A former Marine has been sentenced to life in prison
Eddie Ray Routh
Washington: A former Marine has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted of murdering the US Navy Seal whose story inspired the blockbuster movie American Sniper.
After deliberating for less than three hours, jurors unanimously rejected claims from Eddie Ray Routh, 27, that he was not guilty on grounds of insanity when he killed famed sniper Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield at a Texas shooting range in February 2013.
The two-week trial in Erath County, about 160 kilometers southwest of Dallas, attracted massive media attention across America. And it coincided with the release of Clint Eastwood's controversial movie based on Kyle's experiences in Iraq. The jury of two men and 10 women found Routh guilty with a unanimous vote.
Erath District Court Judge Jason Cason sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. It was a capital case, but prosecutors took the death penalty off the table before the trial started, WP said.
( Source : AP )
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