The man who allegedly killed Navy SEAL and sniper Chris Kyle, the man who inspired the Oscar-winning film American Sniper , may have taken some tips from Seinfeld about how to act crazy.
Last week, one doctor told the court that Routh “did know what he was doing and did it anyway,” when he shot Chris, People reported. Later on, another doctor said the same, noting that Routh was drunk or high when he allegedly shot Kyle and another man; they insist drug use worsened Routh’s personality disorder.
Whether or not Eddie Ray Routh was insane when he allegedly shot Kyle is at the heart of the defense in his ongoing murder trial , which comes as American Sniper picked up an Oscar Sunday night.
The testimony last week in the real-life trial adds an odd layer to the story of Chris Kyle’s murder.
Psychologist Randall Price said Routh allegedly believed Chris and the other shooting victim, Chad Littlefield, were pig assassins sent to kill others. He claimed Routh also learned how to act insane from an episode of Seinfeld . The reason? To build a defense against shooting Chris Kyle, whose distinction as the military’s most lethal sniper inspired the film American Sniper .
The inspirational Seinfeld episode in question centers on Kramer, who believes at one point that he saw a “pig man – half man, half pig,” Price said, and that the creatures were sent by the government. But how did Routh make the connection between Chris Kyle and Seinfeld?
Price noted that Routh apparently has a TV in his cell and had told someone he’d been watching the show. According to Radar Online , Routh told another psychologist that these pigs – and maybe Chris and Chad, as well – were “taking over the world and that his girlfriend was a ‘pig hybrid .’” He also believed his co-workers were trying to kill and cannibalize him.
At the Chris Kyle murder trail Friday, Price was asked whether this pig-talk was “setting the stage.” Price said yes, according to People .
“He knew he was in trouble and was setting the stage for, ‘It wasn’t my fault.’ “
Also suspicious: After his arrest for Chris Kyle’s murder, Routh allegedly told an officer in the squad car that he’d been “paranoid and schizophrenic all day,” noted another psychologist, Dr. Michael Arambula.
“People with a severe mental illness have difficulty saying that they do. He was showing his hand. In other words, he was looking to get out of what he’d done.”
This also doesn’t jive with his behavior just before he allegedly shot Kyle and Littleton, Arambula continued.
“He had his back to both Chris and Chad, who had guns. That’s very significant to me. If someone is suspicious, much less paranoid about someone, you’re not going to turn your back on them when they have all these guns. It’s just not going to happen.”
Once Chris Kyle and Chad Littleton were dead, Routh apparently felt remorse, People reported.
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