More snow is expected from Saturday afternoon through Monday, with accumulations of a foot or more by Tuesday morning, according to Morganelli.

SPRINGFIELD — Don't put those shovels away just yet; more snow is on the way, and lots of it.

Another Arctic blast is expected to hit the region by the middle of next week, so if you're fed up with frigid temperatures, you'll have to put up with them at least through next Friday the 13th, when temps could bottom out at 10-20 degrees below zero, according to Nick Morganelli, meteorologist with CBS 3 Springfield, the media partner of MassLive / The Republican.

The good news, if you can call it good, is that there will be a warmup heading into this weekend. But the downside is that it's expected to snow from roughly Saturday afternoon straight on through Monday evening. When all is said and done, Morganelli said, the greater Springfield area could see accumulations of 10-12 inches by Tuesday morning. And and that's on top of the deep snow that's already on the ground, he added.

Higher-elevation areas, such as Berkshire and Franklin counties, can expect a foot or more of snow, Morganelli said.

In terms of the weekend warmup, we're talking temperatures ranging from 25-32 degrees, which will feel warm compared to the temperatures that Western Massachusetts residents woke up to on Friday morning. The mercury in North Adams, Berkshire County's second city, plunged to 20 below zero, while the temperature in Chicopee bottomed out at 12 below, Morganelli said.

Another good thing about this latest round of snow: It will come in bands, rather than fall consistently as it did during recent storms, giving people time to clear off roofs, walkways and driveways in between the flakes.

"I guess one good thing with this system is that it's stretched out over a few days," Morganelli said. "The snow will come in waves; people can remove it, then wait for the next wave to come in."

Unlike this week's light, powdery snowfall, the upcoming snow will be sticky, heavy and wet, according to Morganelli. With temperatures hovering just below or above the freezing mark, the snow could mix with rain in some parts of the lower Pioneer Valley, he said.

"It's going to be a very, very wet snowflake ... so that could cut down on accumulations," he said.

"The good news is that we've turned the corner on winter," Morganelli said. "We gain an hour and 14 minutes of light this month. The nights are getting shorter and the sun is getting higher in the sky."

It's still too early to tell how this winter will rank in the record books, but it's certainly one of the coldest and snowiest in recent memory. For northeastern Massachusetts, where various spots now have more than 4 feet of snow on the ground, some records have already been shattered.

Utility stocks, one of the best-performing parts of the market over the last year, took a beating.

By KEN SWEET

NEW YORK -- "Safety" wasn't safe Friday.

A blockbuster U.S. jobs report sent investors fleeing their traditional places of comfort: dividend-paying stocks, as well as bonds and gold. The selling left major indexes slightly lower.

When nervous investors crowd into safe-haven assets, it's known on Wall Street as a "flight to safety." Instead, it was a flight from safety Friday as investors grew more confident that the economy would grow.

"The January employment report was strong across the board," said Michelle Girard, an economy at RBS Securities, in a note to clients. "The data were clearly very healthy."

Gold fell more than 2 percent. The yield on the 10-year Treasury jumped to 1.95 percent from 1.81 percent as investors sold off the ultra-safe investment.

Utility stocks, one of the best-performing parts of the market over the last year, took a beating. The Dow Jones utility index, a collection of 15 power companies, had its worst day since August 2011, plunging 4 percent.

January's jobs report startled investors with evidence that the job market is closer to full health. U.S. employers added 257,000 jobs last month and wages jumped by the most in six years. The gains were far better than expected.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 60.59 points, or 0.3 percent, to 17,824.29. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 7.05 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,055.47 and the Nasdaq composite fell 20.70 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,744.40.

Understanding why a strong jobs report could push the stock market lower requires some counterintuitive thinking.

Unlike their counterparts in Europe and Asia, who are lowering interest rates, U.S. central bankers could lift rates as soon as June. Strategists say the surprisingly robust jobs report gives the Fed more ammunition to justify a rate increase sooner rather than later.

"There's an underlying nervousness in this market built on cheap money," said Russ Koesterich, global chief investment strategist at BlackRock.

The current near-zero interest rates have been a key factor driving the stock market's dramatic rise since March 2009. By keeping rates low, the Fed has made bonds appear more expensive than stocks. If interest rates rise, a richly-priced stock market would tend to be less attractive to investors, strategists say.

That dynamic was reflected in utility stocks Friday. Utilities typically pay investors consistently high dividends and tend to fluctuate less than other stocks, giving them a bond-like quality. That makes them appealing to investors seeking income and less risk.

"It's much more difficult to justify these high prices for utility stocks with yields rising like this," Koesterich said.

Despite Friday's downturn, it was a good week overall for investors. The Dow ended up 3.8 percent and the S&P 500 climbed 3 percent. Stocks have now reclaimed the ground they lost in January.

The price of oil also rebounded this week on signs that crude production is slowing. U.S. crude jumped 7 percent, its biggest gain since February 2011, during the Arab Spring and turmoil in Libya.

On Friday, U.S. crude rose $1.21 a barrel, or 2.4 percent, to close at $51.69 a barrel. The jobs report suggested to investors that demand for fuels could rise.

Brent, the international standard, gained $1.23, or 2.2 percent, to end at $57.80 a barrel in London.

The price of oil is still down by about half from last June because of a glut in global supplies.

In other metals trading, silver fell 50 cents, or 2.9 percent, to $16.69 an ounce and copper fell a penny to $2.59 a pound.

In other futures trading on the NYMEX:

1. Wholesale gasoline rose 3.4 cents to close at $1.559 a gallon.
2. Heating oil rose 3.3 cents to close at $1.839 a gallon.
3. Natural gas fell 2.1 cents to close at $2.579 per 1,000 cubic feet. It was the eighth down day for natural gas out of the last 9, pushing natural gas to its lowest level since June of 2012.

Morey Walker is challenging Mayor Bill Martin for the seat he's held since 2009.

GREENFIELD -- Patty Morey Walker kicked off her campaign for mayor of Greenfield before a small but enthusiastic crowd at the Arts Block Friday night, promising a focus on downtown vitality, fiscal transparency, high-quality public education, and well-funded social programs.

Patty Morey Walker 

Morey Walker plans to challenge Mayor William Martin, who has held the office since 2009. Martin was not available for comment late Friday afternoon.

Morey Walker, 51, sounded the recurring theme that Greenfield residents "deserve better." While short on specifics, the candidate said she envisions the downtown as a "vibrant and diverse place," that she believes in "100 percent government and fiscal transparency," and that Greenfield residents deserve to know how their tax money is being spent.

The candidate said she would work with the superintendent and school committee to determine why so many students "choice out" of the district. Greenfield pays over $2 million a year for students who attend schools in other districts, she said.

Morey Walker noted that teens have seen places like the teen center and skate park leave. The town's youth need support in staying active and "away from temptations that could lead them astray," she said.

She also touched upon the opioid crisis and pledged to do more to help those who are addicted to heroin and pills.

"As the hub of Franklin County, we need to look at supporting our community members instead of placing blame and shame on people who are struggling with very real issues," More Walker said.

Morey Walker said the city ended the prior fiscal year with $3 million in free cash, and suggested that she would draw upon reserves to balance her budget.

"Although I firmly believe in the importance of rainy day funds, I say it's raining for many in Greenfield now," said Morey Walker. She would spend the "extra funding" on "supporting the youth and elderly, recreation, the library, and more."

The candidate wrapped up her speech with a call for greater voter engagement, noting that only eleven percent of registered voters voted in the last mayoral election.

According to her campaign biography, Morey Walker was a department head in the administration of former Boston Mayor Tom Menino, where she was in charge of workers' compensation. She says during her tenure, workers' compensation expenditures were reduced by $3 million. For the last several years, she says she has worked in the insurance technology field.

As for her political experience, Morey Walker noted that she served on the neighborhood council in the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, and was a member of the Finance Committee in Conway. She is also 2014 graduate of the Western Mass. Women's Fund Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI).

Morey Walker lives at 194 High St., lives with her partner Kate Hunter, a photographer and Greenfield native, and their two sixteen-year-old children.

The man suffered injuries to the left side of his face and was taken to the hospital after he told police he was mugged.

HOLYOKE -- A man walking on High Street near Jackson Street Friday (Feb. 6) afternoon told police a man in a black mask hit him in the face with a gun and stole his wallet.

"He took the victim's wallet and then he fled on foot," Sgt. Brian Chirgwin said

The victim was taken to Holyoke Medical Center with injuries to the left side of his face, he said.

Detectives are investigating the incident. The call came into police at 2:46 p.m., he said.

The victim told police he was walking when a man dressed all in black, including a black face mask, showed a black gun and then hit the man in the face with the gun, he said.

"There was an altercation and at some point, the subject took money off this person," Chirgwin said.

A fire broke out late Friday afternoon at 51-53 Alvord Ave., a 3-story, multi-resident building off Broadway Street.

Chicopee firefighters extinguished a blaze sparked by a clothes dryer that caused about $15,000 damage to this multi-tenant home on Alvord Avenue on Friday, Feb. 6. A firefighter required medical attention and was brought to a hospital for treatment, but an update on his condition was unavailable. CBS 3 SPRINGFIELD 

Access to the dead-end street was blocked off while fire crews handled the call at the multi-resident home. Fire Department officials told CBS 3 Springfield, media partner of MassLive / The Republican, that the a clothes dryer likely sparked the blaze, which caused about $15,000 in damage.

A firefighter required medical attention and was brought to a hospital for treatment. An update on his condition was unavailable. There were no other reported injuries.

The Red Cross was helping several residents displaced by the fire.

Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Lemay told ABC40 that it took his men about 15 minutes to knock down the flames.

MAP showing approximate location of Chicopee fire:

Anyone with information about the car-vs-pedestrian incident may call the Traffic Bureau at 413-594-1770 or leave a message on the Police Department's Facebook page.

Updates story posted at 9:18 a.m. Friday, Feb. 6.

The 35-year-old Chicopee resident sustained potentially life-threatening injuries and was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for treatment, according to Officer Michael Wilk, public information officer for the Chicopee Police Department.

The department's Accident Reconstruction Team is now seeking information about a man who was walking in the Ferry Lane section of Chicopee, especially along Old Field Road in the area of Dayton Street toward Arnold Avenue, between 11 p.m. Thursday and midnight Friday. The man, believed to be in his mid-30s, was wearing a tan baseball hat, scarf, glasses and sneakers, police said.

Anyone with information about this individual is asked to call the Traffic Bureau at 413-594-1770 or to leave a message on the Police Department's Facebook page.

"Any information you may have could be very helpful," Wilk said.

It wasn't immediately clear if any charges might be filed in connection with the case. Occupants of the vehicle involved in the car-vs-pedestrian accident told investigators they didn't realize they had hit and dragged the victim until they pulled into their driveway.

An update on the victim's condition wasn't immediately available.

The agency and other forecasters predict 14 to 18 inches of snow will fall across Western Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD - The weekend's protracted snow began late Saturday morning, with a steady fall over the downtown.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency issued a "situational awareness" warning on Saturday, flagging winter storm watches and warnings for the entire state today through Tuesday.

The agency and other forecasters predict 14 to 18 inches of snow will fall across Western Massachusetts. The heaviest snowfall is expected to occur Sunday to Monday.

Eight to 12 inches of snow is likely in the northern areas of Plymouth and northern Norfolk Counties; four to seven inches of snow is likely in southeastern Massachusetts include Cape Cod; lesser amounts of snow are likely on the islands.

Nick Morganelli, a meteorologist with CBS-3 in Springfield, MassLive media partner, reports there will be pulses of snow for three consecutive days.

A Maryland court will allow the subject of the popular podcast "Serial" to appeal his murder conviction.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The subject of the popular podcast "Serial" will be allowed to appeal his murder conviction, a Maryland court has ruled, a development that gives the man his best chance at a new trial or a change to his life sentence.

Adnan Syed, 34, was convicted in 2000 of strangling his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, the year prior, when both were high school students in suburban Baltimore. "Serial" examined the case in detail and raised questions about Syed's guilt and whether he received a fair trial.

Syed argues that the attorney who represented him ignored his requests to negotiate a plea deal. He also claims she failed to interview a witness who could have provided him with an alibi.

Prosecutors have argued that Syed was never offered a plea deal and that there was no evidence beyond his own post-conviction testimony that attorney Cristina Gutierrez failed him. Gutierrez was disbarred in 2001 and died in 2004.

On Friday, Maryland's second-highest court, the Court of Special Appeals, granted Syed's application for leave of appeal. That means both sides will file briefs, and the court will hear oral arguments in June.

Syed's attorney, Justin Brown, said it's historically difficult to persuade the court to hear such cases.

"If they had said no, that would have been it," Brown said Saturday. "There would have been this incredible finality to it. But now the door's open."

Prosecutors argued that Syed became inconsolably jealous after Lee began dating someone else. There were no eyewitnesses to her slaying, but a former classmate testified that he helped Syed dispose of Lee's body, which was found in a shallow grave in a Baltimore park a month after she was killed.

Syed is serving his life sentence at a prison in western Maryland.

The home invasion appeared to be a case of mistaken identity, according to police.

SPRINGFIELD — A Webber Street resident shot one of two men who broke into his home early Saturday while he was there with his 3-year-old daughter, according to police.

The resident had a licensed firearm and police called the incident "a justified self-defense shooting."

Springfield Police Sgt. John M. Delaney said two brothers from East Longmeadow began ringing the man's doorbell and kicking the door shortly after midnight, threatening to "light up the house." The incident appeared to be a matter of mistaken identity as the duo repeatedly addressed the resident by the wrong name, Delaney said.

"The homeowner confronted them in his living room. Both ... refused to leave and advanced on him while threatening him," Delaney said.

At that point the resident shot one of the men, Jordan Eady, 24, of 9 Blackdog Lane in East Longmeadow. He sustained gunshot wounds to his chest and arm.

The brothers fled the scene and were running up Webber Street but were stopped by responding officers, Delaney said. Police performed CPR on the wounded brother before he was taken to Baystate Medical Center.

Jordan Eady was treated and released to the police lock-up, along with his brother, Jason Eady, 22, Delaney said.

Both brothers have been charged with armed burglary, threat to murder, and defacement of real property.

"It appears that the Eady brothers were at the wrong house and picked the wrong homeowner to threaten," Delaney said.

The Republican file 

Two police officers are hospitalized after helping rescue a man from a burning home in Fitchburg.

FITCHBURG, Mass. (AP) -- Two police officers are hospitalized after helping rescue a man from a burning home in Fitchburg.

Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Curran tells the Sentinel and Enterprise that the officers were among the first at the scene Saturday morning and helped pull the man through a window to safety.

Police said the officers were taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Their injuries are not considered life-threatening.

A dog was believed to have died in the blaze.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The home is believed to be one of the oldest in Fitchburg.

A Massachusetts woman and her 9-year-old daughter were found hanged Friday in the basement of their home by police officers who later discovered what authorities called "written information" that's being reviewed to see it if sheds light on what happened.

BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) -- A Massachusetts woman and her 9-year-old daughter were found hanged Friday in the basement of their home by police officers who later discovered what authorities called "written information" that's being reviewed to see it if sheds light on what happened.

The bodies of Ariana Rosa-Soares, 32, and her daughter, Marley Soares, were found shortly before 10 a.m. in their home in Brockton, about 25 miles south of Boston, after a concerned family friend called police asking for assistance at the house, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said.

Cruz didn't disclose the contents of the written information found at the scene and said it was too early to say whether the deaths were murders or a murder-suicide. He said the girl's father was interviewed by state police, and it didn't appear to be a case of domestic violence.

"It's a terrible situation which we are going to get to the end of when we get all the information together," Cruz said.

Rosa-Soares also had an 11-year-old daughter who wasn't home when the bodies were found, authorities said.

Brockton and state police are investigating and medical examiners will be performing autopsies to try to determine the cause and manner of the deaths.

Jose Rosa, Rosa-Soares' father, told The Boston Globe that he believed his daughter had a mental illness and that he was concerned about her ability to be a parent. He said he had sought help from the state Department of Children and Families.

"I tried to get help ... to stop what happened now," he told the paper. "I feel dead. I feel mad."

No one answered the phone at the state agency late Friday afternoon. The voice mailbox for a DCF spokeswoman was full and would not accept messages.

TurboTax, the country's most popular do-it-yourself tax preparation software, halted processing state tax returns for about 24 hours after state agencies reported a rise in filings with stolen personal information.

BOSTON (AP) -- Massachusetts officials have temporarily halted refunds on state tax returns after a nationwide increase in fraudulent tax returns filed through TurboTax.

State Revenue Commissioner Amy Pitter said the agency, acting out of an abundance of caution, suspended refunds to make sure all of the approximately 160,000 tax returns that are currently in its pipeline for refunds are legitimate.

TurboTax, the country's most popular do-it-yourself tax preparation software, halted processing state tax returns for about 24 hours after state agencies reported a rise in filings with stolen personal information. Intuit, the company behind TurboTax, said it resumed filing of state returns at about 6 p.m. Friday with increased anti-fraud measures.

According to Vermont State Police, the victim was skiing around 3 p.m. when she veered from the groomed portion of a trail on the upper part of the mountain and struck a tree.

EAST BURKE, Vermont — A 27-year-old Vermont woman is dead following an accident at the Q Burke Mountain Ski resort on Friday afternoon.

According to Vermont State Police, the victim was skiing around 3 p.m. when she veered from the groomed portion of a trail on the upper part of the mountain and struck a tree. When she didn't meet up with her friends as planned, the ski patrol was notified and she was found dead around two hours later.

The name of the victim, who was wearing a helmet, is being withheld pending notification of the family but troopers did confirm she was from St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

State police are investigating and although a preliminary investigation indicates it was an accidental death, an autopsy is pending with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington.

The 8-10 a.m. Feb. 13 event will be hosted by the Emily Williston Memorial Library.

EASTHAMPTON -- Library advocates will meet with lawmakers at a Friday morning legislative breakfast to be held at the Emily Williston Memorial Library at 9 Park St. in Easthampton.

The Feb. 13 event is set for 8-10 a.m. and geared toward library stakeholders in Sen. Donald Humason's district, which encompasses Agawam, Southwick, Granville, Tolland, Westfield, Russell, Montgomery, Easthampton, Southampton, Holyoke, and Wards 7, 8A and 9A in Chicopee.

In addition to Humason, Easthampton Mayor Karen Cadieux and lawmakers including Rep. Nicholas Boldyga, Rep. John Velis, and Rep. Aaron Vega are expected to attend, said library director Tamsen Conner.

The breakfast will feature speakers from Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, Massachusetts Library System, Western Mass. Library Advocates, and Massachusetts Library Association.

Library patrons and interested members of the public are invited to attend.

Police closed streets to traffic in Indian Orchard on Saturday after a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle.

An update to this story was posted at 9:15 p.m. Saturday here.

SPRINGFIELD — Police were on the scene of a serious traffic accident involving a pedestrian at a busy intersection in Indian Orchard on Saturday.

The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. near the intersection of Berkshire Avenue and Cottage Street. Traffic was being diverted away from the intersection as officers worked to piece together what happened leading to the person being hit by the vehicle.

A crew from CBS 3 Springfield, media partner to The Republican and MassLive.com, was dispatched and reported seeing some type of utility vehicle damaged and inside the police tape marking the accident scene.

Springfield police Capt. Trent Duda said he couldn't provide details, including information regarding the condition or identity of the pedestrian, as officers were still actively working the scene.

This is a developing story which will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Police have confirmed that a 66-year-old city resident who was struck by a vehicle Saturday evening has died as a result of his injuries.

SPRINGFIELD — Police have confirmed that a 66-year-old city resident who was struck by a vehicle Saturday evening has died as a result of his injuries.

Sgt. John Delaney said the victim was walking across Berkshire Avenue between Harvey and Cottage streets when a truck hit him around 7:30 p.m., according to CBS 3 Springfield, media partner to The Republican and MassLive.com. Delaney said the man may have been leaving McCarthy's Tavern, but that the investigation is ongoing.

Traffic was diverted away from the scene for several hours on Saturday night as the Springfield Police traffic Bureau worked to detail the crash. Delaney also said that charges have not been filed against the driver.

The victim's identity is being withheld pending notification of the family.

Eddie Ray Routh, a 27-year-old Iraq War veteran, is scheduled to stand trial Wednesday, charged with capital murder in the slayings of Chad Littlefield and former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, whose memoir "American Sniper" is now an Academy Award-nominated movie.

STEPHENVILLE, Texas -- Eddie Ray Routh had been talking crazy for a while. So when he showed up on his sister's doorstep one afternoon two Februarys ago and claimed to have shot two men, she didn't know what to think.

But when Laura Blevins saw the big black custom pickup truck in the driveway, not Eddie's Volkswagen Beetle, her stomach tightened. He asked if she was with him "in hell," then drove off into the fading light.

"I'm terrified for my life," she breathlessly told a 911 dispatcher. "I don't know if he's being honest with me."

It wasn't long before she got her answer.

Routh, a 27-year-old Iraq War veteran, is scheduled to stand trial Wednesday, charged with capital murder in the slayings of Chad Littlefield and former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, whose memoir "American Sniper" is now an Academy Award-nominated movie. The two men had taken the ex-Marine to a shooting range in an attempt to help him battle post-traumatic stress disorder and other personal demons besetting him.

Routh's attorneys are planning to argue that he was insane. Many expect PTSD from his Iraq tour and a relief mission to earthquake-stricken Haiti to be another narrative thread in that defense.

But with Kyle's personal story the subject of a blockbuster currently packing them in at cinemas near and far, Routh's defenders wonder whether he can get a fair trial.

___

Although it appears that Kyle and Routh hadn't met before that fatal day in February 2013, they had a lot in common.

Both had attended high school southwest of Dallas in the town of Midlothian, the self-proclaimed "Cement Capital of Texas." Each had played football for the Midlothian Panthers and been involved with the Future Farmers of America, though 14 years apart.

And, most importantly, both ended up in the military and went to war.

After a brief stint in college and a flirtation with rodeo bronc riding, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Kyle joined the Navy and qualified for its elite special forces unit. As a sniper with SEAL Team 3, he would rack up, by his own count, more than 300 kills and earn two Silver Stars, the military's third-highest honor for valor.

The father of two left the Navy in 2009, following four tours in Iraq. Three years later, he published his best-selling memoir, "American Sniper."

Routh's path would be paved with far less glory.

By most accounts, he was a middling student and a bit of a troublemaker. Kc Bernard, a former security guard at Midlothian High, remembers Routh as a decent defensive lineman, but easy to anger.

"He had a chip on his shoulder," says Bernard, who recalls a heart-to-heart with Routh outside the school gym after the teen had had a falling out with his parents.

"I know for a fact that his home life wasn't great," says Bernard, who now teaches social studies in Dallas. "They did not get along."

But by senior year, Routh knew what he wanted to do with his life. Although a photo in the 2006 Midlothian High yearbook shows a buzz-cut Routh chatting with an Army recruiter, he had his heart set on the Marines.

"I want to be one of the few and the proud," he told the photographer.

Not long after graduation, Routh -- also 6-2, but about 50 pounds lighter than Kyle -- was off to boot camp in California. By September 2007, he was in the Middle East.

In a conversation with his parents shortly before deploying, he reportedly expressed concerns about having to use his weapon.

"He said, 'Dad, how are you going to feel about me if I have to kill somebody?'" his mother, Jodi Routh, told a writer from Men's Health magazine before a judge imposed a gag order in the case. "Our response was, of course, 'Eddie, this is a war. You kill them before they can kill you.'"

A few months later, his parents told the magazine, he called home and suggested that something bad had happened while he was out on patrol.

"How would you feel if I shot a kid?" they said he asked.

But family and friends say Routh was more disturbed by what he saw during a later deployment -- in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

In January 2010, Routh was attached to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit as part of Operation Unified Response, sent to the island nation. They found a country in ruins, with about a quarter million dead -- many of them stacked in rotting piles along the muddy roads.

Routh talked of being forbidden by an officer to give his rations to a starving boy -- and of things much worse.

"He wasn't prepared for what he was doing out there," his father told London's Daily Mail for an article published last month. "Fishing hundreds of bodies -- men, women, children -- out of the ocean, piling them up and throwing them into mass graves."

Routh left the Marines as a corporal that summer and floated around -- a brief stint with a military contractor, doing odd jobs for a real estate agent, cabinet-making, building storage units. He was diagnosed with PTSD the following summer, according to medical records viewed by Men's Health.

His drinking, which had begun in his teens, got worse.

In September 2012, Routh was transported to Green Oaks Hospital for psychiatric care after his mother told police he'd threatened to kill himself and family. Police had found him wandering -- barefoot, shirtless and reeking of alcohol.

"Eddie stated he was hurting and that his family does not understand what he has been through," the police report said.

His parents and sister have told reporters that Eddie claimed to be a vampire or werewolf, and complained that a tapeworm was eating out his insides.

Routh would go back to Green Oaks at least one more time. On Jan. 30, 2013, his mother took him to the Veteran's Administration hospital.

Despite her pleas that he be admitted, doctors sent him home.

___

To the Iraqi insurgents who'd placed a bounty on his head, Chris Kyle was "al-Shaitan Ramadi" -- the "devil of Ramadi." But to Jodi Routh, he was an angel.

In search of another mission after leaving the SEALs, Kyle helped create a program to help rehabilitate wounded and troubled veterans through exercise. Jodi Routh worked as an aide at the Kyle kids' school, and she asked if he would take her son on.

Kyle and Littlefield -- a neighbor and hunting buddy who also volunteered his time with veterans -- decided to take Routh shooting. It was Feb. 2, 2013.

In Kyle's black pickup, they drove to Rough Creek Lodge and Resort, which sits on 11,000 acres of rolling hills scattered with scraggly trees and prairie grasses. In addition to luxury accommodations, it has hunting areas and a 1,000-yard shooting range.

Around 5 p.m., a resort employee discovered the bodies. Kyle and Littlefield lay on the ground amid scattered weapons; each had been shot several times.

About 45 minutes later, Routh pulled up at his sister's Midlothian home in Kyle's truck.

Laura Blevins told police that Eddie "was out of his mind saying people were sucking his soul and that he could smell the pigs." He told her he'd "traded his soul" for the pickup.

He'd killed Kyle and Littlefield, Routh allegedly admitted to his sister and her husband, and later to Texas Rangers. Echoing the advice his parents had given him before he left for Iraq, Gaines Blevins says his brother-in-law told him he'd "killed them before they could kill him."

After leading police on a brief chase, Routh was arrested on Interstate 35 near Lancaster. In an interview with the Texas Rangers, Routh said he understood what he'd done and wanted to apologize to the men's families.

"It wasn't a want to," he said in a recording played in court. "It was a need to, to get out of that situation out there today or I was going to be the one out there to get my head shot off."

"You know what you did today is wrong, right?" the ranger asked.

"Yes, sir," Routh replied.

___

That evening, police blocked off the street and told Routh's neighbor Danny Elizondo to stay in his house.

The Eddie he knew was a normal guy who came to neighborhood barbecues and asked if Elizondo, who painted cars, would redo his VW "bug" in camouflage. Routh had complained of flashbacks, but Elizondo had never known him to be violent or delusional.

"Eddie would come to my house and sit out there and talk to me and tell me stuff," he says. "The bombing and stuff, the bodies on the side ... kids, out when they were going through patrols. Kids out there kind of hungry and stuff."

He figures something out at Rough Creek made him snap.

"I just have a feeling that Eddie went to that rifle range ... and he heard the shelling again, and something triggered him off," Elizondo says.

Many former Marines aren't buying it, some expressing their doubts in angry, profane online posts. And records obtained by The Associated Press suggest they're right to be skeptical.

Routh was a small-arms technician, also known as an armorer. Veterans say a support person like that would not have been out on patrol.

Raymond Routh was quoted as saying his son claimed to have helped guard prisoners at Balad Air Base. A 2013 New Yorker article said Routh had "witnessed several mortar attacks on the base; once, while he was on the phone with Raymond, sirens began blaring, and he said that he had to take cover."

But Marine records indicate that Routh was attached to Combat Logistics Battalion 8, which was based in Fallujah -- more than an hour south of Balad. Haley Carter, who was a 2nd lieutenant with the unit during that tour and helped oversee the morning reports, said Routh's story makes no sense.

"I don't know why we would send an armorer to Balad ... when there are plenty of MPs who have the training to guard prisoners," Carter, who left the Marines as a captain in 2013, told the AP. "The whole thing seems funky to me."

The unit's command chronology, a detailed official account of the deployment obtained by AP, shows none of its Marines assigned to Balad during Routh's service. The portion of the chronology covering the first several months of that tour was not available, a Marine archivist said.

As for the Haiti mission, the 22nd MEU chronology shows that while Marines helped distribute food, water and medical aid, there is no mention of burials. It also appears from the narrative that the command element, to which Routh was attached, never left the assault ship USS Bataan.

The only document that mentioned Routh by name was a "debarkation roster" dated April 1, 2010 -- the end date of his deployment.

"There's no information that we have at this time that can confirm or refute his claims of being in those particular locations and doing those particular tasks," said Capt. Stewart Coles, a spokesman for the II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

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With area theaters showing the Oscar-nominated movie about Kyle's life -- and alluding to his death, in a brief on-screen note and footage from a funeral motorcade -- defense attorney J. Warren St. John has expressed concern that Routh can't get a fair trial in Erath County.

On a recent rainy afternoon, people lined up outside the Cinemark Cinema 6 in Stephenville for tickets to see "American Sniper," starring Bradley Cooper. That show and the next quickly sold out, and management has been adding an extra screen on weekends to meet demand.

Like others in the crowd, Elby Cato has received a jury summons. He says the movie won't affect his ability to be impartial.

"Can he get a fair trial here? You bet," said Cato, 48. "I think a lot of people have military kids here, and they understand what they're going through. ... He's going to jail, but I feel like he needs to have a lighter sentence because of it -- and help."

Moviegoer Janet Huggins has given a lot of thought to PTSD, and whether a noncombat veteran like Routh has a right to use it as a defense. But she recognizes that it is "a terrible disease."

"They are all victims," said Huggins, 56, a collections manager, also called for jury duty. "Eddie's a victim. Chad Littlefield's a victim, and so is Chris. And then you've got the families. Everybody's going through their own hell."

SPRINGFIELD - Hundreds attended the 2015 Springfield St. Patrick's Parade Committee's Colleen Coronation Ball and Award Presentation held at the Cedars Banquet Hall on Saturday, Feb. 2. Five finalists were chosen prior to the event and the 2015 Springfield Colleen was to be crowned at the event.

SPRINGFIELD - Hundreds attended the 2015 Springfield St. Patrick's Parade Committee's Colleen Coronation Ball and Award Presentation held at the Cedars Banquet Hall on Saturday, Feb. 2.

Five finalists were chosen prior to the event and the 2015 Springfield Colleen was to be crowned at the event.

Three people were shot at a Pittsburgh-area shopping center on Saturday night and were taken to a hospital, and the mall and the hospital's emergency room were placed on lockdown.

MONROEVILLE, Pa. -- Three people were shot at a Pittsburgh-area shopping center on Saturday night and were taken to a hospital, and the mall and the hospital's emergency room were placed on lockdown.

It was unclear whether the shooter was captured or had escaped, said Monroeville Mayor Gregory Erosenko, who had only sketchy details shortly after the 7:45 p.m. shooting. He said his police chief was at the scene.

The three victims were taken to Forbes Hospital with gunshot wounds, hospital spokesman Jesse Miller said. One was in stable condition, he said, and he couldn't release the conditions of the other two.

Detectives told the hospital to lock down its emergency room until they were certain the Monroeville Mall shooter had been captured, Miller said.

Pennsylvania native and ex-NFL quarterback Terrelle Pryor tweeted that he was at the mall, a short drive east of Pittsburgh.

"Damn was just in monroeville mall and just saw 2 ppl get shot," he tweeted. "They are letting guns go in there."

Shoppers described chaos as shots rang out.

"All of the sudden we heard people screaming," Athena Coffey of Churchill told KDKA-TV, "and the next thing you see is a bunch of people, teenagers, scared to death, just exodus en masse in a way you could not believe. I grabbed my children, husband, we started screaming 'go, go, go!'"

Yvette Jackson of North Braddock was attending a birthday party at Giggles and Smiles, a fitness and fun center for children.

"We saw a lot of running, a lot of chaos," she told the newspaper. She said she and other patrons were locked in the store for about 45 minutes until police came and let them out.

In late December, hundreds of teenagers gathered at the mall and several fights broke out. The fights caused local officials and mall administration to agree on a plan to increase security there.

Weapons are banned at the mall, whose code of conduct specifically prohibits "Carrying or displaying weapons of any kind except those carried by certified law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties."

The mall, which is owned and managed by CBL & Associates Properties Inc., of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has 1.1 million square feet of shopping space. It says on its website it features more than 125 stores and eateries, anchored by JCPenney, Macy's and Barnes & Noble.

No one answered the phone at CBL offices after business hours Saturday. A mall security officer reached by telephone said he couldn't talk.

Daniel says the gunman shot six people before fatally shooting himself. Daniel says the two surviving victims are children, but children are also among the dead.

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. -- A man shot six people Saturday afternoon, killing four of them, including his ex-wife and several children before turning the gun on himself on a quiet, suburban street west of Atlanta, police and neighbors said.

Horrified neighbors called 911 and tended to the severely injured victims as best they could before rescuers arrived.

The shooting happened around 3 p.m. in a subdivision about 20 miles west of Atlanta, Douglas County Sheriff's Lt. Glenn Daniel said.

The shooter, whose name was not immediately released, appeared to have targeted his ex-wife and his own family, including several children who tried to flee, Daniel said. Authorities did not release the names of the victims because they were still trying to contact the next of kin Saturday. Investigators believe the gunman killed himself at the end of the shooting spree.

Investigators were still trying to determine the shooter's motive and piece together what happened.

"I've been in law enforcement out here 20 years and this is the worst I've ever seen," Daniel said. He did not know when the couple divorced or if they had prior contact with law enforcement.

Teresa Carter, 59, said she heard the gunfire from inside her home but did not see what happened. Police said victims were shot inside and outside the home.

Carter said she often saw the children playing in the driveway and around the neighborhood. They enjoyed petting her dog.

"I heard shots, and I heard the girl scream," Carter said. "And then I heard four more shots."

Brandon Hallman was working on a car a few houses down when the shooting started.

"I heard a couple quick shots, you know, back to back to back. Went out there and, you know, looked and it was already over," Hallman said. "We just grabbed some towels and kind of went down there to try and help before the paramedics got here."

Another neighbor, Angela Ansah, struggled to explain to her own children what happened to their slain friends a few houses down. Ansah said some of the children targeted Saturday often came over to her house to play with her own children.

"These are children I see every day, every blessed day," Ansah said.