Eddie Ray Routh, the man who killed Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield, was found guilty of murder on February 24, 2015, and was immediately sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. Routh was a 25-year-old Marine who had experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. The murders occurred on February 2, 2013, at a shooting range near Chalk Mountain, Texas, where Kyle and Littlefield were walking down range to set up targets when Routh opened fire and hit both of them. Routh was found guilty of fatally shooting Kyle and Littlefield multiple times at the gun range.

During his trial, Rouths lawyers argued that he was not guilty by reason of insanity and that he belonged not in prison but at a state mental hospital. However, the jury found him criminally responsible and guilty of murder. In a videotaped confession with a Texas Ranger, Routh said, in reference to Kyle, "I knew if I did not take his soul, he was going to take mine". Rouths erratic behavior, his delusions about hybrid pig people, and his heavy drug use were presented as evidence of his troubled state of mind.

Kyles death generated an outpouring of grief in Texas, where he was celebrated as a hero in a memorial service at Texas Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. It also resonated with gun enthusiasts across the country, who embraced Kyle as a celebrity at major events like Las Vegass SHOT show, the annual firearms industry convention.