Jodi Arias Tried Wicca, Buddhism With Boyfriends

Accused murderer Jodi Arias testified over the last two days about a flurry of boyfriends and how she followed them into exploring a string of religions including witchcraft, Buddhism, Hinduism and eventually Mormonism.

Arias, 32, has yet to tell the jury about meeting Travis Alexander, the ex-boyfriend who baptized her into the Mormon religion and who she is charged with killling in a jealous rage in 2008. She is now on trial in Arizona for his murder and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Her odyssey through boyfriends and the spiritual world included a five year period from age 18 through age 22 when Arias said she became very interested in fundamentalist Christianity, Wicca, Buddhism, and Hinduism, all of which she explored as she dated men who practiced those beliefs.

Eventually Arias became interested in Mormonism through Alexander, and converted to Mormonism when she began a tumultuous sexual relationship with him in 2006.

Arias took the stand for the second time today to explain to the jury how she came to kill Alexander in what she claims was self defense. Her story started with other boyfriends.

"When I first met (Matt McCartney) I was a little bit leery about things he was into. I saw some books on witchcraft and went, 'oh', but he explained to me that he was just seeking," Arias said today. "He was looking at other religions, he was studying Wicca, and I didn't practice it myself, but he had practiced it and had moved onto studying eastern mysticism and Buddhism."

Jodi Arias Murder Trial: Victim's Ex Testifies Watch Video

Jodi Arias Murder Trial: Former Boyfriend Takes Stand Watch Video

"Our relationship took a lot of spiritual turns," she said.

Arias said that religion played a major role in her and McCartney's relationship, which lasted nearly two years and involved living together in Oregon.

"We sort of explored together, taking meditation seminars, new age type seminars, which sort of had roots in Hinduism or Buddhism, and were kind of like a modern version of transcendentalism," she said. "We would drive to Portland or the Bay Area often for them."

See Jodi Arias Trial Videos

Arias said she grew up as a non-denominational Christian. During her testimony on Monday Arias said that in high school, an acquaintance had told her that the second coming of Jesus Christ would be in 1997, and she took to warning close friends about it.

"It's kind of silly, but there was this older man who used to come into my parents' restaurant, and he had a small pocket version of the New Testament that he always carried. He was always quoting Bible stories to me, and this one time he told me he had done the math in the Bible and determined that he knew that the second coming was going to occur in September of 1997," Arias said.

Arias took the man's advice to heart and called her on-again, off-again boyfriend of the time to tell him the news.

"I was really naive and kind of believed him. It seemed important, so I thought Bobby (Juarez) should know about it. He wasn't religious, but I thought it was important that he at least hear that for himself," she said.

Through a string of boyfriends in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Arias continued to identify as a Christian who was into spirituality. When she met Alexander in 2006, she immediately became interested in Mormonism. She quickly converted and Alexander, a Mormon elder, baptized her into her new religion.

The two also maintained a torrid sexual affair, which is prohibited for unmarried people in the Mormon religion.

Other witnesses who have been called to the stand have noted her commitment to Mormonism, including Ryan Burns, a Mormon she began seeing after breaking up with Alexander. She also visited Burns the day after killing Alexander.

"Part of our conversations with each other were about her religious views, and my religious views," Burns testified. "She would often tell me about how she felt about her religious beliefs, the Book of Mormon. She was a convert, by Travis... She mentioned reading the scriptures."

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Meow! Claws out on Facebook Over Killer Cat Stats

"Good for them, go cats!"

"Sorry cats but you've gotta go."

"Do you get paid to write this?"

Well, nobody ever said cat lovers were mellow. But I was taken by surprise to see the number (and intensity) of comments on National Geographic's Facebook page and Daily News website after I wrote a story about a new study on the hunting habits of the domestic cat.

To recap: Cats stand accused of killing between 1.4 billion to 3.7 billion birds and 6.9 billion to 20.7 billion mammals in the continental United States each year.

There were hundreds of comments. One reader is "sick to death of watching my neighbors cats killing migratory songbirds."

"I don't think there should be an all encompassing feline genocide," said another, "but i feel something definitely needs to be done about feral populations."

Others found the study results far from newsworthy: "Yes, all of my cats are killers. That is why I brought them home in the first place" and "I love you National Geographic, but seriously... of course my cat is gonna kill some birds."

The study has sparked strong dialogue among bird and cat groups as well.

In a press release the American Bird Conservancy called the study a "wake-up call" and said "the carnage that outdoor cats inflict is staggering and can no longer be ignored or dismissed."

Alley Cat Allies and Best Friends Animal Society both questioned the study's estimates and suggested the researchers had ulterior motives. Alley Cat Allies, which calls itself "the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats," said the study was a "veiled promotion by bird advocates to ramp up the mass killing of outdoor cats." The vice-chairman of Best Friends Animal Society, a group with projects throughout the U.S., claimed "the authors and the anti-free-roaming cat contingent want stray and feral cats to be rounded up and killed." He added that "scapegoating cats is a huge and, sadly, lucrative business."

The Humane Society of the United States also weighed in, reiterating their support for the "thousands of organizations and individuals who manage cat colonies through trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs," while adding that there would be no support in those quarters for a campaign to euthanize cats.

But maybe this was never about cat people and bird people after all. "Me thinks the dog lovers came up with those figures," suggested one National Geographic reader.

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Fidel Castro makes surprise appearance in Cuba

HAVANA: Stooped and using a cane, Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has taken the country by surprise by turning out to vote in legislative elections, after a three-month absence from public view.

The 86-year-old Castro cast his ballot at a school in Havana's El Vedado neighborhood on Sunday, engaging in an animated give-and-take with reporters at the polling station and voters for more than an hour.

The elections were to choose 612 members of the National Assembly as well as deputies of local legislatures, with the number of candidates equal to the number of available seats, so Castro easily stole the show.

His rare public appearances often have served to tamp down rumours about his own health, but Castro used this occasion to talk about improvements in the health of his good friend and ally Hugo Chavez, who is convalescing in Cuba.

The Venezuelan president is "much better, recovering," Castro said of the 58-year-old Chavez, who himself has not been seen or heard from since December 10, when he travelled to Havana for his fourth round of cancer surgery.

"It has been a tough struggle but he has been improving," Castro said in comments carried by the official Granma newspaper, adding: "We have to cure him. Chavez is very important for his country and for Latin America."

Castro said he gets daily reports on the health of Chavez, whose survival is also crucial to Cuba, which depends on Venezuela for cut-rate oil and trade as well as international political support.

Castro, who turned over the country's leadership to his brother Raul in 2006 after he fell ill, also took the opportunity to throw darts at the United States, his adversary of more than half a century.

"I am convinced that Cubans are really a revolutionary people," said Castro, who came to power in a 1959 revolution.

"I don't have to prove it. History has already proven it. And 50 years of the US blockade have not been -- nor will it be -- able to defeat us."

The United States slapped a commercial, economic, and financial embargo against Cuba in October 1960 after Castro's revolutionary government nationalised the properties of United States citizens and corporations.

It was broadened to become a near-total embargo in 1962 as Cuba's alliance with the Soviet bloc became apparent.

Images shown on Cuban TV as well as pictures in the newspaper Juventud Rebelde showed a slightly stooped Castro with a cane. He wore a dark shirt and a bomber jacket.

In his comments, the revolutionary leader also praised the creation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), whose presidency Cuba formally assumed last week at a summit in Santiago, Chile.

Set up in Caracas in December 2011 at the behest of Chavez, CELAC groups all nations from across the Americas except the United States and Canada.

The Cuban chairmanship of the group marked Havana's full regional reintegration and was seen as a major diplomatic coup for Communist-ruled Cuba.

"This was a step forward which we owe to the efforts of many people, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez," Castro said.

Castro had not been seen in public since October 21, when he accompanied Elias Jaua, who is now Venezuela's foreign minister, to the Hotel Nacional.

The Cuban leader's long absences from public view have fuelled rumours that his health has worsened, that he was dead or on his death bed.

He turned over the Cuban presidency to his brother Raul in 2008 two years after falling seriously ill and undergoing intestinal surgery.

Since then, he has kept his hand in by writing frequent editorials, publishing books about the revolution, and welcoming a few international leaders in private events.

On Thursday, according to state media reports, he hosted former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva.

About 8.5 million Cubans took part in the polls that featured no opposition candidates. Authorities billed the event as a celebration of Cuban democracy, "which is different" from those in other countries.

But Cuban dissidents blasted the vote.

"What strange elections, in which there is no choice and all the candidates think the same," wrote dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez. "It's an electoral farce."

- AFP/jc

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‘Vishwaroopam’ to hit theatres on February 7 in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu's date with Kamal Haasan's 'Vishwaroopam' has been set for February 7. Ending the 10-day-long drama over the film and paving the way for its release, the Madras high court on Monday closed all petitions filed by the actor against the prohibitory orders invoked by the state administration to prevent its screening. The actor later issued a statement saying the movie will be released soon and thanked the government, fellow actors and fans.

On Monday morning, advocate general A Navaneethakrishnan and Kamal's senior counsel P S Raman informed Justice S Rajeswaran that the issue had been settled amicably. "Pursuant to the amicable settlement of the issues between the film producers and Muslim organisations, all district collectors in the state have withdrawn the orders earlier passed under Section 144 of CrPC, suspending the exhibition of the film, thereby paving the way for the peaceful release of the film in Tamil Nadu," a common memorandum filed before the court said.

They wanted the court's permission to withdraw the petitions filed by Kamal's film production firm, Rajkamal Films International. Justice Rajeswaran allowed the plea and closed all the pending cases. The memo said the settlement talks conducted in the presence of government representatives on February 2 helped reach a compromise under which the producers had agreed to make certain changes in the film.

'Vishwaroopam', originally scheduled to be released here on January 25, could not be screened as district collectors and commissioners of police issued prohibitory orders restraining theatres from screening it in Chennai and other districts. The mega-budget thriller ran into trouble after a few Muslim organisations staged protests saying the community has been shown in poor light in the film.

The actor approached the high court against the prohibitory orders and though he got a favourable order from a single judge, the film could not be screened as the order was stayed by a division bench of the high court. A distraught Kamal Haasan told the media that he will be forced to leave the state and even the country for a secular place if he continued to face harassment. After his emotional statement, fellow actors started unofficial talks with the protesters. Soon, chief minister J Jayalalithaa gave a statement, defending the government's move and facilitating talks between the two groups.

After marathon discussions on February 2, it was announced that film will be modified at seven instances by muting Quranic prayers and references to Tamil jihadis. The film was supposed to be screened in more than 500 theatres originally. Now, negotiations are on with many theatres that had started screening other movies.

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Jodi Arias Tells Jury She Killed Alexander

Jodi Arias took the stand today and quickly told the jury that she killed her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in a bloody attack in 2008.

And in a surprise, Arias told the jury that she planned to also kill herself.

"Did you kill Travis Alexander?" defense attorney Kirk Nurmi asked Arias immediately after she took the stand.

"Yes," Arias said softly, turning to look at the jury.

"Why?"

"The simple answer is that he attacked me and I defended myself," she said.

Arias also explained why she said in a news interview, "No jury would ever convict" her of murdering Alexander. At the time she said it was because she was innocent, but on the stand today she said she made that statement because she had plans to commit suicide after the interview. The interview took place in September 2008, three months after the killing.

"I was very confident that no jury would convict me because I was sure I'd be dead," she said. "Those are probably the most bitter words I'll ever eat."

Arias is on trial for murdering Alexander by stabbing him 27 times, slashing his throat, and shooting him in the head twice. She could face the death penalty if convicted.

Nurmi questioned Arias about her early childhood, eliciting statements from Arias that she was subjected to frequent, violent beatings from her mother and father, who used belts, spoons, and their hands to discipline her and her siblings.

Jodi Arias Murder Trial: Victim's Ex Testifies Watch Video

Jodi Arias Murder Trial: Former Boyfriend Takes Stand Watch Video

Earlier in the day, the defense continued their attempt to show that Alexander was controlling and abusive toward Arias during their yearlong relationship and the year after, during which they continued a sexual relationship.

A woman's T-shirt emblazoned with the possessive "Travis Alexander's" and a pair of pink panties with the word "Travis'" on the front hint at the controlling nature and abusive attitude that existed between Alexander and Jodi Arias in the months before she killed him, defense attorneys said today.

Defense attorneys also questioned porn on Travis Alexander's computer during today's testimony.

Arias is accused of murder for Alexander's death, but her defense attorneys claim she killed him in self defense because he was an abusive and controlling "sexual deviant." The pair dated for a year before breaking up, but continued to have a sexual relationship for another year until Alexander's death.

The photo of the T-shirt and panties were found on Arias' camera in July 2008, more than a month after Arias killed Alexander on June 4.

"The photo of 'Travis Alexander's' and 'Travis', both written in the possessive form, will be relied on by our experts discussing the controlling nature of the relationship (between Alexander and Arias), the possessive nature of the relationship, and what that does to a woman," defense attorney Jennifer Willmott said today after the prosecution objected to the photos.

Prosecutor Juan Martinez asked Dworkin whether he knew when the words were put on the shirt and panties. When Dworkin said he could not determine when they were created, Martinez suggested that could have been done after Alexander was killed.

The defense also showed items from Alexander's internet search history from the early morning hours before he was killed, showing that he watched YouTube videos of scantily-clad women dancing to pop music and visited a proxy server, which covers one's IP address while surfing the internet. The defense will try to prove that Alexander was obsessed with looking at sexual content on his computer.

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What Caused the Super Bowl Blackout?

All that is known so far about the Mercedes-Benz Superdome power outage that temporarily halted last night's Super Bowl game is that a crucial piece of sensing equipment operated exactly as designed: It turned the electricity off.

But officials at the Superdome and its energy company, Entergy, said further investigation is needed to get at the root cause of the electricity abnormality that plunged half of the recently renovated stadium into darkness and forced a 34-minute delay of one of the world's most watched sporting events. (See related quiz: "What You Don't Know About Electricity.")

So while sports analysts dissect how the Baltimore Ravens held off the rallying San Francisco 49ers in the second half to secure their 34-31 victory, this year's postgame analysis will include scrutiny by teams of electrical engineers and stadium systems experts.

Despite much online speculation on the subject, it's unlikely that the scale of Beyoncé's dazzling, hologram-assisted halftime show was to blame for the outage, says James L. Kirtley Jr., professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

It's possible, he said, that the cause was a simple overload, like what happens in a kitchen when a coffee pot and microwave are run at the same time. "The stadium system is, of course, a lot bigger, but fundamentally [it is] very similar" to a household circuit panel, Kirtley explained.

However, based on public statements from Entergy and the Superdome, Kirtley suspects that "some other piece of equipment failed and put a short circuit across the power circuit, causing a circuit breaker to open and disconnect power to some part of the stadium circuits."

After the stadium went dark, Entergy, which supplies electricity to 2.8 million utility customers throughout the Gulf Coast, quickly announced via its Twitter feed that its service to the stadium had not been interrupted. The problem, Entergy tweeted, was on "the customer's side." A later joint statement from Entergy and Superdome managers said the problems began when a piece of equipment designed to monitor electrical load "sensed an abnormality in the system."

"Once the issue was detected, the sensing equipment operated as designed and opened a breaker, causing power to be partially cut to the Superdome in order to isolate the issue," the statement said. "The fault-sensing equipment activated where the Superdome equipment intersects with Entergy's feed into the facility."

It is standard—in fact, usually required by law—for electrical systems to include circuit breakers that automatically shut off power to prevent wires from overheating and causing a fire. Circuit breakers can trip when there is too much load on a circuit, but a power outage also can be caused by a short circuit or other type of fault.

It's not known how much electricity the Superdome was drawing when the power outage occurred; Entergy said in response to a query that it was confidential "customer" information.

It is known that energy use from the Super Bowl was estimated in advance to be 4,600 megawatts, but that included the power for the NFL hotels and Morial Convention Center during the week of the game. Entergy had agreed in advance to donate carbon credits, or investments in carbon-capture projects, to offset the carbon emissions caused by that energy use—3.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions—as part of a wide-ranging "greening" effort around the game. (See related photos: "Super Bowl Caps Banner Season in NFL Green Drive.") That's as much carbon as 359 U.S. passenger cars typically emit in a year.

Superdome officials had hoped the Super Bowl would showcase to the world the $336 million in renovations that have been made to the stadium since it sustained massive water and wind damage in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina. Some $156 million of the cost of the renovation was paid by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. That renovation included work on the stadium's electrical and lighting system, as the Superdome now has a 26,000-LED lighting fixture on 96 concave aluminum panels that ring the building's exterior, a system supported by more than five miles of copper wiring. This system, which draws no more power than a small home, won the 2012 "Excellence in Design" award in the Architainment category from Live Design Magazine, an architecture, design, and event production publication.

LED lights, in addition to being efficient, would be capable of coming on instantly after such an outage. But they are not bright enough to illuminate a field, so they provide only accent lighting. Most stadiums rely on high-intensity gas discharge fixtures for the main lighting of the venue. Such lights take some time to power up to full brightness—a half hour is common.

After emergency generators restored power to the playing field, fans still had to cope with reduced power, with escalators and credit-card machines shut down, and walkways lighted by small banks of light. Broadcasters and NFL officials also had to scramble.

This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge.

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In revamped cafeterias, USDA gets a taste of its own medicine

Ken Choi, chief operating officer for I.L. Creations in Rockville, has a good idea of what federal workers like to eat. The food service company runs cafeterias at the Department of Energy, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and the State Department, and while I.L. Creations has been touted for its healthful offerings, Choi knows that some of his most popular Western items include foods dipped in a hot-oil bath: fried chicken, fried catfish and french fries.

Which explains why I.L. Creations’ newest government contract presents such a challenge. The Agriculture Department — the agency tasked with, among other things, improving the public health — made a groundbreaking decision last year when soliciting bids for cafeteria vendors at its headquarters: The USDA would go fryer-less. As in not a single deep-fat fryer in the department’s Whitten and South building cafeterias, which serve more than 40,000 people a month, including members of the public.

And that’s just the most obvious change at the revamped USDA cafeterias, which debut today. The agency — one of the chief architects of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which counsels citizens to reduce their red meat and salt intakes — has fully embraced its own recommendations (possibly this time without alienating lawmakers from livestock states who were furious last year over the USDA’s suggestion that employees avoid meat one day a week).

The new USDA cafeterias will automatically serve diners 100 percent whole-wheat breads and pastas unless employees specifically ask for white-bread slices or some other option. One station in the main cafeteria in the South Building will prepare food that conforms to the low-sodium, low-fat, low-cholesterol and low-calorie requirements of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans; the station will also display a daily MyPlate example to model the basics of a proper meal — not that anyone will be required to follow it .

There will even be a full-time dietitian on site to answer employee questions, which Choi believes is key in this transition to a fryer-less world. After all, USDA workers can easily sidestep the whole healthful-eating program; they could, for example, just take a short trip down Independence Avenue to the Department of Energy cafeteria, where the deep fryers are still bubbling.

“I think it’s really vital that we have education,” said Choi of I.L. Creations. “Because you can’t just give them a different option that’s healthy and tell them to buy it and eat it.”

The federal government had already been moving in a more healthful direction with its cafeterias, part of the Obama Administration’s mission to shrink the American waistline. About three years ago, as part of a plan to improve the nutrition and sustainability of the food served to government workers, the General Services Administration, which contracts vendors at 32 federal cafeterias in this region, banned trans fats and limited deep-fried entrees “to no more than one choice per day.”

The GSA also started requiring vendors to reduce sodium levels across the board: 230 milligrams or less for vegetable dishes and 480 milligrams or less for 40 percent of the remaining dishes on the menu. (The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day for those without hypertension or other health issues.) What’s more, the GSA mandates that 25 percent of a vendor’s product line be organic, local or sustainably grown.

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Paraguay presidential candidate dies in helicopter crash

ASUNCION: A controversial presidential candidate who helped topple Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner in 1989 has died in a helicopter crash, officials said Sunday, prompting claims of foul play.

Lino Oviedo, 69, died with his bodyguard and pilot when the aircraft crashed en route to Asuncion while they were returning late Saturday from a campaign rally in northern Paraguay, the officials said.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, though early indications suggest the helicopter was caught up in a storm before it plummeted and hit the ground at a cattle ranch.

"At this point, all hypotheses are open," said civil aviation director Carlos Fugarazzo, noting that foreign experts would be called in to investigate the crash.

Oviedo was a former head of the Paraguayan military. His death was confirmed to AFP by Senator Herminio Chena, who is close to Oviedo's family.

"It's hard for us to accept it. We cannot believe it," Chena told AFP, choking back tears.

But there were immediate claims that the crash was not an accident. Diego Galeano, the brother of Oviedo's bodyguard Denis Galeano, told AFP "there is a strong suspicion that the helicopter was shot at," but he gave no proof.

Oviedo, who was running for the conservative UNACE party, was one of the three top candidates in the April 21 presidential election. In 2008 he ran for president and came in third, with 22 per cent of the vote.

Oviedo, who came from humble origins, rose to fame when Stroessner -- Paraguay's dictator for 35 years -- surrendered to him in a 1989 military coup. Oviedo died 24 years to the day since that event.

Oviedo fled to Paraguay in 1996 when then-president Juan Carlos Wasmosy accused him of orchestrating a failed coup.

He was court martialled and sentenced to 10 years in jail, and was later indicted for masterminding the murder of vice president Luis Maria Argana in 1999.

After years of hiding in Argentina and Brazil Oviedo returned to Paraguay in 2004, spent time in prison, and after legal wrangling had his rights fully restored by the Supreme Court.

Paraguay's upcoming election comes after its senate in June ousted the president, leftist former Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo.

- AFP/jc

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Drone robots to add more teeth to anti-Maoist operations

KHARAGPUR: After drone missiles of the US military, drone robots will come to the help of Indian security forces in anti-insurgency operations. The robots are being developed at a research institution in Delhi's Karol Bagh, which has already developed another land surveillance robot and a mind sensing robot that can read the human mind.

Once ready, the drone robot can be used as an effective surveillance tool by the armed and security forces engaged in anti-Maoist operations. The robot can spy over a battle zone while flying over it. Enemy positions, camps and even soldiers or rebels hiding behind bushes within a 50 km radius can be captured on its camera which even has night vision. "Information sent by the robot can help the security forces plan their operations with greater precision," said Diwakar Vaish, head of robotics and research at the Delhi-based A-Set Institute of Training and Research, that is working on the project.

Work on developing the robot is at an advanced stage at the A-Set Institute. The drone apart, Vaish from the 20-year-old institute demonstrated several other robots at the three-day KSHIT technology fest that began at IIT-Kharagpur (IIT-Kgp) on Friday.

Among them are the spider robot and another surveillance robot developed by the A-Set, which took to robotics three years ago. The Spider robot resembles a spider and can operate in inhospitable terrains — hills, forests and grasslands — and collect information over a 2 km radius around it. "Unlike the drone robot that will fly, the spider robot moves along a surface," Vaish said.

The spider robot is very useful for security forces operating in Maoist zones, the scientist added. The robot moves like a spider as it spies over hostile territories. The cost of this robot is Rs 30 lakh. Vaish also said talks have begun between A-Set and the home and defence ministries for transfer of the technology.

Besides these surveillance robots, A-Set has also developed what it calls a mind sensing robot, said Vaish. This robot can read certain facets of a human mind like a person's sensory nerves. He also demonstrated the humanoid robots developed by the institute.

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'American Sniper' Killed; Former Marine Charged

A former Marine has been charged with three counts of murder in the killing of former Navy SEAL and "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle, the most deadly sniper in U.S. history, and another man at an Erath County, Texas, gun range, police said.

"We have lost more than we can replace. Chris was a patriot, a great father, and a true supporter of this country and its ideals. This is a tragedy for all of us. I send my deepest prayers and thoughts to his wife and two children," Scott McEwen, co-author of "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History," said in a statement to ABC News.

Remembering Kyle for the number of Iraqi insurgents he killed misstates his legacy, McEwen said.

"His legacy is not one of being the most lethal sniper in United States history," McEwen said. In my opinion, his legacy is one of saving lives in a very difficult situation where Americans where going to be killed if he was not able to do his job."

Kyle and a neighbor of his were shot at a gun range in Glen Rose while helping a former Marine who was recovering from post traumatic stress syndrome, ABC affiliate WFAA-TV in Dallas reported.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley/AP Photo; Erath County Sheriff's Offi

The suspect, identified as Eddie Ray Routh, 25, was arrested in Lancaster, Texas, after a brief police chase, a Lancaster Police Department dispatcher told ABC News. Routh was driving Kyle's truck at the time of his arrest, police said.

Routh was arraigned Saturday evening on one count of capital murder and two counts of murder. He was brought to the Erath County Jail this morning and was being held there today on a combined $3 million bond, Officer Kyle Roberts said.

Investigators told WFAA that Routh is a former Marine said to suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Kyle helped found a nonprofit that provides at-home fitness equipment for emotionally and physically wounded veterans, but the director of the foundation said Kyle and Routh had not met through the organization.

"Chris was literally the type of guy if you were a veteran and needed help he'd help you," Travis Cox, the director of FITCO Cares, told The Associated Press. "And from my understanding that's what happened here. I don't know how he came in contact with this gentleman, but I do know that it was not through the foundation."

Authorities identified the other man who was killed with Kyle as 35-year-old Chad Littlefield, who Cox said was Kyle's neighbor and friend.

PHOTOS: Notable Deaths in 2013

Kyle, 38, served four tours in Iraq and was awarded two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars with Valor, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation.

From 1999 to 2009, Kyle recorded more than 150 sniper kills, the most in U.S. military history.

After leaving combat duty, Kyle became chief instructor training Naval Special Warfare Sniper and Counter-Sniper teams, and he authored the Naval Special Warfare Sniper Doctrine, the first Navy SEAL sniper manual. He left the Navy in 2009.

"American Sniper," which was published last year by William Morrow, became a New York Times best seller.

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