‘American Sniper’ trial puts rural Texas town in unwanted spotlight

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — A man in weathered work boots and a flannel jacket butters his popcorn at the local movie house before ambling into the 6:50 p.m. showing of “American Sniper” — the blockbuster war film about famed former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.

Few in this tranquil town — the self-proclaimed Cowboy Capital of the World about 100 miles southwest of Dallas — get rushed about much.

Those arriving for “American Sniper” at the humble Cinema 6 Tuesday night were hardly in a haste. Perhaps because everyone in these parts knows how and where the movie tragically ends.

It was two years ago this month that Kyle, who attended college here before gaining notoriety for his record-setting sniper kills in Iraq, was gunned down by a allegedly mentally ill veteran at a shooting range outside of Stephenville. Kyle's best friend, Chad Littlefield, also died in the attack.

Former Marine Eddie Ray Routh confessed to the shootings and is now being tried for capital murder on the historic town square — 3 miles from the Cinema 6.

“That happening here just kind of magnifies everything,” said Chick Elms, co-owner of a rodeo supply shop and the Grand Entry Western Store.

Elms, a modest man with a thick Texas drawl, said he felt the irony walking to his pickup after seeing the film.

“I can't put into words sometimes the way I feel,” said Elms, whose youngest son was wounded in combat in Afghanistan. “Now Stephenville's on the map. But you don't want to be known for stuff like this.”

The trial, which could end next week, has drawn international media exposure to the town of nearly 19,000, whose main economy is agriculture. Celebrity murder trials happen in Hollywood, not rural hideaways best known for milk cows and top-ranked collegiate rodeo programs.

The few chain hotels are full and restaurants overstaffed to accommodate the influx of reporters, law enforcement and trial witnesses. Many locals are said to be avoiding the bustling town square, but a few children passing with their parents could be seen pointing cameras at the camp of satellite news trucks.

“It's different than normal life in Stephenville,” said Elms, 68.

[Map: Stephenville is located about 100 miles SW of Dallas and 150 miles NW of Austin]

Town officials are spending $1 million on media trial accommodations and 24-hour security in and around the courthouse annex where the hearing is being held.

A civil court clerk who works in that building told Yahoo News that the number of divorce filings and people seeking passport applications had drastically declined given the fortress-like security.

“It’s just kind of a high energy level, and it is usually kind of low energy,” deputy clerk Jan Brown said. “Anonymity is my friend. This is just kind of messing it up.”

Moving the trial from the larger historic courthouse has helped keep mom-and-pop businesses open and traffic flowing around the town square — where the rumble of pickup exhaust pipes is white noise to most.

A few side streets have been closed, but lifelong resident Noelle Lewallen said that should be the least of anyone’s concerns.

“If it has to take up our streets for a little while for justice to happen, then by all means they can have our streets,” said Lewallen, 31. “He went over and fought for our country, so he can have our streets.”

Stephenville is the county seat of Erath County, which, like nearly all of Texas, is overwhelmingly Republican and immensely patriotic. Tarleton State University named Kyle as an outstanding young alumnus following his four tours of duty, multiple honors for service in Operation Iraqi Freedom and best-selling memoir-turned-movie. He went back to the school several times through the years and gave what would become his final interview to the campus newspaper just days before he died.

The war hero's favorite-son status and the film's arrival in Stephenville less than a month before trial  pushed defense attorneys to question if they could get a fair hearing in Chris Kyle country. They asked District Judge Jason Cashon for a delay and to move the case out of Erath County. Both motions were denied.

“If he didn't get a fair trial, that's really a government issue and they need to change the laws on jury picking,” Lewallen said. “My thoughts are strictly about what the family is going through and that little baby that doesn't have a daddy anymore.”

Routh, who also served in Iraq, told investigators that he has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since returning from war. He was with Kyle, 38, and Littlefield, 35, on Feb. 2, 2013, at the request of Routh’s mother, who had hoped some time with Kyle might help his condition. Kyle, a father of two, often took fellow veterans to the shooting range as a form of therapy.

[Photos: Witnesses, evidence and scenes from the ‘American Sniper’ trial]

In their opening arguments, defense attorneys told jurors that Routh’s mental records include documentation of psychosis, personality disorder, schizophrenia and other problems. Routh, now 27, would face up to life in a state mental hospital if the jury finds him not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors chose not to seek the death penalty. But a capital murder conviction would automatically send Routh to prison for life without parole.

Longtime resident Scott Sampley, 54, said the district attorney should have pushed for the ultimate punishment.

“The way I see it, if he took a life — two, actually — then he should have to pay with his own,” said Sampley, who was sitting in his Dodge pickup truck as court ended on Tuesday.

While Sampley said the trial has not inconvenienced him, some townspeople are reportedly starting to grumble. They want the proceeding done and for the media to mosey along.

“I think you'd get a different answer from five different people,” said July Danley, Chamber of Commerce president. “Most people, I believe, want to see the justice process work itself out however long that takes.”

Until that day comes, the marquee in front of Grump’s Burgers will continue to read: “We Support The Kyle And Littlefield Families.”

“We didn't want them to feel tainted coming into town or feel like there aren't people here on their side,” said Marilyn Chavez, the restaurant’s manager. “There's a whole lot of stuff going on with that trial … we've got their back if they need anything.”

Meanwhile, the Oscar-nominated “American Sniper" will continue its run at the Cinema 6 for the foreseeable future.

On Tuesday night, a boy in a camo hoodie played “Ranger Mission” just outside the theater door where the Kyle film was about to begin. Barely tall enough to see the arcade game screen, he blasted “enemies” with a plastic pistol while avoiding killing “hostages.”

“Seven dead,” he said moments before his mother pulled him away to go to their sci-fi movie.

Asked if the family had seen “American Sniper,” the mom replied, “Not yet.”

Jason Sickles is a reporter for Yahoo News. Follow him on Twitter (@jasonsickles).