“American Sniper” Trial: New Footage Inside Police Car Shown
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Paul Moseley/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS via Getty Images)(STEPHENVILLE, Texas) — Footage showing accused “American Sniper” killer Eddie Ray Routh in the back seat of a police car was shown Tuesday morning in a Texas court.
Lancaster police officer Flavio Salazar said Routh was more relaxed once he was inside the car after he was arrested in the slayings of Chris Kyle and Kyle’s friend, Chad Littlefield, on Feb. 2, 2013.
After that, however, Routh appeared more panicked and the officer told him to “take a deep breath,” as seen on the video shown Tuesday in the Erath County courthouse.
At one point, Salazar tries to calm him by saying, “I was in Iraq too man.”
Video of Routh in backseat of cop car being played for the jury #SniperTrial pic.twitter.com/4pAruTV8G6
— Ali Ehrlich (@ehrlichABC) February 17, 2015
Earlier in Tuesday’s testimony, Routh’s drug use was discussed as the prosecution went through some of what is expected to be its final witnesses.
Routh’s defense team asked, and was denied, a mistrial because vials that were submitted into evidence earlier in the trial were actually from the crime lab and not from Routh’s house.
A forensics expert testified Tuesday morning that no methamphetamine or PCP was found at Routh’s house, and the prosecution later clarified that marijuana was the only drug found at Routh’s home.
Texas Department of Public Safety forensic scientist Amber Moss was then called to the stand to testify about the blood found on Routh’s cowboy boots.
Moss said she was able to confirm that the boots entered into evidence Monday were worn at the gun range where the shooting took place. She went on to say that there was only a one in a 189.7 quintillion (18 zeros) chance that the blood did not belong to Chad Littlefield.
Routh faces life in prison if he is found guilty of murder charges. He has entered a not guilty plea and his defense team will be arguing that he was insane at the time of the shooting.
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