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Sister of Vet Charged in Murder of Chris Kyle Told 911 Operator Her Brother Was ‘Psychotic’

Feb. 5, 2013 6:00pm Jason Howerton

Sister of Vet Charged in Murder of Slain SEAL Chris Kyle Told 911 Operator Her Brother Was Psychotic

FILE – This undated file photo provided by the Erath County Sheriff s Office shows Eddie Ray Routh, who was charged with killing former Navy SEAL and “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield at a shooting range southwest of Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013. Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant says Routh, 25, was shocked with a stun gun and restrained in his jail cell Sunday night after becoming aggressive. Credit: AP

MIDLOTHIAN, Texas (AP) – The sister of the Iraq War veteran charged with killing a former Navy SEAL sniper and his friend told a North Texas 911 operator that her brother was “psychotic.”

Midlothian police released the 911 call Tuesday. In it, Eddie Ray Routh’s sister says her brother came to her house and told her that he killed two people at a shooting range. The woman says she’s scared Routh may return to her house.

Routh is charged with gunning down former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield at a gun range Saturday.

Routh’s brother-in-law told the 911 operator that Routh was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was released from a mental hospital about a week ago.

Routh is jailed in Erath County on $3 million bail.

–

Glenn Beck’s charitable organization, Mercury One, is taking donations for those wishing to honor Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield.

To donate by mail:
Mercury One
PO Box 140489
Irving, TX 75014

Make checks payable to Mercury one but in the memo field please write “Chris Kyle Fund.”

–

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (53)

gimmedatfree
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 8:45pm
Empty eyes empty soul.

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MAnn33
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 3:07pm
Did you all read the statement from the family? They dont want this added to the debate over gun control. And someone stated :All assins and killers are pschotic” Are you kidding me? So are you saying Mr Kyle was and the many still protecting us are? You have no right to judge someone you dont know and served our country for many of years. Do you think he got enjoyment? Well then you didnt watch some of his interviews. PSTD needs to be more reconized by the milatary. I recently met a man retired 26 years. He said he lost count of how many times he was deployed and trying to cope with living in the real world. If you also read he knew he was suffering from PSTD and was trying to help him over come it. Reading Im not sure the shooter will ever know. Yeah my Brother was a sharpshooter he is now a Sgt. State Trooper. We will never know the whole story and really if the family doesnt want us to we need to respect that. After all Chris Kyle highly decorated, devoted to Seals and his family and died trying to help a fellow service man we should honor his life and morn his death. Not judge.

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shorelineliz
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 8:44am
@ASHES to ASHES. Yup. You nailed it. This is all Jason Bourne stuff. Easy for me. NO Brainer.

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shorelineliz
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 8:43am
All assassins and killers are psychotic. what does she think her brother did in the military? what does she think he has done since? She sure as hell doesn’t know about what the military trains people to do. listen honey, they trained your brother to kill people. To shoot he enemy. Since he got out of the military who has gotten a hold of him to do what? You don’t know do you? Have you kept up with his every move and contact? No. So, he could be doing anything you don’t know about. It is always this asinine interviews with family members that have no idea how easy it is to USE their loved ones for any purpose. If you are not with your family member 24-7 following their every move, reading all their texts and emails then you don’t know what they are up to do you? No. You don’t. They could be easily recruited into anything. They should just stop interviewing the family members of these guys. It makes them look stupid, uninformed, ignorant which they are. Guys like Eddie Ray Routh are a dime a dozen to hire to kill someone as powerful as Chris Kyle who was set to testify for Jesse Ventura. This was a PROFESSIONAL HIT.

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- RocketDuck
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 9:37am
  I wonder if one of the criteria to be an assassin of a high profile target is to go by all 3 names- Lee Harvey Oswald, John Wilkes Booth (Jack Ruby doesn’t count because his middle name was Leon).
  
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thunderbolt7
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 7:30am
Gun control is meaningless lip-service to the real problem: Psychosis.

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elderbat
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:20am
soldiers join voluntarily. they get sent to war zones in which un rules of engagement take precedence over everything, to such extent that they train local stealth jihadists only to be shot by them; if they are able to capture and detain a terrorist, hours later the terrorist gets released and is right back in the field again, doing his terror thing. they get sent back two, three times on tours because of troop shortages, they see all manner of horror and then they come home to woefully inadequate care at most va hospitals. much of the time they just get handed a bottle of pills and sent on their way. viet nam was a nightmare, in mogadishu they had to wait for orders from slick willie just to get across town to where the rangers were being tortured and dragged through the streets (read black hawk down) , un rules applied there as well. patrols were not allowed to defend themselves and were constantly harassed and being caught up in skirmishes between the warlords in the area. iraq/afghanistan: why are they still there? nation-building and appeasement has never worked. now: benghazi, the middle east being overrun with terrorists and we sell f-16s to the enemy…what on earth would that do to their mental/emotional state? wars should be fought simply: identify the threat, go in, take care of it as quickly as possible, then get out. and get us OUT of that un and its rules!!! we should not be sending our troops in and then leaving them there for years.

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- Cherise
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 8:02am
  Well said. Watch UN me. The UN is a joke. We should NOT be it. My heart breaks for the military, while they fight over seas, WE are loosing America, what do they come back to? It’s tragic.
  
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catty
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 9:32pm
How do you record mental illness so that they can’t buy a gun?

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- LadyGOP
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 6:12am
  The guy was in a mental hospital twice since September. If you know the M.O. at these places they pump people full of drugs and put them back on the street.
  
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ThomasUSA
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 9:28pm
If these situations had answers that were as simple as “right way” or “wrong way”… life would be so much easier. The trouble with mental illness is that patients may be psychotic, but they still know how to work the system. When in a hospital, that is a controlled environment, a person may seem “fine” but put them back into the real world and there are all sorts of triggers that maybe even the patient themselves are unaware of. We need to take preventative steps while soldiers are in combat roles and monitor their mental as well a physical health. When they come home, have a effective support system for readjustment to a non combat/ civilian environment. Our soldiers ARE entitled to this and more.

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suz
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 8:55pm
gotta ask this: what the hell was this guy doing at a gun range? please let this serve as a lesson, ptsd victims do not belong on a gun range. i heard glenn explain the rationale for why they are reintroduced to guns after coming home from war, but i disagree w/the overall philosophy. perhaps this won’t get better, it’ll get worse.

a couple of months ago, for the first time, i was at a gun range. i never felt more uncomfortable in my life. while these instances are rare, and honestly, i’d never heard of an incident like this before, that place scared the hell out of me.

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- ashestoashes
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 9:24pm
  Something you need to understand..obviously..this guy wasn’t psychotic when he joined up or went through the marine core..the first article that came out stated that he was a
  HIGHLY TRAINED.
  HIGHLY TRAINED
  MARINE..MARINE..MARINE
  Marines are the toughest guys out there in the military..
  HE WAS PROGRAMMED..
  HE WAS PROGRAMMED
  
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- A Hoosier Says
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 9:45pm
  I’m very comfortable at ranges, but I agree with you. People who have ptsd are not mentally stable, and I sure wouldn’t go to a range with someone who has ptsd. I wouldn’t necessarily be worried about my safety, but theirs. I know they treat veterans with ptsd by taking them out to shoot, but I think that’s like taking a recovering alcoholic to a bar to hang out.
  
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- pwatkins
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:07am
  I for one follow what you are saying ashes.
  
  Suz, don’t be afraid at the gun range, but of the criminal that could possibly kick in your door and you have no gun or afraid to pull it on him to protect yourself or your family. Get yourself some training at the range and remove the fear of the gun, because if you know how to handle the gun safely it will not hurt you as long as it isn’t pointing at you by someone that wants you dead. This is a very rare case, maybe way too rare to believe the story as we are hearing it.
  
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ginjit.dw
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:21pm
It is tragic that this hero was killed. It’s criminal that this nut was allowed to walk the streets. Oh I forgot, he has rights!!!!!!!!!

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progressiveslayer
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:01pm
He shouldn’t have been released in the first place but as usual we have to wait for the inevitable murder to take place before something is done. He’ll probably go for the insanity defense although in Texas It might not be allowed as a defense I’m not sure about that.

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- Keatonc333
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:09pm
  Too bad there isn’t some system or law in place to stop these mentally unstable people from obtaining guns huh. then maybe the murder wouldn’t be inevitable
  
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- progressiveslayer
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:35pm
  Now don’t be a smart mouth grasshopper because there’s thousand’s of laws to make sure a mental patient can’t buy a firearm and we see how well it worked huh? If he would’ve been in the psych ward where he belonged two men would be alive today. The law says the mentally ill can’t purchase a firearm,whats to stop said mental patient from stealing one or buying one on the street? Congress can make all the second amendment infringing laws they want and it’ll only keep the already law abiding citizen from buying a firearm. The criminal or nut job will get a firearm if we have one million gun laws.
  
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- RabidPatriot
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:55pm
  @Keatonc333
  The only real way to accomplish that would be to imprison or kill all of the mentally ill. We would miss you. Maybe.
  
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- ashestoashes
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 9:39pm
  @KEATON..Yes..too bad there isn’t a law against our own government being the biggest gun runners and drug dealers in the world huh? We could sure stop a lot of crime..
  
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- BryanB
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 9:53pm
  @Keatonc333
  
  There is and I’ve already given your name and address to Homeland Security………..
  
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- Keatonc333
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 4:29pm
  The laws in place really don’t mean a thing when a mentally unstable man can legally go online or to a gun show and legally buy a firearm without even giving his name.
  
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- Keatonc333
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 4:31pm
  Ashes to Ashes! I totally agree with you there! Our drug dealing and drug running is disgusting. I didn’t like it when Reagan and Nixon and Bush did it. and I especially don’t like how Clinton and Obama did it. It is a huge problem! you’ll hear no argument from me on that!
  
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GoodStuff
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:57pm
And why was he released from the mental hospital?

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- ashestoashes
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 9:48pm
  @ Good Stuff Good question..
  
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- pwatkins
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 1:12am
  It was told in one msnbc report that he lived at Camp Lejeune prior to his current address, then we hear he was diagnosed with PTSD weeks before, but yet I heard he was in the reserves after four years of service.
  
  This makes me question what may have happened if you know what I mean. If you don’t get the point I am trying to make …oh well. Not going to be labeled as crazy by liberals because I have questions. Found this was going on where he may have recently been……
  http://www.americanspecialops.com/photos/usmc/special-reaction-team-usmc.php
  
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- ashestoashes
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 8:29am
  @PWATKINS Thanks..I tried going to the site you provided..could not find it this morning..but this is what I found on another site that stated they got it from the special ops site
  The U.S. military confirmed Sunday that Routh was on active duty in the Marines from 2006 to 2010, and is currently a reservist. A specialized armorer, he served in Iraq in 2007 and in Haiti following a devastating earthquake in 2010, and received several medals, including one for good conduct
  
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Bub47
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:54pm
I think gun ranges will be closing anyway. Who can afford ammo these days.
Glenn’s sponser Cheaper Than Dirt .308 caliber Lake City box of 500 rounds – intem# AMM-723
Jan 2013 Catalog price $349
Online price last week $599
Current online price – sold out
Somebody is making a killing (no pun) since cost of materials and labor have not changed in one month.

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- jungle J
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:03pm
  quit buying beer and going to movies….it is simple….get your priorities in order.
  
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- ashestoashes
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 9:47pm
  JUNGLEJ Man you’ve got that right..people should get their priorities straight and quit patronizing the moviestars..the majority of them work for the globalist Communist machine..they need to have their dough pulled out from under them.
  
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loveoursoldiers
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:45pm
Glenn implied on his radio show today that he has some inside info. Did anyone else hear this? he said something like ‘ I better not go on because I might just say what I know’

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mikenleeds
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:44pm
this is really sad , another mentally ill man allowed to walk the streets is why this happened, guns has nothing to do with a person being crazy or evil , we use guns to defend ourselves from people like this

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- Keatonc333
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:08pm
  The fact that the mentally ill man walking the streets was able to purchase a fire arm might have a little to do with it too.
  
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Polarized America
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:36pm
..it says he was released from a mental hospital about a week ago.??
doesn’t say a V.A. Hospital ..ya know the people that might know a thing or two about PTSD !!!!!!

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DougHuffman
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:36pm
Doctor warns: Obama taking over psychiatry http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/doctor-warns-obama-taking-over-psychiatry/

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- loveoursoldiers
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:49pm
  According to a report I read that dates back to before the 08 election and is very detailed.. Obama was a CIA operative in Pakistan in the 80s and was very good at what he did.
  If that is true he would certainly know about all these deceptive techniques.
  I see him still acting like a double agent. His real identity is unknown to either his supporters or his opponents
  
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- Keatonc333
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:13pm
  Loveoursoldiers.. That article you read was written by washed up fiction author Jerome Corsi and has no basis in the truth.
  
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- Margyt
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:21pm
  Doug, thanks for the link to this excellent article. It is “spot on”. I have been very uncomfortable with all of the talk about addressing mental health issues instead of gun control for exactly this reason. In this current climate of “whatever you can get away with is right” liberalism, we are all at risk of being labelled “crazy” just for having beliefs that conflict with liberal theology. They will conflate the two issues if they can and then we will have died of a self-inflicted wound. Love, I can’t imagine BO in the CIA. That requires some personal risk and courage. It would be fun to imagine, though, if I could stand thinking about him.
  
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InfiniteSolutions
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:34pm
While everyone is talking about this tragedy, it is, th one point I want to make is what was Eddie Routh’s life like before he went into the service? Where did he take that turn in the fork road and on the path of destruction? Is our military seriously screwing up our American Soldiers minds or is this guy just and always has been unstable. If he was unstable then how did he end up in the service to begin with. Tragedy yes! For Chris Kyle and the other person nobody knows, Yes! For Eddie Routh, Yes! WE NEED AN INVESTIGATION TO THE THE REASONS WHY THIS HAPPENED SO WE CAN LEARN FROM IT. SOCIETY MORAL FABRIC IS ERRODING, GET IT!

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- Margyt
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:08pm
  You may be right or he may just have developed a serious mental illness after getting out of the service. Schizophrenia, for example, often first presents in young adulthood. It is also possible that drugs were involved. No question people can come back from war messed up in lots of ways. All the more reason to make wars as aggressive as needed to get the job done as quickly as possible. You are definitely right that we need to know more before coming to conclusions about how to “fix” the problem.
  
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- shorelineliz
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:16pm
  Manchurian Candidate. Look up the reference. This was a “hit”.
  
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- catty
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:46pm
  It is commen in men his age to develop mental illness quickly. And it is commen to misdiagnose. I have been through it with a good friend and it is very scary and sad.
  
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Margyt
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:22pm
I have been trying to find out Routh got the gun. Did he bring it with him or get it at the range? If he got it at the range, I guess shooting ranges are part of the “gun problem” and need to be closed.

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- harley3
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:36pm
  Please tell me that you are just kidding! What do you think people do at shooting ranges? Most everyone has a gun because they are there for target practice, shooting competitions or just to have fun putting holes in paper. Clearly they did not know how disturbed the man they were trying to help really was.
  
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- Margyt
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:00pm
  Of course I was kidding about closing the ranges. I was not kidding about wondering where he got the gun. Put don’t be fooled. It will be brought up in the debate over gun laws.
  
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- Dirtdigger67
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:11pm
  Does the word Troll mean any thing to you?
  
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BlasberryStrat
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:20pm
This whole thing is “Liberal Ammo” to force the issue for banning ALL guns. No conspiracy theories. Simple facts. As this entire story unfolds, the more “tragedy” the Libs can use for their argument of “mental health not being enough, and ‘this’ proves the need for a full ban on weapons”.

Just watch and listen to the arguments and “Lib pressure” over the next couple of weeks.

Although – there is an unbelievable bit of “timing” for this type scenario to happen. And again, Ms. Nancy Pelosi stays very – very quiet.

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KevINtampa
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:10pm
Soon if you are diagnosed with PTSD your right to defend yourself, your family, and your neighbors with a firearm will be removed.

If you are on SSRIs or MAOIs get off of them if you want any chance at keeping your guns. Obviously, check with your doctor first.

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netmail
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:09pm
Who cared for this dude before he met Chris and Chad?? Bet THEY knew he was psychotic too. Where’s the conversation about the state of mental health care in this country?? There isn’t one!

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- KevINtampa
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:12pm
  Just like Lanza he should have been in a mental ward; instead we let the loonies roam as they will act all surprised when they do something crazy. What else were we to expect? Hell, nearly 90% of congress is certifiable.
  
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- SocialistSlayer
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:12pm
  Especially for Vets ! You are going to see a lot more of this over the coming years – just like after Vietnam !
  
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- netmail
  Posted on February 5, 2013 at 6:20pm
  It’s impossible for us to be shocked or surprised anymore…just sad and angry. Liberals and Progressives enable ALL of this crap.
  
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