Former deputy: Routh said, ‘I shot them because they wouldn’t talk to me’

When former Erath County sheriff’s Deputy Gene Cole took the witness stand Friday afternoon, no one knew what he was going to say.

And people certainly didn’t expect the bombshell that he dropped.

Cole testified that on June 22, 2013, he was called to the Erath County Jail to assist jailers. He was only there about 30 minutes, he said, but it was long enough to overhear capital murder suspect Eddie Routh make an alarming statement about why he killed Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and his best friend, Chad Littlefield, on Feb. 2, 2013, at an Erath County shooting range.

“I heard Mr. Routh say, ‘I shot them because they wouldn’t talk to me. I was just riding in the back seat of the truck and nobody would talk to me. They were just taking me to the range, so I shot them. I feel bad about it, but they wouldn’t talk to me. I’m sure they have forgiven me.’”

And with that, Cole left the stand, and state District Judge Jason Cashon recessed for the weekend. Cole was among more than a dozen witnesses who testified this week during Routh’s trial in Stephenville. The 27-year-old former Marine is accused of gunning down Kyle, 38, and Littlefield, 35, during what was supposed to be a therapeutic outing to help Routh cope with civilian life.

Defense attorneys Warren St. John, Tim Moore and R. Shay Isham are arguing that Routh is not guilty by reason of insanity — a seldom-used defense that requires them to prove that Routh was suffering from a severe mental disease or defect that prevented him from knowing that his conduct was wrong at the time of the double slaying.

Prosecutors Alan Nash and Jane Starnes don’t dispute that Routh was a troubled veteran, but they maintain that he knew his actions were wrong when he opened fire, shooting Kyle six times with a .45-caliber weapon and Littlefield seven times with a 9 mm handgun at Rough Creek Lodge and Resort, southwest of Glen Rose. After the slayings, Routh stole a 9 mm handgun engraved with a Navy anchor and fled in Kyle’s black pickup.

Routh was arrested hours later after leading Lancaster police on a 6-mile chase that ended when Kyle’s pickup died on Interstate 35E, near Wheatland Road in south Dallas. Two weapons — the 9 mm handgun and a rifle found between the passenger and driver’s seats — were recovered from the stolen truck.

As prosecutors continued laying out their case Friday, they called a witness who gave the jury of 10 women and two men insight into Routh’s life and his actions leading up to the slayings.

According to court testimony, Routh served four years in the Marines, primarily as a small-arms technician. He served tours of duty in Iraq and Haiti but was probably most affected by his humanitarian work in Haiti.

“He had lost his desire for life,” said his uncle James Watson, who was subpoenaed by the prosecution. “He didn’t seem to find much joy in life after he came back.”

Watson said Routh was depressed and frustrated that he was living with his parents and had had trouble landing a good job. He had been in and out of veterans hospitals and was on medication.

On the morning of the slayings, Watson testified, Routh’s girlfriend called him and said she and Routh had argued. She asked him to go to Routh’s house and calm him down.

Watson said that when he arrived, Routh’s girlfriend was gone. He said he and Routh smoked marijuana and talked about his life and religion.

At one point, Watson heard someone walking up the driveway.

“I told Eddie that someone was at his house, and he got up to meet him,” Watson said. “I heard someone introduce himself and say, ‘You must be Eddie.’”

And then, Watson said, Routh was gone.

“He left, abruptly,” Watson testified. “… He had mentioned in passing that he was going to a gun range that afternoon. I knew he was going with Chris Kyle, but I didn’t know who Chris Kyle was.”

Watson said he locked up Routh’s home, checked that his dog had food and water, and returned to his home in Alvarado for a nap.

A few hours later, Watson said, Routh showed up at his house displaying a 9 mm handgun and driving a black Ford pickup.

“He said, ‘Check out my truck,’” Watson testified. “‘… I’m driving a dead man’s truck.’”

This story was originally published February 13, 2015 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Former deputy: Routh said, ‘I shot them because they wouldn’t talk to me’."