eddie ray routh found guilty in the murders of chad littlefield and chris kyle. never before video of the trial is being released tonight, and much of it is very emotional, and we will have all of it por you. we will get to the panel, and also to cnn's ed lavandera who is live outside of the courthouse in stephenville texas. and ed, we heard more of the audio from the conversations that eddie ray routh had with the "new yorker" and what did they hear here today that led to the verdict? >> well all through the testimony if anyone was hoping to hear a clear motive of why he shot and killed chris kyle and chad littlefield, they didn't get one. there was a number of explanations of the two men who were trying to help them. he talked about one point where they were not talking to him while they were driving tout the gun range. he was mad that chris kyle decided to drive him through a fast food restaurant on the way to the gun range. he felt that he was being force fed. then he was mad apparently at chad littlefield, because at one point, he had decided to stop taking

which order, chad littlefield first, and then chris kyle -- no, chris kyle first and then chad littlefieldnd what he did afterwards. >> right. and it is interesting hearing the victim statement from the littlefield statementfamily, because today was difficult for them today in court, because what the last witness testified to is that chris kyle died quickly, and he didn't see it coming and he didn't have a chance to do anything and the gunshot wounds were on one side of the body. and chad littlefield died excruciateing way, and after he shot kyle in the back he stalked around -- >> excuse me. this is chad littlefield's mother. >> i just want to say that we have waited two years for god to give us justice on behalf of our son, and god has proved to be faithful. we are so thrilled that we vhave the verdict that we have tonight. thank you, guys for being so compassionate, and treating us with respect and, and honoring us. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> thank you, ma'am. >> ed lavandera, that is judy littlefield, chad littlefield's mo mother? >> yes, you are right, don. >> and she is th

a texas jury finds eddie ray routh guilty in the murders of chris kyle and chad littlefield maybe theortant statement might have come between don littlefield as well as eddie routh. he says he wanted to become a real man but destroyed the community. told eddie he was trying to help you. he gave you this time because he liked you and he spelled his name. eddie ray routh said he did not know his name before he killed chad littlefield and chris kyle. >> quick break. we'll be right back. well, did you know pinocchio was a bad motivational speaker? i look around this room and i see nothing but untapped potential. you have potential. you have...oh boy. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. if you're suffering from constipation or irregularity powders may take days to work. for gentle overnight relief, try dulcolax laxative tablets. ducolax provides gentle overnight relief, unlike miralax that can take up to 3 days. dulcolax, for relief you can count on. doers they don't worry if something's possible. they just do it. at sears optical, we're committe

a texas jury finds eddie ray routh guilty in the murders of chris kyle and chad littlefield maybe theant statement might have come between don littlefield as well as eddie routh. he says he wanted to become a real man but destroyed the community. told eddie he was trying to help you. he gave you this time because he liked you and he spelled his name. eddie ray routh said he did not know his name before he huh, fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know words really can hurt you? what...? jesse don't go! jesse...no! i'm sorry daisy, but i'm a loner. and a loner gotta be alone. heee yawww! geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. jesse? (woman) the constipation and belly pain feel tight like a vise. how can i ease this pain? (man) when i can't go, it's like rocks piling up. i wish i could find some relief. (announcer) ask your doctor about linzess-- a once-daily capsule for adults with ibs with constipation or chronic idiopathic constipation. linzess is thought to help calm pain-sensing nerves a

a texas jury finds eddie ray routh guilty in the murders of chris kyle and chad littlefield maybe the most important statement might have come between don littlefield as well as eddie routh. he says he wanted to become a real man but destroyed the community. told eddie he was trying to help you. he gave you this time because he liked you and he spelled his name. eddie ray routh said he did not know his name before he >>> do you ever think that you might have seen things or done some things that you wish you hadn't? >> oh, that is not me, no. >> what is not you. >> i was just protecting our guys. they were trying to kill our soldiers and i'm willing to meet my creator and ask for every shot that i took. the thing that haunts me are the guys i couldn't save. >> that is from the movie "american sniper". our coverage of the guilty verdict in the american sniper trial will continue tomorrow morning. you look at taya kyle and littlefield family and one chapter of the pain that they have suffered and entour -- endured in this ended tonight. and chris kyle and chad littlefield trying to help

that chris kyle and chad littlefield were pig hybrids. the problem with that case, according to the state and the jury agreed. that eddie ray ralph fled the scene like guilty man. that is the key point in this case. you have to know that what did you was wrong and that's what the jury decided. that eddie ray ralph knew what he was doing was wrong because he fled the scene. he will spend the rest his life in the texas penitentiary. the prosecutors have decided not to speak. we did hear briefly from chad littlefield mother's jury. and in the stand in the courtroom for the victim's impact statement was the half brother jerry richardson who told off eddie ray routh exactly what the family was feeling. that they took a brother, a father, a loved one from the family. they said that he will never live that down. that he will be a murdered, labeled a murderer the rest of his life. >> so now begins that phase where not only the family members but the community there absorb what has happened over the last two years. we again as you were saying, not

watch my six said chad littlefield. watch my back, and boy, both of them were surprised and taken down in the most dramatic and horrible fashion by the man that you see on the left-hand side of of your screen. what a case has been. judge alex ferrar has been tracking this case. your thoughts on this verdict? >> not a surprise, i guess. i think, you know, most people in the legal community thought that this was a difficult case to win even in light of the fact that all insanity cases are difficult to win. this one just had a lot going for the prosecution. the defense had a strange behavior and probably was banking on the fact that the public doesn't really totally understand the difference between somebody being mentally ill, crazy in their eyes and being legally insane under the eyes of the law, and i think that the best way to put it is that there are a lot of criminals who are mentally ill. there are a lot of criminals, you know you think of a serial killer, you have to be mentally ill to be a serial killer or a pedop

also, we saw the littlefield family, chad littlefield's parents coming out of the front doors of the courthouse, also wiping away tears. i mentioned that sigh of relief. >> as a matter of fact, stay right there, casey. i understand that judy littlefield, chad littlefield was also killed with chris kyle is about to make a statement. we're going to carry that live, i think, if it's ready. not ready? okay. we go back to you, casey. apparently they have given notice they're going to give a statement at any second. we'll carry that live when they do. >> reporter: okay. >> you did bring up -- go ahead. >> reporter: i'm sorry. i wanted to point out. you mentioned taya was not in the courtroom for the verdict. that is fascinating. as i was saying earlier she has been a main stay throughout this trial. she left out of here on friday after a very long day here in court, flew to los angeles to be a part of the academy awards for the movie. and then flew on a red eye back to texas following the academy awards. so that she could be here. because closing arguments were slated to happen yesterday. b

then he spelled out chad littlefield's name. his mother showed gratitude for the jury's decision finally getting closure. >> we waited two years for god to get justice for us on behalf of our son. as always god has proved to be faithful. we are so thrilled that we have the verdict that we have tonight. >> chris kyle's wife taya not in court when the verdict was read. she stormed out cursing and slamming her hand on the wall as defense attorneys blasted routh's mother for never mentioning he had a history of emotional. now for the first time we are hearing that emotional testimony. you see her reliving the last time she spoke to her husband. >> normally going out there especially near rough creek. it is beautiful he is making their day, which is what happened earlier. the guy sounded really excited to go. he thought he was doing a good thing. you>> you were irritated. it was short i wish i could say more but i am not going to because there are people around. >> chris kyle's family has not made a public statement on the verdict. e

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 t

eddie ray routh was found guilty of the murder of chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield. the jury did not seem persuaded by routh's claim that he was not guilty by reason of insanity. again, this happened overnight. cnn's ed lavandera was at the courthouse for the verdict. ed. >> reporter: john and christine, it was a swift verdict. it took the jury here in stephenville, texas, less than 2 1/2 hours to convict eddie ray routh of the murders of chris kyle and chad littlefield. rejecting his claims and his arguments that he was insane at the time of these murders back in february of 2013. this means that eddie ray routh will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. inside the courtroom, chad littlefield's father and stepbrother spoke directly to eddie ray routh after the verdict, calling him an american disgrace. and chad littlefield's mother spoke with reporters just after the verdict in an emotional statement. >> we just want to say that we've waited two years for god to get justice for us on behalf of our son, and as always, god has proved

and chad littlefield responded, "watch my 6:00 he's right behind me." but the prosecution said we don't know what the two men thought of eddie ray routh. but when they got to the lodge, they unloaded their truck that was full of guns. a dozen or so guns were unloaded. if they thought he was that dangerous, they probably couldn't have done that. they thought they were trying to help him. instead, eddie ray routh shot them in the back one, two, three, four five six times, each man. each man had a service revolver in their hollister. they never had a chance to pull it out, because eddie ray routh surprised them, the prosecutor said, by shooting them in the back. and he asked the jury to find them guilty. they killed two men in this county. find them guilty. those were the last words the prosecutor said to the jury. and less than two hours later -- >> charles, we seem to have chad littlefield's mother now, possibly approaching the microphones outside the com. she is now approaching those microphones. >> good evening. we just want to say that we've waited tw

chad littlefield. so powerful.efield's mom saying we waited two years for god foogive us justice on behalf of our son. we're so grateful toov the verdict we have tonight. >> what we did not hear -- we sautea kyle took the stand. we did not hear what she had to say. here's a little of the emotional testimony. she was there for i believe, day one spelling out who chris kyle was and what happened the day he died. listen. >> we were at the house. and we were both trying to hurry and get to where we were supposed to go. al and so he had gone around the house one way to try to find me. and like comedy, eventually we found each other in the hall way. you know he just said he was inviting chad to come along. he said chad had come to the house. >> chad was at the house. just to have an extra set of eyes. and then he -- then i said maybe make sure that this guy knows that chad can be trusted 100% so that he's comfortable saying whatever he wants to say. he said i definitely will. and then we said we loved each other. and gav

we did, as you point out, hear from chad littlefield's mother. she's been very emotional from the beginning and today said she thanked god for this verdict. >> ryan, our thanks to you and the entire team for us there in texas. >>> coming up. driving in winter is tough no matter who you are, but especially if you have a full-blown phobia. can one woman face her worst fear? l♪ music stops ♪music resumes♪ music stops ♪music resumes♪ [announcer] purina pro plan's bioavailable formulas deliver optimal nutrient absorption. [owner] come on. [announcer] purina pro plan. nutrition that performs. thanks for inviting me to come fishing. thank mary. speaking of mary, there's something i wanted to talk to you about. well, we've still got 11 hours til we stop. sir, your daughter and i we've been together for... feel that? 236 lb-ft of torque i have to ask you something. i think i know what it is. 44 highway miles per gallon. the volkswagen passat tdi clean diesel with up to 814 hwy miles per tank. hurry in and you can get 0.9% apr for 60 months on the 2015 pas

now is the time that we want to honor and talk about our precious son, chad. >> talk about chad littlefieldt know chad her son. i knew chris. he was an amazing person. if you judge a person by the company they keep, that says a lot to me about who chad was and i think her son is definitely should be honored and remembered. i'm glad they can finally have closure. >> i hope they can. i do. just a last question about ptsd. what do you think people took away from the trial when it comes to ptsd? >> i think that people actually realizing that there's a difference between post-traumatic stress combat and a serious mental disorder and it's highlighted the state of the va in texas which they have some of the worst hospitals in the nation found out by the inspector general in 2014. helping veterans that are transitioning are important stuff. >> thanks for stopping by. appreciate it. >>> still to come in the "newsroom," as a derailed train lay on its side but instead of running away from it one man rushed toward it to help. we'll have his story next. major: here's our new trainer ensure active heart

eddie ray routh found guilty of the murder of chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield. the jury not persuaded by routh's claim he was not guilty by reason of insanity. cnn's ed lavandera was at the courthouse for the verdict. >> reporter: john and christine, it was a swift verdict. it took the jury here in stephenville texas, less than 2 1/2 hours to convict eddie ray routh of the murders of chris kyle and chad littlefield. rejecting his claims and his arguments that he was insane at the time of these murders back in february of 2013. this means that eddie ray routh will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. >> we just want to say that we've waited two years for god to get justice for us on behalf of our son, and as always god has proved to be faithful and we're so thrilled that we have the verdict that we have tonight. >> reporter: eddie ray routh showed no emotion as the verdict was read. he just stood there and took it all in, which is basically the ways' acted throughout most of this trial. there's been very little reaction from him

his words were when chad littlefield's mother testified, she said today would be chad's 38th birthday she lost her son. he said about four of the women on the jury -- 9 of the 123 jurors are women and they started crying when they heard that. at the end of the day, though, eddie roth went at least four times to the v.a. for mental issues. he was psychotic. chris kyle said this guy's nuts. it breaks your heart. this guy had two deployments. it was the iraq deployment and the haiti deployment. people forget we sent marines, including this young man. there was up to 250,000 haitians that were killed in that earthquake in 2010. that's what people like eddie had to deal with. he came back home and it really screwed with him. >> as a former prosecutor how do you read this jury? 10 women, 2 men, that's an unusual composition. >> it is. >> is that fundamentally favorable to one side or the other? >> i don't know at this point, because i think that the crux of the defense is insanity. and i don't think that's a gender issue, where you'll get more favor from either side. i think that there is a

than two hours, having to decide whether eddie ray routh was guilty of killing chris kyle and chad littlefield. this is the moment the verdict was red out. >> we, the jury find the deft eddie ray routh guilty of the offense of capital murder as charged in the indictment. signed by the foreperson of the jury. >> the judge went on to impose a sentence of life without parole. earlier defense and prosecution were given two hours to present arguments. they were there earlier. when a final witness took the

chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield. kyle's widow was the first witnessed called to the stand. during her tearful testimony she recounted her final phone conversation with her husband. earlier during opening statements defense attorney for eddie routh spoke about a text sent by his friend chad littlefield as the three men drove to the shooting range. >> chris kyle in the driver's seat on his telephone and he texts chad littlefield sitting right next to him. he texts him, this dude is straight up nuts. >> he says ralph suffered from mental illness including psychosis and ptsd but the prosecutor said there were other factors in the incident. >> not only did he know when his conduct was wrong he thought he had to take their lives because he was in danger. >> he admits that he murdered these two men, that he used drugs and alcohol that morning, and that he knew what he was doing was wrong. >> ralph has pleaded not guilty. the west coast labor dispute that caused shortages of mcdonald's fries overseas is getting worse. 29 sea

and we don't hear the name chad littlefield enough. >> good point. i'm glad you brought that up because people haven't been talking about him, but, guess what, it matters to his family and his loved ones. >> exactly. >> again, another man who was trying to help a fellow veteran. my guess is that this young man had some mental illness issues that might have even preceded his time in the service. >> exactly. >> and certainly were manifesting at the time of this incident. but, again, has to meet the legal definition. >> wonder what would happen if we were all on a helicopter and -- oh, never mind. >>> i knew i should have just hit the tease. >>> coming up -- he warned us he's got a pen. so is president obama about to use it to veto the keystone pipeline bill now headed to his desk? we'll chat next. >>> president obama said he'll veto the bill of the keystone pipeline if it made it to his desk. the senate signed off on it. i'll offer my advice to the president, but first here's speaker boehner earlier. >> even our president's own state department says th

accused killer of "american sniper" chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield.ay, the jurors heard a videotaped confession by routh. cnn's ed lavandera is following the trial for us in stephenville texas. >> reporter: he did not appear in person to speak before the jury. he appeared in the form of a two-year-old videotaped confession taped hours after kyle and littlefield were killed in 2013 in the town of lancaster. he led police on a high-speed chase and taken into custody. this is significant because it is really the first time the jury has been able to see and hear eddie ray routh in the moments and state of mind in the hours after chris kyle and chad littlefield were murdered. he comes off rambling and speaking inn coherently about his soul. a lot of issues that point to someone that was disturbed. the detective described him as someone not normal. he is repeatedly asked if he knew what he did was wrong. after initially saying he could not tell if he had done right or wrong, he said he knew what he did was wrong and if he was given the chance to speak to th

chad littlefield's mother judy spoke outside the courthouse. >> we waited two years for god to get justice for us on behalf of our son and as always god has proved to be faithful. >> reporter: a restriction on audio from court proceedings has been lifted, allowing insight into key testimony. the prosecution opened with kyle's widow taya, who spoke about the last time she saw him alive. >> we said we loved each other and kissed and hugged like we always did. >> reporter: kyle, who is portrayed in the film "american sniper" -- >> she's carrying something. >> reporter: -- was with chad littlefield at a texas shooting range with routh when he turned his gun on them. jurors did not believe routh's insanity defense and statements like this made on the night of his arrest. >> i don't know pi was insane or i don't know if i was sane. >> reporter: they were persuaded he knew what he did was wrong by evidence like this, dash cam video of routh leading police on a high-speed chase after the murders. and a confession where he was asked the question the case hinged on, whether he knew right from wrong.

chad littlefield along with chris kyle. that was another point that the prosecution made in the closing arguments. that this isn't the american sniper trial. two men died in this. chris kyle and chad littlefield. two men trying to help eddie ray routh. in fact, at the end of the trial, at the end of the sentencing phase, the families were able to give an impact statement. that was not recorded. the judge would not allow that because it was very personal. let me just read what don littlefield, chad littlefield's father said. he said our son was trying to help you. you confess that you did not even know his name when you brutally murdered him. you will have the rest of your wasted life each and every day to remember his name. his name was chad littlefield. powerful words to the man who killed him. jose? >> thank you very much. >>> and developing this morning on the west coast, new details in that commuter train crash breaking during "the rundown" here yesterday sending inging nearly 30 people to the hospital. at center of the

and outside the courtroom, chad littlefield's mother spoke with reporters in an emotional statement. >> we've waited two years for god to get justice for us on behalf of our son. and as always, god has proved to be faithful. we're thrilled that we have the verdict that we have tonight. >> reporter: routh showed little emotion as the verdict was ready, the way he's been through most of the trial. sitting there most of the time taking pages and pages of notes. now he's been found guilty of the murder of chris kyle and chad littlefield and will spend the rest of his life in prison. >>> we turn to the latest in the battle with isis. human rights activists say the self-proclaimed islamic fighters struck fear in northeastern syria tuesday by kidnapping scores of southeastern christians. >> british police believe three teenaged girls who left for turkey last week are now in syria. the fear all aas long that they were lured there to train isis. thousands of iraqi troops are gearing up with american weapons, preparing for an upcoming offensive to retake the northern iraqi city of mosul. >>> t

let me remind you, his name is chad littlefield." and then he slowly spelled it out, letter by letter. little field's mother wiped away tears as she spoke outside the courthouse. >> we've waited two years for god to get justice for us on behalf of our son, and as always, god has proved to be faithful. >> reporter: kyle's widow walked out of the courtroom earlier in the day during closing arguments by the defense. she did not return when the verdict was announced. jay gray nbc news, stephenville, texas. >>> now to new jersey and a violent gas explosion. take a look at this. it was all caught on a police dash cam. look at that. a home is all but disintegrated as debris shot into the air. the blast boomed and it was actually felt a mile away. the fire chief said some people nearby were treated for concussion-like injuries. it happened as a crew for a natural gas company was searching for a reported leak in the neighborhood. now, that explosion injured 15 people. two gas company employees are still in critical condition. >>> now let's ta

former marine eddie ray routh found guilty of killing chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield. that routh was mentally ill. littlefield's mother speaking afterwards. >> we have waited two years for god to get justice on behalf of our son and as always god has proved to be faithful. >> the judge sentenced routh to life in prison without the possibility of parole. >>> more violence in nigeria, suicide bombers striking two bus stations. at least 26 people were killed in the attacks which have been blamed on boko haram extremists. explosions triggered fires that destroyed two buses and several cars. an american missionary has been kidnapped in what is called a purely criminal act. authorities say five men kidnapped reverend phyllis sortor from the hope academy compound where she works. they are demanding $300,000 in ransom. the u.s. embassy and fbi have been notified. we turn now to a violent confrontation caught on camera at a houston gas station. take a look. a man reaching in to a woman's car there. she's filling up her tank. she realizes what is happening here and she decides t

chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield. trying to prove the con oh fegs came from a psychotic man. ed lavendera is live in stevensville texas. listening to the descriptions obviously some friends and family were concerned about ptsd when he came home from iraq. did they describe any behavior as dangerous? >> there has been a lot of talk. so far we have heard from his mother and uncle. his girlfriend on the witness stand now. his sister as well. there has been lot of focus on the month leading up to the killings of chris kyle and chad littlefield. at one point the girlfriend of oh eddie routh testifying he had held her and her roommate at knife point in the weeks before the killings. she goes on to talk about they were together on that friday night before the murders of chris kyle and chad littlefield. they were sitting around in his house. she says i asked if he was seeing things. he said yes. i asked if he was hearing things and he said yes. he got up and told me they were listening to us. they apparently referring to the

chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield back in 2013 at a gun ranging. kyle on the right, was a former u.s. navy s.e.a.l. with 160 confirmed kills while fighting as a sharpshooter in iraq. trial captured worldwide headlines as kyle at the same time was profiled across the globe in the oscar-nominated film "american sniper." >> now, our ed lavandera is in steubenville texas, and had more on the verdict including emotional reaction from families impacted by the killings. >> reporter: it was a swift verdict here in steubenville texas, where the "american sniper" jury has found eddie ray routh guilty of murdering chris kyle and chad littlefield. the verdict came in less than 2 opinion 5 hours after starting its deliberations. the jury rejecting the fraurms routh and his lawyers that the former marine of instain time of the murders. after the verdict of read chad littlefield's father and step did brother gave emotional sometimes directly to routh calling him an american disgrace. and outside the courtroom, littlefield's e's mother spoke with reporters in an e

of course it's what he says to the texas ranger hours after shooting chris kyle and chad littlefield at this gun range that may matter most. you know what you did today is wrong, right? you understand that asked the ranger. yes, sir replies routh. the judge would not allow audio to be broadcast until after the verdict. but routh further acknowledges his guilt by apologizing to the victims' families. i'd apologize for what i'd done. if i could do it differently, aid do it a lot differently. he does detail parts of the crime like who shot first. chris kyle the hero of the blockbuster "american snieter." >> if i can't see him, i can't shoot him. >> they feel invincible with youere. >> reporter: i knew if i didn't take out his soul he was there to take mine. i'm tired of playing chess with my life. prosecutors also played a series of voice mails he left. one included a bizarre rant about the weather. the defense argues the man on the voice mail and tape is sick and doesn't know what he's talking about, especially when he says he knows what did he is wrong. in all prosecutors called 26 wi

chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield.he judge quickly sentencing routh to life in prison without the possibility of parole. >> isis terrorists abducting 150 syrian christians in predawn raids. the terror group is expected to release a message today, threatening to kill them. it is the latest attack on a minority group as the group continues its bloody campaign to create a caliphate across syria and iraq. >>> chicago mayor rahm emanual face as surprise runoff after failing to get more than 50% of the votes. a political blow for the former top aide to president obama who raised more funds than his four rivals combined. he will go against cook county commissioner jesus garcia. this is the first time that a chicago mayor has been forced into a runoff. >>> the justice department will not file federal civil rights charges against george zimmerman in his shooting death of trayvon martin. trayvon martin's parents released a statement saying they are disappointed. however they thanked the justice department for its thorough invest

defendant eddy ray routh charged with the shooting death of chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield. major developments are expected today on a ruling whether the defendant's confession will be played on video in court. casy has more outside of stephenville texas. >> reporter: we are still waiting for that. the court went in recess. the videotape shoes eddy ray routh confessing to the murders when he was questioned by the authorities specifically the texas rangers. the tape has been shown in a pretrial hearing, but there is a question of whether it will be shown for the jury to see. the defenses are arguing it is inadmissible and the prosecution wants it shown. the judge will have the ultimate say sdpa and that is what we are waiting on. it will give insight on how the accused was behaving when he was caught. there is talk of him taking drugs and alcohol. and a former sheriff deputy said he heard routh confess to the murders because chris kyle and chad littlefield wouldn't talk to him in the car ride on the day of the murders. this morning the court heard four voice mails that eddy

a guilty verdict for the man who killed chris kyle and chad littlefield. littlefield's mother emotional after the decision. >> we waited two years for god to get justice for us on behalf of our son. >> this morning the littlefield family joins us for an exclusive live interview. >> unrelenting. more snow more ice, more cold from texas to delaware. boston hits a milestone overnight. 100 inches of snow and counting. winter is far from over. explosion, a home erupts into a huge fireball. 15

judy littlefield, the mother of chad littlefield, she came out of the courthouse a few moments ago and extremely emotional, understandably. >> we just want to say that we have waited two years for god to get justice for us on behalf of our son, and as always god has proved faithful and we are so thrilled that we have the verdict that we have together. thank you guys for being compassionate. and treating us with respect and honouring us. thank you very much >>> so now her son's killer eddie ray routh will spend the rest of his life in gaol with no parole. >>> thank you very much. for more we are joined by legal analyst areva martin on the phone in los angeles. as we heard from john the facts were not in question. eddie ray routh admittedly killed kyle and chad littlefiedl the only thing the jury had to decide was whether he was insane. there was evidence that he was mentally ill. but that's not enough under the law. >> absolutely. under texas law, being mentally ill is not the equivalent of being legally insane. the question is whether eddie ray routh knew what he was doing was right or

and his friend chad littlefield is playing out in the real world. >> i was just protecting my guys. they were trying to kill our soldiers and i'm willing to answer to my creator and answer for every shot that i took. you get sick you can't breathe through your nose suddenly, you're a mouth breather. a mouth breather! well, put on a breathe right strip and shut your mouth. cold medicines open your nose over time, but add a breathe right strip and pow, it opens your nose up to 38% more. so you can breathe and do the one thing you want to do sleep. add breathe right to your cold medicine shut your mouth and sleep right. breathe right. and look for the calming scent of new breathe right lavender in the sleep aisle. you, my friend are a master of diversification. who would have thought three cheese lasagna would go with chocolate cake and ceviche? the same guy who thought that small caps and bond funds would go with a merging markets. it's a masterpiece. thanks. clearly you are type e. you made it phil. welcome home. now what's our strategy with the fondue? diversifying your portfolio? e

these pictures from his time in iraq, is the man accused of gunning down kyle and his friend chad littlefield at a shooting range in february 2013. kyle leaving behind his wife tea. >> i am now and always will be the wife of a man who is a warrior both on and off the battlefield. >> reporter: today, the much-anticipated trial in texas beginning. >> and they found chris kyle shot five times in the back and side. one time in the back of the head. >> reporter: the defense claiming ralph is not guilty by reason of insanity, arguing ptsd from his time in the military made him turn the gun on two men trying to help him. >> when he took their lives, he was in the grip of a psychosis. >> reporter: first to take the stand, chris kyle's widow tea. she isn't buying ralph's defense. today in court she said as much with tears as she did with words. while the judge has banned audio recordings of witnesses, my colleague ryan owens is in the courtroom. >> one of the prosecutor's first questions, who were you married to? tea could barely whisper the words "chris kyle." >> reporter: a wife's plea to the jury m

chris kyle and chad littlefield at a gun range if 2013.car nominated film starring bradley cooper. "good morning america" will continue our coverage of this developing story right after "action news." >>> a delaware mother has arrived in massachusetts to reunite with her daughter. she disappeared with her dad late monday. we are learning more about that man this morning and he is now facing charges related to the case. "action news" reporter erin o'hearn is at the big board with brand new reaction. erin. >> good morning, matt. we saw a very emotional dawn barkus yesterday saying at a press conference that yesterday was her birthday and she had prayed she would get her thirty four yield daughter elinor back and that birthday wish did come true. after an amber alert went out across several states monday night, an fbi swat team spotted michael trotta in an apartment complex in spencer massachusetts which is about 56 miles west of boston. authorities say 43-year-old trotta who is the ex-boyfriend of barkus assaulted her monday night and then t

chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield. kyle's widow was the first witness called to the stand. she recounted her final conversation with her husband. >> chris kyle was sitting in the driver's seat on his telephone and he texts chad littlefield sitting right next to him. he texted to him, this dude is straight up nuts. he says ralph suffers from mental ill conditionses including psychosis and p tfrmthssd. prosecutors say there were other factors in the deadly 2013 incident. >> not only did he not know his conduct was wrong, he thought he had to take their lives because he was in danger. >> he admits these two men abused drug and alcohol that morning and what he knew what he was doing was wrong. >>> a new facebook policy lets you designate a friend or family member to handle your account when you dichlt they'll be able to do the very things you're doing now, accept new friend requests and even update your cover picture. >>> take a look at this. notice anything odd in this picture? police did too. they became suspicious when they saw snow had only melted on this part of a row of h

let me remind you, his name is chad littlefield and he slowly spelled it outlet ter by letter. littlefield's mother wimd away tears as she spoke outside the courthouse. >> we've waited two years for god to get justice for us on behalf of our son and, as always god has proved to be faithful. >> reporter: kyle eats widow taia walked out of the courtroom during closing arguments by the defense. she did not return when the verdict was announced. jay gray nbc news stephenville texas. >>> now to new jersey and a violent gas explosion all caught on police dash cam. a home is disintegrated as debris shot into the air. the blast so booming. it was felt a mile away. a fire chief said people nearby were treated for concussion-like injuries. it happened as a crew in the area searched for a gas leak. two gas company employees are in critical condition. >>> now to washington where there could be a breakthrough to avoid a shutdown of homeland security. mitch mccanal is willing to pass a clean deh bill. he would put his party's plan to repeal president obama's executive action on immigration u

accused killer of "american sniper" chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield.marine. routh confessed to the killing, but pleaded not guilty. cnn's ed lavandera is following the trial for us in texas. >> reporter: christine, the star witness on the fourth day of testimony in the american sniper trial was eddie ray routh himself. he did not appear in person to speak before the jury. he appeared in the form of a two-year-old video confession after chris kyle and chad littlefield were killed in 2013. he was interviewed in the town of lancaster after he led police on a high-speed chase and taken into custody. this is significant because it is the first time that this jury has been able to see and hear eddie ray routh in the moments as at least as close as possible and see his demeanor and state of mind in the hours after chad littlefield and chris kyle were murdered. on the tape he comes off rambling and speaking inn coherent coherently. this points to someone very disturbed. the detective described him as someone who wasn't normal. he is asked over and over on the

eddie ray routh is accused of murdering kyle and chad littlefield.om martin savidge. >> reporter: eddie ray routh actually did kill chris kyle and chad littlefield. where where they differ is why. the prosecution will show how the murders were carried out. both men shot multiple times with two weapons. routh carefully reloaded and fled and stole kyle's pickup truck and was apprehended in oklahoma. he did kill the men, according to the defense, but he killed as a result of the military service overseas. that sighis so important because he thought those men were going to kill them. the bombshell from the defense. from chris kyle's text on the deadly day. he is driving with his best friend and routh in the backseat. kyle texts his best friend next to him and says this guy is straight up nuts. referring to routh. and that would seem to be a very strong statement in support of the defense's claim that routh was insane. poppy. >> martin savidge, thank you. >>> coming up next, the big surprise for "house of cards" fans. how did the new season end up with on