The first steps in jury selection are underway in a Texas court for the trial of the man charged with murdering Chris Kyle, the former Navy SEAL portrayed in the hit movie "American Sniper." (Reuters)  Potential jurors were gathering in Texas on Thursday in advance of the trial of Eddie Ray Routh, the Iraq War veteran accused of fatally shooting Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle at a gun range in 2013.  Routh will be tried in district court in Stephenville, about 80 miles southwest of Fort Worth.  Kyle’s life and military career are the focus of the Oscar-nominated blockbuster “American Sniper,” based on his best-selling memoir. Kyle is considered to be the deadliest sniper in American military history and has a celebrated (and somewhat controversial) legacy.  Here’s what you need to know about the trial.  Eddie Ray Routh Routh, 27, has been charged with capital murder in the deaths of Kyle and Chad Littlefield, a friend of Kyle’s who accompanied him to the shooting range on Feb. 2, 2013.  Kyle and Littlefield reportedly took Routh to Rough Creek Lodge and Resort, about 70 miles outside of Fort Worth, to help him cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. Routh allegedly shot the two men, stole Kyle’s truck and drove to his sister’s house. He was later arrested.  “He’s all crazy, he’s [expletive] psychotic,” Routh’s sister told the 911 dispatcher, according to reports.  The sister’s husband later added: “He was recently diagnosed with PTSD.”  Chris Kyle By now you’ve probably heard about the 38-year-old Kyle, who is portrayed by Bradley Cooper in director Clint Eastwood’s military drama. Here’s part of The Washington Post’s 2013 obituary of the marksman:  With his Texas drawl, hulking physique and tightly reserved public manner, Mr. Kyle drew a degree of celebrity in the past year as he appeared on late-night talk shows and in the NBC competition show “Stars Earn Stripes,” which pairs military and law enforcement veterans with actors in drill exercises.  In a Time magazine interview, Mr. Kyle agreed that it was “kind of frowned on” in commando circles to become a public figure. “But I’m not trying to glorify myself,” he said. “I didn’t want to put the number of kills I had in there. I wanted to get it out about the sacrifices military families have to make.”  On Monday, the second anniversary of Kyle’s death, Gov. Greg Abbott proclaimed “Chris Kyle Day” in Texas, saying: “We can never repay the debt we owe for the lives he saved and the freedom he preserved — but we can honor his memory, his patriotism, his sacrifice and his inspiration.”  Chad Littlefield “As he tried to help another, his life was taken from him suddenly and unexpectedly,” read an obituary for Littlefield, a husband and father who died a few days before his 36th birthday.  The Associated Press reports that about 500 possible jurors are expected to report for the pool in Erath County on Thursday and Friday for screening.  Opening statements aren’t expected to be delivered until Wednesday.  The Fort Worth Star-Telegram spoke to residents in Stephenville, the town of less than 20,000 where the trial will be held.  Erath County deputies and employees were working on parking lots around the town square Wednesday. And the regulars at Jake and Dorothy’s Cafe, a Stephenville institution a few blocks from the courthouse, were talking trial.  “I’m interested in who is picked on that jury,” said Tommy Roberson, a cafe customer and Stephenville resident. “You know everyone has heard about this case.”  Erath County law officers have other concerns, expecting to spend about $1 million on security for the trial, which will take place at a courthouse annex a block from the square  Routh’s attorney, J. Warren St. John, is expected to present an insanity defense for his client, whose trial was highlighted late last month by The Post’s Abby Phillip.  [RELATED: Trial of Eddie Routh, killer of Chris Kyle, will be darkest chapter of "American Sniper"]  St. John has already questioned whether he can get a “fair trial” while a blockbuster film about one of the men his client killed plays in theaters nationwide.  St. John’s petition to move the trial from Erath County in Texas has already been denied once; it will likely be even more difficult now to find a suitable venue where anyone can claim to not know Chris Kyle’s name, or at least his “American Sniper” accomplishments.  It is also unclear whether Routh’s diagnosed PTSD and mental illness will ultimately have any bearing on the trial.  RELATED: Are veterans’ mental health needs being met?  ‘War is brutal on the body.’ Veterans’ health problems go far beyond wounds from bullets and bombs.  Everything you need to know about the ‘American Sniper’ culture wars  In "American Sniper," directed by Clint Eastwood and based on the autobiography of the name, Bradley Cooper plays U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, who is said to have had the most confirmed kills in U.S. military history. Kyle struggled with PTSD and was killed at a gun range by a fellow veteran in February 2013. (Warner Bros. UK)  Sarah Larimer is a general assignment reporter for the Washington Post.
Veteran Eddie Routh, a former Marine, is charged with fatally shooting Chris Kyle and another man at a Texas gun range.