Racking up six Oscar nominations, American Sniper has successfully made it clear that the public has an overwhelming respect for former Navy Seal Chris Kyle and his tragic story. The film has accumulated over $326 million worldwide as attention continues to grow on what the final outcome will be regarding Kyle's tragic death. The American hero's story has continued past the movie screen and made its way to the court room in Stephenville Texas.
The self-proclaimed Cowboy Capital of the world, Stephenville is anything but quite and simple at the moment. The trial has begun as the spotlight from the success of American Sniper still shines bright, and everyone involved is having to block out the distractions of the media in order to ensure that justice is properly served. J. Warren St. John, the attorney representing Kyle's killer, has continually asked for a change of venue due to his belief that Eddy Ray Routh will not be allowed a fair trial in Erath County, a place where Kyle spent much of his life. The request has been denied multiple times.
Many believed the popularity of the Client Eastwood directed film would taint the trial and make it difficult to find an unbiased jury. But this seems to be less of a problem than expected as the judge overseeing the case stated early on that knowledge of the movie would not disqualify jurors "“ and with the film looking to become 2014's highest grossing release, finding a handful of people unaware of its existence would be quite the task.
I believe the impact of the film has been huge for Kyle's story, a story that needed to be told. Although the judge made it clear that the movie would hold no weight in his courtroom, it is hard to not feel that Routh's chances at getting anything other than life in prison have been severely weakened by the unusual public attention to the case.
With the trial going on smack dab in the middle of town square, it has given Stephenville an eerie feeling. The hearing alone would have put Erath County on the map and given the quiet town some much unwanted attention, but with the release of American Sniper mere weeks prior to the trial it gave the case national attention. This is not a bad thing, many times American war heroes have their moment in the spotlight and then we tend to forget about them. Clint Eastwood has ensured that eyes and ears are drawn to a story otherwise long forgotten by most of America, keeping it relevant during the climax, the most critical moment. UPDATE:
The Erath County jury came to a decision in just under two hours, finding the defendant, Eddie Ray Routh, guilty of capital murder and sentencing him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. While the film may have brought more suits and ties to the cowboy town than would have been there otherwise, it is hard to imagine it having much of an impact on the final verdict. Regardless of its role, one thing American Sniper did succeed in was reminding us of the hardships and losses that come from war"¦and putting a face on the difficulties that happen once they get home.
