is a way to look at this case differently, and i forgot the man's name the navy s.e.a.l. -- >> brandon webb i apologize mr. webb. and i though that my brother served and my father served in world war ii, and there are thousands and thousands of vet vans cominge veterans coming back and starting with vietnam and afghanistan, and they rare coming back, and they are heroes arkped it is getting to be taking hundreds of billions of dollars to do it, but if we can avoid these circumstances to treat the veterans the way they need to be treated, maybe this will be avoided today. >> and we have so much more to be released today. and we have breaking news tonight with the sentencing of eddie ray routh found guilty of murder in the trial of the murders of chad littlefield and chris kyle. ely. for tomorrow is another fight. the 2015 m-class. see your authorized dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could soon become number one in oil. beca

. >> reporter: brandon webb has also battled ptsd insisting it's a treatable diagnosis, not a defense for murder. >> i don't believe he suffered from ptsd. i believe he was mentally ill, and i think that's a big difference. and had chris known that this was a person that was suffering from mental illness, 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. >> reporter: over the next few days, the defense is expected to call more members of eddie routh's family to a jury made up mostly women ten women, two men. >> i'd be more concerned about it's texans. is it enough for the defense to say there's evidence that this guy was mentally ill for him to therefore not be held responsible. >> not enough to just say he was mentally ill. you have to be able to demonstrate that the mental illness was so severe that he didn't understand that what he was doing was wrong. >> reporter: however the trial ends, the debate over ptsd mental health the high price our veterans pay all of it will linger for a long time as

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 sh

. >> reporter: brandon webb kyle's sniper instructor, has battled ptsd insisting it's a treatable diagnosis, not a defense for murder. >> i don't believe he suffered from ptsd. i believe he was mentally ill. and i think that's a big difference. and had chris known that this was a person that was suffering from mental illness, 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. >> reporter: back in the courtroom today, the prosecution argues the same sentiment. >> mental illnesses don't deprive people of the ability to be considered to know right from wrong. still obey the law. and at the very least not murder them. >> reporter: the defense argues the system may have failed him. >> eddie ralph was suffering from a severe mental disease that he did not know his conduct was wrong. >> reporter: however eddie ray ralph's trial ends the debate over ptsd mental health, the high price our veterans pay, all will linger a long time, as will the legacy of chris kyle the american sniper who risked his life to serve hi

. >> brandon webb is a. >> former navy seal. orrespondent who was hit by a roadside bomb. i want to start with you, brandon. you were the head instructor in the navy seal sniper program that trained chris kyle. and i'm wondering, is there a particular personality type that lenlds itself to becoming a sniper? >> i think the guys that excel as a sniper have an ability to manage stress and make complex decisions under pressure. and we look for those candidates. we put them in situations, artificially induced, very high levels of stress to see who has it and who doesn't. >> and do you think that that somehow is a buffer against pts when they come home? >> i think the special operations community as a whole has a much lower rate or frequency of guys that don't deal with ptsd effectively. especially as a sniper, we look for those individuals that have those characteristics that can deal with terrible situations and be able to make these decisions very quickly and make complex calculations for wind and lead, and sometimes even the spin

i want to bring in brandon webb. his latest book "among heroes" is available now.ome to its conclusion. does that surprise you? >> no. watching the tape i think it's a clear case in texas they have clarity around do you know right from wrong opposed to insanity defense so i think the guy that i watched on the tape seemed like somebody that would know right from wrong and knew what he was doing that way. >> jurors were interviewed on abc's "good morning america" and some thought that eddie ray rout routh would use ptsd as an excuse. >> understanding someone in a combat environment and knowing this guy claimed to seeing combat but we now know he never was in combat so post traumatic stress is a crutch and it is a guy suffering from some sort of mental disorder and the sad thing is the mom, his mother didn't reveal any of that stuff and i know chris. i know had he known history of violence the drug abuse, threatening to kill his own family there's no way he would take the guy out there that day. >> definitely not. also on nbc this morning, chad littlefield's mother ap

now i want to bring in brandon webb former navy seal who trained chris kyle. also the co-author of the book "american sniper" which the movie is based on. i want to ask you this jim. you heard ed say in the last program, he is a legend in stevenville. "american sniper" is the most popular, best-selling war movie ever. you co-authored it. what do you make of the judge saying if you've read the book and seen the movie, that doesn't automatically disqualify you as a juror? >> i don't think that's surprising because so many people have seen the movie or read the book. if we always cut it off that -- if you know something about the person that you can't be a juror, then no famous person could ever have justice. so the jurors when they go into the jury room they have to try to put that all out of their mind and be objective. >> people are questioning, critics are questioning kyle's choice to go to a gun range, with someone who is suffering from pts d? >> my personal opinion is that this guy wasn't suffering from post-traumatic stress. he was obviously mentally distu

brandon webb is a former navy s.e.a.l. who helped train chris kyle, author of "among heroes."f was hit by a roadside bomb in 2006, while reporting on the iraq war. it's great to have all of you here for this discussion. i want to start with you, brendon, because you have a fascinating job. you were the head instructor in the navy s.e.a.l. sniper program that trained chris kyle. i'm wondering, is there a particular personality type that lends itself to becoming a sniper? >> i think the guys that really excel as a sniper have a -- an ability to really manage stress and make complex decisions under pressure. and we look for those candidates. like you and i were talking earlier before the segment, we put them in situations artificially induced high levels of stress who see who has it and who doesn't. >> do you think that somehow is a buffer against pts, when they come home? >> i think the special operations community as a whole has a much lower rate, or frequency of guys that don't deal with ptsd effectively. they show up to training and make it through because they have an abilit

i talked to one, a man named brandon webb who was a navy s.e.a.l.ith chris kyle a and talked about that moment and a lot of the friends mention eded that moment driving out to the gun rapg, and to a lot of the friends it gives them chills when they think about what was going on in the car that day. >> and chad littlefield was a week or so from the 36th birthday and 35 at the time. and the family described him in the obituary saying that he was a regular guy and taking care of business, and happy spending time with his family and friends friends, and that is what they wrote in the obituary that was published in 2013. they called him the rock. saying that he was always there when they needed him and responsible, and dependable and there to console loved ones, and a workout buddy of chris kyle. as i am looking here at the feed. they are giving -- >> on behalf of shay and i, we en enjoyed working with you, and y'all made our job easy. >> nobody else is expected to come out to the podium? >> no no more statements to be made. no, they are all leaving. ple

former navy seal brandon webb with the navy seal sniper program was friends with chris kyle. >> i got to know chris when he was a new guy checking in to seal team 3. >> reporter: he himself had ptsd and given terrible posttraumatic stress care at a different v.a. hospital. never clearly informed if the powerful drugs he were given were safe to take at the same time. >> i don't hold all of the blame on the v.a. but they should have done a much better job of diagnosing this guy. and you certainly don't let somebody like that just out on the street and throw back pills at the situation. >> reporter: listen to this from this texas congresswoman berniece johnston. >> i was a nurse at the veteran's administration here in dallas. >> reporter: the chief psychiatric nurse. eddie ray routh's hospital. congresswoman johnson worked in the 1970s and said today, she receives complaints from v.a. employees saying they're afraid to lose their jobs if they speak out to hospital administrators about patient care sometimes being compromised. >> you cannot manage an institution by intimidation and think