The Stephenville Empire-Tribune reports unusually tight security at the historic Erath County courthouse in Stephenville as jury selection gets underway in the trial of Eddie Ray Routh.  Routh is accused of murdering Chris Kyle.  Kyle, the former Navy SEAL whose best-selling autobiography was turned into the hit movie “American Sniper” was killed along with his friend Chad Littlefield at local shooting range in February of 2103.

Security was tight Thursday as the first group of potential jurors showed up for a qualifying round in the trial of Eddie Ray Routh.  Routh was stoic throughout the morning, occasionally speaking to his attorney, Shay Isham, reading paperwork and glancing around the courtroom. Those who entered the courthouse were forced to go through metal detectors, open bags for inspection and place digital equipment aside.  Bomb-sniffing dogs were led inside and outside the building throughout the day.

During the first round of qualifications, two were disqualified, three were found to be exempt and nine were excused for various reasons. Six potential jurors said they might be biased toward Routh because of the movie American Sniper or pre-trial publicity.