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 Iraq War veteran Eddie Ray Routh is to stand trial in February on
charges of murdering Chris Kyle, the former Navy SEAL whose
best-selling autobiography "American Sniper: The Autobiography of
the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History" was the basis for
the film from director Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper.
Prosecutors recently said they are not seeking the death penalty
against Routh, who could face life in prison if convicted, said
Warren St. John, one of Routh's court-appointed attorneys.
"Our guy is not evil," said St. John, adding that the defense will
argue that Routh is insane.
 Kyle apparently saw Routh as a troubled veteran in need of help.
After leaving the Navy in 2009, Kyle, a Texas native, settled in
suburban Dallas and became president of Craft International, a
tactical training company that was also dedicated to helping wounded
veterans.
Kyle was credited with 150 confirmed kills in Iraq and Afghanistan,
a record that earned him regard as the most deadly sniper in Navy
history.
Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield, took Routh to a shooting
range on Dec. 2, 2013. Routh is accused of shooting Kyle and
Littlefield to death and stealing Kyle's truck.
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Routh was apprehended that day, charged with capital murder and
remains in the Erath County Jail on $3 million bond. His family says
he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and had been
hospitalized at a mental institution.
Kyle's estate has also had its troubles, with a jury in St. Paul
earlier this year awarding former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura
$1.8 million in damages for a passage in Kyle's book about a
supposed bar fight between the two that jurors found libelous.
This month, Ventura sued the book's publisher, HarperCollins,
seeking an unspecified amount in damages for what he claims is
unjust enrichment and defamation.
Kyle's widow, Taya, said the film felt "natural" in that it got the
story right. "The atrocity of it is that it is two really good men
who were helping somebody," she told Dallas broadcaster WFAA.
(Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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