As Eddie Ray Routh sat motionless at the defense table Monday, Texas jurors watched him confess on videotape to the fatal shootings of "American Sniper" Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield.
Routh, 27, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to capital murder charges in the Feb. 2, 2013, killings at the shooting range of Rough Creek Lodge and Resort, southwest of Dallas. His attorneys say Routh, a former Marine corporal, was in the grip of a medically diagnosed psychosis.
Prosecutors played an hour-long video Monday in the Stephenville, Texas, courtroom of Routh's interview with an investigator after his arrest. As the questioning begins, Routh doesn't answer directly, rambling about flying pigs and people feeding on his soul.
But then he confesses that he shot Kyle first, saying, "I knew if I did not take out his soul, he was coming to take mine next." Asked at least three times, whether he understands that what he did was wrong, Routh answers "right" and "yes, sir."
Finally, Routh apologizes: "I'm just sorry sorry for what I've done, you know, and we can work this out. ... I guess I need to be doing more things in this town than hurting people.
An Erath County sheriff's sergeant, meanwhile, testified Monday that Routh appeared to be "under the influence" after was arrested. He said Routh was put into a "detox situation" at the county jail and has been receiving medication daily.
IN-DEPTH
- 'American Sniper' Trial Kicks Off With Range Far Beyond the Courthouse
- Eddie Ray Routh Shot 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle Because 'They Wouldn't Talk to Me'
