical condition cannot determine insanity, but a defendant must not know what they were doing was wrong in order to be declared insane.

The jury did not think that was the case for Routh, however, since he showed remorse both during his police interrogation hours after the shooting and during a recorded interview with a journalist from The New Yorker that took place while he was in jail.

...more at link (Video)
http://abcnews.go.com/US/american-sniper-trial-evidence-convinced-jury-convict/story?id=29214145

Hi guys

I was out of town when I heard the verdict but I am pleased. The short deliberation is not too unusual in this particular case because the jury did not have to deliberate whether or not Routh did the deed, they only had to determine under Texas's narrow legal interpretation of insanity whether or not Routh knew that his actions were wrong at the time of the murders, the state proved that Routh was not insane at the time of his crime to the satisfaction of the jury, so Routh is guilty of a double murder.


One of the hallmark's of schizophrenia is disorganized thinking, waiting for the window when neither Chris or Chad could shoot back when the other was being shot takes organized thinking, Routh left the scene, his delusions were suspect and not in keeping with the normal pattern of delusions and so on.

Routh is in my mind just a messed up killer.

Routh's PSTD was not from combat he was never a participant in active warfare.

I think the jury got it right, and don't think they needed much time to figure out that Routh didn't meet the legal bar of insanity and really that is all they were tasked with.

Sorry if my post is a little wag eyed I am tired.

_________________
If your mind is agitated you will find agitation everywhere. Where else will you find peace if not within you? __ Papaji

Hi Carm!

Welcome back and Home Sweet Home .. there's nothing like it
I hope you enjoyed your visit and have thawed out.
You summed it all up in a nutshell. Thanks for your feedback during this short trial. I learned a lot from your posts.

Get some rest.

Hi Molly , thanks I learned a lot here from you and gained a lot of information from your posts. I still have not seen American Sniper, I have a very soft heart for our service men and women and I don't think I would get past the first 5 minutes without weeping. The fact that two good decent men (I know Chad didn't serve in the military but he did help our wounded veterans) were shot in their backs, knowing their life story's, I just am not up to that emotional drain. I am a wuss.


Widow of 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle Says He'll 'Live On In My Heart’


http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wid ... rt-n312871


"The biggest fallacy of this trial is that Eddie Routh committed this brutal crime because of PTSD," Erath County District Attorney Alan Nash said in a statement Wednesday.

"Many members of the armed services who have honorably served our country have every right to receive services for PTSD. But to claim that PTSD causes a person to commit murder is a disservice both to veterans and those who suffer from mental illness," Nash said.

I just saw a small clip of Routh's "rambling confession" and I'm only more convinced that this was just a put on. Just a guy with no morals looking for his 15 minutes of fame and probably didn't know our Son of Sam Law.

Anybody know the game "bullshit" ? I bet there were officer's watching that confession calling bullshit after the first few sentences.

_________________
If your mind is agitated you will find agitation everywhere. Where else will you find peace if not within you? __ Papaji

Speaking of schizophrenia, this is fascinating.

Schizophrenic Brains Not Fooled by Optical Illusion


http://www.wired.com/2009/04/schizoillusion/


A demonstration of the illusion that a schizophrenic brain would not be fooled by;




Rumpole feel free to find a more appropriate thread, I just thought it went nicely with the Routh case

_________________
If your mind is agitated you will find agitation everywhere. Where else will you find peace if not within you? __ Papaji

Hi Carm

I might be tempted to find it a different home if it was mid-case.. it would only get lost...
But its wind-down time on this case If I think of a place.. I'll copy it there

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Optical illusions like that are a great demonstration of the fact that we humans DO NOT necessarily "perceive" correctly.
We are not mechanical recording devices like a video camera.
We add expectations and our own history of events on top of raw data input.. sight or sound.

Witnesses can be CRAP if they report THEIR perception of events rather than just the actual facts

Try telling THAT to morons posting about cases.....

eg Pistorius: The infamous shots and "woman screams"

eg Zimmerman: 911 call cries for help.

But generally in cases those commenting at forums see (some) evidence then create illusions in their own feeble minds

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Witnesses can be CRAP if they report THEIR perception of events rather than just the actual facts

Try telling THAT to morons posting about cases.....

Exactly my thoughts, many people know so much that simply isn't so. (My apologies to Ronald Reagan for manhandling his quote)

_________________
If your mind is agitated you will find agitation everywhere. Where else will you find peace if not within you? __ Papaji

'American Sniper' Killer To Appeal Life Sentence Due To Movie’s Popularity

Inquisitr
Posted: March 1, 2015

Eddie Ray Routh was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Chris Kyle, the hero of the film American Sniper. But his lawyers say they plan to appeal the verdict, suggesting that the film had an influence on the jury.

Routh was charged with killing Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield, at a gun range in Texas in February 2013. The trial was held in Stephenville, and during the trial, Routh’s lawyers attempted to claim that he was legally insane. However, according to juror Kristina Yager in an interview with ABC News, Routh used this defense often as a means of getting out of trouble.

"Evidence shows that there was a real definite pattern there, when it came to, you know, his earlier convictions. He would get intoxicated, get in trouble, and then the police would show up, and he would say, ‘I’m a veteran, I have P.T.S.D., I’m insane.’ You know, and every time something bad happened, he’d pull that card."

Routh reportedly said he believed he was surrounded by pig people and that cannibals wanted to eat him, though two experts who declared that he was not insane wondered if it was part of an act to make him sound schizophrenic.

The insanity defense failed, but Routh’s lawyers also believe that American Sniper’s influence affected the ability of the jurors to make an impartial decision. The jury’s decision took two hours to make. One lawyer, Warren St. John, said that the trial would have been better held elsewhere.

...more at link
http://www.inquisitr.com/1885192/american-sniper-killer-to-appeal-life-sentence-due-to-movies-popularity/

Schizophrenic Brains Not Fooled by Optical Illusion

Hi Carm
I love it .. thanks for posting. It IS fascinating .. I broke the record for watching it a gazillion times

Hi Molly ,

From your article


“Evidence shows that there was a real definite pattern there, when it came to, you know, his earlier convictions. He would get intoxicated, get in trouble, and then the police would show up, and he would say, ‘I’m a veteran, I have P.T.S.D., I’m insane.’ You know, and every time something bad happened, he’d pull that card.”


No wonder Chris' wife stormed out of the courtroom. Shame on Routh, his attorney's and all those that make the mentally ill look like killers so that they or their clients can try and play the system.

And now the defense is saying that Routh couldn't get a fair trial in Stephenville? Anyone know if they tried for a change of venue before the trial ? If not, then it is a piss off situation, the same with the American Sniper movie influence, the defense said it didn't matter before the trial, lawfully that can not now say, "Oh the movie had an influence we did not expect so now we think it unfairly prejudice the jurors."

My best guess is the defense is hoping for an Andrea Yates type of situation, the problem there is that Andrea Yates truly was insane when she killed her children, the guiltiest person there if you ask me was Rudy Yates, but that is another discussion.

Routh appears to be a common, lazy, woe is me, bum. Now Routh can add cold blooded killer to his list of unsavory personality flaws.

_________________
If your mind is agitated you will find agitation everywhere. Where else will you find peace if not within you? __ Papaji

Hi Carm

Once again, you have it pegged. I feel this has been their Plan B from the beginning, with the appeals attorneys ready around the corner. The defense filed both a motion for continuance and motion for change of venue, a few days before trial began during jury voir dire.

This is from a previous news report.

The scrutiny on the case prompted Routh's lawyers to ask for a change of venue, saying they believed that Routh couldn't get a fair trial due to local prejudice. But District Judge Jason Cashon denied the change of venue, noting that the jury was seated with no more than two dozen people dismissed because of pretrial publicity. And when potential jurors were asked Monday to raise their hands if they would have a problem setting aside what they'd heard and only factoring in what was said at trial, no hands went up.

(And OT, I totally agree with you about Rudy Yates.)

Very interesting and makes sense. Thanks, Carmelita.

Ken Kalthoff@KenKalthoffNBC5
Eddie Routh is appealing 2-24-15 conviction and life sentence in #AmericanSniper murders @NBCDFW

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light