Five stories that have North Texas talking: Ex-Marine accused of killing former Navy Seal and his friend finally indicted, Bush Senior shaves his head in support of toddler leukemia patient, we fuel the fire of the Dallas/Houston rivalry and more.
More than five months after Eddie Ray Routh was accused of murdering former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield, a Erath County grand jury has indicted him. Kyle and Littlefield had taken Routh, a former Marine, to a gun range in February when Routh allegedly shot and killed them both. He was captured a few hours later in Lancaster and admitted to the killings.
Officials say it took nearly six months to indict Routh because investigators had to comb through his past, including his mental history. His mother has said he suffers from PTSD, which is why she reached out to Kyle in the first place for help. Routh has had violent outbursts in jail and has also been on suicide watch. A trial date should be set in the coming weeks. [WFAA]
- Texas Giant Inspection Firm Tied To Six Flags Exec?: According to the Dallas Morning News, the firm that most recently inspected the Texas Giant was started by Patrick Hoffman, who is now a high ranking Six Flags executive. The DMN reports a Six Flags spokeswoman said by email that Hoffman had divested 100 percent of his ownership of the firm when he was hired by the amusement park. But some outside consultants are concerned about the connection. “On its face, it sure looks like a conflict of interest,” said Walter Reiss, a Pennsylvania-based inspector. Rosy Esparza, 52, was killed Friday night after falling from the Texas Giant.
- Bush 41 Goes Gleaming Bald: You can see it on his face, George HW Bush is proud of his new, shiny dome. Bush senior grabbed the razor and shaved his head bald to show solidarity with two-year-old Patrick. The young leukemia patient is the son of one of the members of Bush’s secret service detail. That entire crew is also sporting newly shaved heads. George and Barbara Bush lost a three year-old daughter to leukemia nearly 60 years ago. [NPR]
Credit Office of George HW Bush / NPR/NPRGeorge HW Bush poses with two-year-old Patrick
- Looking For 7 Bathrooms And Walker Memorabilia? Chuck Norris doesn’t put his house on the market; the market comes to him and politely asks for permission to buy. Either way, people obsessed with Walker, Texas Ranger or the man who gave him life can buy both the actor and character’s home in Dallas for a cool $1.2 million. The Northwood Hills home has four bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a gym full of memorabilia. [AP via NPR]
- Big D Versus H-Town: The Dallas/Houston rivalry is something people love to jaw about… especially if those people are from Houston. The chip South Texans have on their shoulder about the awesomeness that is North Texas seems to grow larger by the day, so KUHF, our public radio partner in the Bayou City has arranged a little debate. Tim Rogers, editor of D Magazine will square off against editorial director of Houstonia Magazine Scott Vogel tomorrow at noon to weigh each city’s merits. So in true Dallas fashion, we thought we’d get the jump on a little trash talking. We’ve come up with some analogies we feel typify the Houston/Dallas relationship. For example, Houston:Dallas :: Oklahoma:Texas. Or how about Houston:Dallas :: Jan Brady:Marsha Brady? Since Houston was technically incorporated before Dallas, we thought this technological analogy was particularly apt. Houston:Dallas :: Blackberry:iPhone. Have a snarky analogy of your own in mind? Sound off in the comments below. And don’t worry, there’s more instigation/agitation to come tomorrow.
