Eddie Ray Routh has been found guilty of murdering American Sniper author Chris Kyle and another man at a Texas shooting range.
Jurors returned the verdict against the former Marine, whose lawyers had mounted an insanity defence and argued he suffered from psychosis.
The 27-year-old was given an automatic life sentence without parole at a court in Stephenville, Texas, for the deaths of the Navy SEAL and his friend Chad Littlefield.
They had taken Routh out shooting at the Rough Creek Lodge and Resort on 2 February 2013 after the defendant's mother asked Kyle to help him.
Kyle had been helping to counsel troubled veterans with shooting trips and talks.
Family members say Routh suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq and Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
Dr Randall Price, a forensic psychologist, testified during the trial that Routh was not legally insane, and said he may have got some of his ideas from watching television.
He said Routh had a paranoid disorder which was exacerbated by his use of alcohol and marijuana.
Defence lawyers said Mr Kyle described Routh as "straight-up nuts" in a text message to his friend as they drove to the shooting range.
They added that the defendant, who had been prescribed anti-psychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia, believed the men were planning to kill him.
In a phone call between Routh and a reporter from The New Yorker magazine, he said he became annoyed because Mr Littlefield was not shooting, but appeared to be watching him instead.
During the call, he said: "Are you gonna shoot? Are you gonna shoot? It's a shooting sport. You shoot. That's what got me all riled up.
"I had to take care of business. I took care of business, and then I got in the truck and left."
A forensics expert said both men were shot in the back at close range and were hit by 12 or 13 bullets.
The bodies of the two men were found at around 5pm. Both had been shot several times.
Routh was arrested outside his home and a police video showed officers trying to coax him out of his truck as he made comments including: "Is this about hell walking on Earth right now?"
Speaking in court after the sentence was handed down, Mr Littlefield's brother-in-law Jerry Richardson said: "You took the lives of two heroes, men that tried to be a friend to you.
"You became an American disgrace."
The trial has drawn huge interest because of the blockbuster Oscar-nominated film based on the former Navy SEAL's memoir about his four tours in Iraq.
Kyle is credited with the most confirmed kills of any US military sniper.
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