Just some thoughts on the trial and verdict regarding Eddie Ray Routh. Last night (2/24/15) Routh was found guilty of murdering Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield. The defense had contended that Routh was insane at the time of the murders, but the jury clearly rejected this. I have no information regarding why the jury did so, but likely did feel that Routh “knew right from wrong” when he killed those two men. That is the standard or “test” in Texas and it does seem he knew that at least some of society would determine that what he did was wrong. Routh apparently tried to evade police in the aftermath. He ran.

It was clear (at least to me) that Routh was mentally ill. He reportedly had been diagnosed as schizophrenic by the VA. The reports of hallucinations and delusions back this up. As I will discuss in a later post(s) on PTSD, these are not, I repeat not, symptoms of PTSD. He may have suffered from PTSD as well as schizophrenia. Unfortunately, when his mother reached out to Mr. Kyle for help, she only made note of PTSD and not the schizophrenia. For a long time, the media focused on the reports of PTSD. It’s become somewhat of a fad, I’m sad to say, particularly when dealing with veterans who deployed either to Afghanistan or Iraq. It seems like Americans have become quick to label veterans of the War On Terror who have mental health problems as all suffering from PTSD and likely to become violent. It’s just not true.

Could Routh’s schizophrenia have been triggered by his deployment? Possibly, though not very likely. Could it have been a coincidence that his schizophrenia emerged during this time frame? Yes. Schizophrenia often emerges during a person’s 20s.

What’s the take-away here? I think there are a couple. First, different jurisdictions have different “tests” for calling a person “insane”. As writers, you’ll need to check the test for the state your characters are in. Second, a person can be crazy but still not be insane. This can give you a lot of tension and conflict for your story. Third, be careful when labeling your nut case. Familiarize yourself with the signs and symptoms of the various mental health diagnoses. I’ll do my best to help you with this.