this this is "nightline." tonight, breaking news in the american sniper trial. the verdict is in for eddie ray routh, found guilty of capital murder after shooting legendary military hero chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield. snow ice and sleet this season causing a nightmare scenario for any driver but especially for people with a winter driving phobia. tonight one woman hits the road in the toughest conditions. we help her face her fear. and behold the glory that is "glory." an original song that has david oyelowo weeping at the oscars. even oprah's not immune to a

tearjerker tune. so what is it about the sadness in songs that tugs at our heartstrings. but first, the "nightline" five. new always discreet underwear. now bladder leaks can feel like no big deal. bulldog: you don't need superpowers to help someone. sometimes, all it takes is a warm heart and a cold nose. that's why mattress discounters good deed dogs is raising money to train service dogs for people with disabilities. i would never imagine a life without an assistance dog ever again. i relied on people a lot. he helps me live a more independent life. bulldog: we need your help to do more. give at mattressdiscountersdogs.com,

or any mattress discounters. mattress discounters good deed dogs helping dogs help people good evening. we have breaking news as we come on the air tonight. the verdict is in for the

american sniper trial. the jury finding eddie ray routh guilty of murdering chris kyle and chad littlefield. a poignant final chapter to a story that continues to captivate our country. >> all rise! >> after mean days of an involved and emotional murder trial, the judge delivered the jury verdict in this hushed courtroom. >> we the jury find defendant eddie ray routh guilty as charged in the indictment. >> eddie ray routh found guilty of capital murder of chris kyle and chad littlefield. the jury of ten women and two men rejected his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. an epilogue to the story of chris kyle played by bradley

cooper in "american sniper." we know that routh pulled the trigger. that was never in dispute. the question after weeks of testimony from almost 30 witnesses, it all boiled down to this. was routh a cold-blood murderer or was he mentally ill. he didn't know right from wrong. the jury voted guilty. >> confinement for life without the possibility of parole. >> late tonight, chad's mother judy littlefield briefly addressed the cameras. >> we waited two years for god to give justice for us on behalf of our son. and, as always, god has proved to be faithful. and we're so thrilled that that we have the verdict that we have tonight. >> chris kyle's widow had returned to texas after a weekend trip to the oscars, where she watched the red

carpet, clutching her husband's dog tags and speaking to our own robin roberts. >> i know it was very important for you to be here tonight, tell us why. >> i wanted to be here to represent chris, obviously. and it's not the ideal time to do that but i still want to embrace everything that he should be here to do with me. >> "american sniper" was nominated for six oscars and has grossed $400 million. the movie casts a large shadow over the trial as both sides wrapped up their case tonight. the prosecution and defense painting two very different pictures of the accused killer. >> he's gone to the well the deep well too many times. it's time for it to stop. >> if he doesn't know what he's doing, he's not capable of answering that question. you can ask if the sky's purple regardless of what the answer

is -- >> the prosecution says he faked mental illness for the insanity plea. >> the defense says routh was suffering from schizophrenia. it's been two years since routh killed the men at a gun range at what was meant to be a therapeutic session to help him deal with post-traumatic stress. the 911 phone call and the sequence of events that followed closely scrutinized in a trial that captured the nation's attention. and tonight for the first time we are given access to the audio of the trial. >> the state calls taya kyle. >> the prosecution opened the trial two weeks ago on an emotional note calling his widow to the stand. >> who were you married to prior to february 2nd, 2013? >> chris kyle. >> with those dog tags in hand she tearfully recounted the last time she saw her husband.

>> gave a kiss and a hug like we always did. >> kyle said she could tell something was wrong when her husband called her from the gun range. >> didn't seem like normal chris? >> no, because normally going out there, it's beautiful. he feels really good about helping somebody. usually he's making their day, and he knows it. which is what you know had happened earlier. he thought that the guy sounded really excited to go. so he thought he was doing a good thing. >> he sounded irritated when you talked to him that afternoon? >> yeah. it was very short. and it wasn't short like hey, we're having a good time. it was short like i wish i could say more but i am not going to because there are people around. >> shortly after that conversation, routh shot both kyle and littlefield multiple times, he fled in kyle's truck leading police on a high speed

chase up to 100 miles per hour. one officer rams the truck, but it doesn't stop routh. the chase continues until mechanical problems force the truck to stop in the middle of the interstate. routh gets out hands in the air, and is swarmed by officers. the prosecution even provided another angle of his take down to show that routh is fleeing from police, which they say he knew what he did was wrong. the jurors also heard confession tapes. here he is in the police interrogation video, head down on the table, hands cuffed behind his back. he sits up when the texas ranger walks in and asks him what he did. routh gives rambling answers. last week the prosecution called two witnesses who said that he was not insane. he knew what he was doing and did it anyway. he spent more than ten hours interviewing routh. he says routh was a heavy

drencher and marijuana smoker who was drunk and high when he shot the two men at this texas gun range. the defense on the other hand closed its case with a different doctor, a psychiatrist who says routh was a schizophrenic and was so paranoid he thought coil and littlefield were pig assassins, sent to execute him as part of pigs taking over the earth. but prosecutors say he made up the pig story after watching too much tv. they say he's a fan of seinfeld and boss hog. a series of voice mails were played routh left on chris kyle's phone before the shooting. one included a bizarre rant about the weather. he concludes the than on the phone is sick and doesn't know what he's talking about. >> he's in a delusion. he believes in his mind that they're going to kill him. >> the jury also got a chance to see routh in the back of a police cruiser just after his arrest. when the officer asks if he's

okay, he says i've been paranoid schizophrenic all day. i don't even know what to make of the world right now. i don't know if i'm insane. the defense also says he suffers from post-traumatic stress. but brandon webb insists it's a treatable diagnosis, not a defense for murder. >> i believe he was mentally ill, and that's a big difference. and had chris known that this was a person that was suffering from mental illness, not, not a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress, i don't think chris would have ever found himself on the shooting range with this guy. >> guilty of the felony offense of capital murder as charged. >> tonight, the jury found routh to be sane when he killed the men, handing down the guilty verdict, putting him away with life in prison with no possibility of parole. a dramatic real-life ending to the "american sniper" saga.

ryan, tell us what you're seeing. >> reporter: well, let's start with those deliberations. a lot of people surprised, only two and a who have hours, that's it. the clerk telling us an hour of that was for dinner. the thought is that short deliberations mean guilty. that's what we got here. chris kyle's widow has been here every day of this nine-day trial, but surprisingly, she was not in the courtroom when the verdict was read. earlier today she was overwhelmed and got up and left and did not come back. we did hear from chad littlefield's mother saying she thanked kbaudgod for this verdict. coming up next on "nightline," driving in winter is tough no matter who you are,

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if you have a if you have a fear of heights, you probably try to stay away from high places right? for people who suffer from a fear of winter weather, be devastating.

>> reporter: snow ice, causing pileups. i've been stuck here for an hour, at a stand still. stranded drivers. most of us still brave the roads. for people like amy andrews, even the thought of driving in winter causes overwhelming white knuckle panic terror. she is crippled by fear. >> cleaning off my car is like a major anxiety. i know i now have to get in my car and go somewhere. >> reporter: over 2,000 people are killed every year in winter-weather-related accidents. this is enough to put some into a full-blown phobia. >> it's something i just can't do. if i absolutely have to drive in

this bad weather, the whole time i'm shaking, and i don't breathe properly. my whole body is tense right now. >> reporter: amy lives in new england. which has been battered by record-breaking snowfall this winter. this blizzard is unrelenting. the snow continues to blow sideways, piled up and drifted. her phobia has made normal life nearly impossible. >> i had lunch plans today. and the minute the s-word, snow came into the forecast, i freaked out. >> reporter: forcing her to call in sick to work. >> i just don't like missing work. i'm a hard worker, i like to be there. >> reporter: and checks the weather obsessively. >> i look at this hourly forecast probably five or six times. >> reporter: but amy is determined to conquer her fear. >> it just seems like something stupid to be held back by. it's winter i live in new england.

i should be used to this. >> reporter: so she is taking a bold step. >> i'm going to steamboat springs to learn how to drive in snow. >> reporter: agreeing to let fight line send her to a complementary class at this winter driving school in steamboat springs, colorado. >> a car is just a giant tool. and the tool responds to the input of the operator. >> reporter: the track is made entirely of snow and ice, a challenging course even for me someone used to hazardous driving conditions. i totally panicked. i hit the brakes and did exactly what you told me not to. >> and panic always makes the situation worse. >> reporter: and for amy, panic may be too much to handle. >> i want to face that fear and get out on the ice track, and knowing that i am going to be purposefully spinning out really is making me nervous.

>> reporter: and trouble starts before she even gets to the track. >> i'm not going anywhere. >> reporter: she gets stuck on an icy road. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: already, the first stages of panic set in. >> i don't know what to do. i know i'm going to cry in a minute. >> reporter: amy gives up and her car gets towed all before class even starts. very much like your jeep liberty, this is a full-sized four-wheel drive. >> reporter: the bridge stone track is a closed course and the head instructor will be with her the entire time. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: but as amy slides into the driver's seat, she's already a nervous wreck. struggling to breathe. >> deep breath. >> okay. >> next orange cone. no brakes. >> no brakes. >> no brakes.

feels okay? >> yeah. >> now, if you had touched the brakes, because you're going down a hill, that would have not felt so great. so there are times when the brakes are going to be your enemies. and often in winter driving, your brakes are your enemies when conventional wisdom wants the brakes. >> reporter: slowly she begins to relax. >> each time i do it i feel a little stronger a little more confident. >> reporter: knowing that there's no one else on the road she won't spin out of control. >> hard, hard, hard. >> reporter: even while braking on a snow-covered hill. >> that wasn't so bad. >> reporter: and by the end, she is all smiles. >> i wish i had taken a class like this ten, 15 years >> seeing how she stopped hyperventilating made me feel good. >> reporter: and ready for whatever old man winter has for

her next. >> i'm definitely ready for this one. >> reporter: i'm rob marciano in steamboat springs, colorado. i'm supposed to be charming. >> "into the woods" chris pine showed his sensitive side at the oscars, but what had him and others bursting into tears? abc "nightline," brought to you by macy's. ghtline," brought to you by macy's. i'm louis, and i quit smoking with chantix. quitting smoking is a challenge and it's a lot easier to go into a fight when you've got somebody that's got your back. having chantix as a partner made it

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i love this new sirachi burger. it's siracha. sluracha? no. si-rah-chah. siriracha. no. watch how i say it. si-rah-cha. that's not helping. bam! that's jack's new spicy sriracha burger comin' in all hot and melty with jalapeños and bacon! but the best part? it's not just sriracha sauce it's creamy sri-rah... slur-rah cha... whatever it's called, it's awesome sauce. we all watched as hollywood titans teared up listening to "glory" at the oscars but

everyone has that particular song that puts a lump in your throat. it can even summon waterworks. the question is why. here's abc's david wright. >> reporter: an oscar-worthy anthem, "glory", from "selma", moving the star-studded audience in the dolby theater to tears. how is it that great songs trigger our emotions? the music itself inspiring us or inviting our empathy. ♪ neveri'll find someone like you ♪ >> reporter: any adele song, or whitney houston singing the national anthem music has always had that power, but why? this is a music professor at

columbia university. he was able to pull apart "glory" on the spot just after listening to it once. >> this particular song, that's a minor song. that's a major chord. >> reporter: one of the tricks they use is something called the appogism a ism appogiatura. it's something adele uses. it's not just that songs are happy or sad, more that they take us along for a ride. even pharrell's "happy." >> "happy" is -- >> reporter: a full range of happy. happy and sad together like salt and caramel, that's why it

feels so good. >> salted caramel indeed. what makes your lip quiver? let us know what makes you weepy. world news is coming up soon with breaking news. as always we're online at abc news.com.

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