The man who killed Chris Kyle should be put in jail or given the death penalty.

My opponent has forfeited Round 3. I will now present my affirmative case in opposition to the resolution. Eddie Ray Routh shot and killed Chris Kyle and and Chad Littlefield at a shooting range on Feb. 2, 2013, near Chalk Mountain, Texas. There were no witnesses. The men had never met before that day. [1] He is currently on trial. [2]Eddie Routh is entitled to a fair trialMr. Routh is entitled to a trial decided by impartial jurors who will base their decision on the evidence presented at trial, and who have not prejudged his guilt or innocence based on his victims, the media, or politics. Specifically, Mr. Routh's guilt or innocence has nothing to do with whether one regards Mr. Kyle as a hero or a liar [3], or American Sniper as meritorious or insipid. We do not judge the accused by the character of their victims, but by their own actions.My opponent mentioned rumors of Mr. Routh converting to Islam. The source, a website for former congressman Allen West, contains irresponsible speculation, gives no evidence for its claim, and admits that no proof of conversion exists. The article has been eviscerated by Mr. West's less credulous ideological allies. [4] Even if it were true, however, our system does not punish people based on their religious beliefs, but again, for their actions. Mr. Routh is entitled to jurors who will judge his actions not based on his victim or his religion, but as an equal citizen under the law.Eddie Routh was likely legally insane at the time of the killingsMr. Routh has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. [5] The insanity defense requires that "as a result of severe mental disease or defect, [a defendant] did not know that his conduct was wrong." [6] In Texas, the insanity defense requires one or more reports from disinterested, qualified experts. [7] Importantly, though, legal insanity does not depend on any particular psychiatric diagnosis. Thus, although there are legitimate discrepancies concerning Mr. Routh's military record, [5] they are irrelevant to whether he could tell right from wrong at the time.The available evidence is persuasive that Mr. Routh was unable to understand the nature of his actions. In the five months prior, Mr. Routh was twice committed to a mental hospital and released against his family's wishes. [8] After the killings, he stole Mr. Kyle's truck, and told his sister he "traded his soul" for it. He ranted to police about anarchy feeding off of his soul, the voodoo all around him, and being stalked by cats. [2] Routh "spoke of 'talking to the wolf"the one in the sky' and of 'smelling pigs' and of streets in Texas that are no longer straight and towns that are no longer square. He laced some of his sentences with profanity and references to political entities such as the 'world council' and the 'Communism Party.'" [9] This is consistent with his sister's 911 call, in which she said Mr. Routh stated "people were sucking his soul and that he could smell the pigs," and that "he was going to get their souls before they took his." [10]These are plainly delusional statements, and support the conclusion that Mr. Routh was unable to understand that he was acting wrongly by shooting two men who, in his mind, were out to take his "soul." [11] We do not hold people criminally responsible for actions that they do not have the rational capacity to understand -- even when one of the victims was well-known and, by some, well-regarded.If found guilty, Mr. Routh should be given a less-than-maximal sentence.Mr. Routh has been charged with capital murder for killing two people in the same criminal transaction. [12] His prosecutors have not sought the death sentence, having likely weighed the high probability that a jury would find Mr. Routh's mental health at the time of the killing to be a mitigating circumstance warranting a lesser life sentence. If Mr. Routh is convicted of capital murder, he will be automatically sentenced to the lesser sentence of life without parole. [13]The jury need not convict Mr. Routh of capital murder to hold him criminally responsible. They may find Mr. Routh's delusional beliefs, while not rendering him legally insane, justify a lesser-included offense, such as first- or second-degree murder. [14] These offenses could be punished anywhere on a range of 2 to 99 years in prison, with the possibility of parole. [13]Given Mr. Routh's military service and apparent mental illness, a lesser sentence with the possibility of supervised release after treatment and a determination that he no longer presents a danger to himself or those around him would be an appropriate exercise of judicial discretion.I urge your vote for Con. Due to character limitations, the source list is posted in the comments.