By JIM VERTUNO
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones testified Wednesday that he now understands it was irresponsible of him to declare the Sandy Hook Elementary School bloodbath a hoax and that he now believes it was “100% real.”
Speaking a day after the dad and mom of a 6-year-old boy who was killed within the 2012 assault testified in regards to the struggling, loss of life threats and harassment they’ve endured due to what Jones has trumpeted on his media platforms, the Infowars host advised a Texas courtroom that he positively thinks the assault occurred.
“Especially since I’ve met the parents. It’s 100% real,” Jones mentioned at his trial to find out how a lot he and his media firm, Free Speech Systems, owe for defaming Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis. Their son Jesse Lewis was among the many 20 college students and 6 educators who had been killed within the assault in Newtown, Connecticut, which was the deadliest faculty capturing in American historical past.
But Heslin and Lewis mentioned Tuesday that an apology wouldn’t suffice and that Jones wanted to be held accountable for repeatedly spreading falsehoods in regards to the assault. They are looking for a minimum of $150 million.
Jones advised the jury that any compensation above $2 million “will sink us,” however added: “Ï think it’s appropriate for whatever you decide what you want to do.”
Testimony concluded round noon and shutting arguments are anticipated to start Wednesday afternoon.
Jones is the one individual testifying in his personal protection. His legal professional requested him if he now understands it was “absolutely irresponsible” to push the false claims that the bloodbath didn’t occur and nobody died.
Jones mentioned he does, however added, “They (the media) won’t let me take it back.”
He additionally complained that he’s been “typecast as someone that runs around talking about Sandy Hook, makes money off Sandy Hook, is obsessed by Sandy Hook.”
Under a withering cross-examination from legal professional Mark Bankston, Jones acknowledged his historical past of elevating conspiracy claims concerning different mass tragedies, from the Oklahoma City and Boston Marathon bombings to the mass shootings in Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida.
Bankston then went after Jones’ credibility, exhibiting an Infowars video clip from final week when a number — not Jones — claimed the trial was rigged and that includes a photograph of the decide in flames. Then got here one other clip of Jones asking if the jury was chosen from a bunch of individuals “who don’t know what planet” they reside on. Jones mentioned he didn’t imply that half actually.
Bankston mentioned Jones hadn’t complied with court docket orders to offer textual content message and emails for pretrial proof gathering. Jones mentioned, “I don’t use email,” then was confirmed one gathered from one other supply that got here from his e-mail handle. He replied: “I must have dictated that.”
At one level, Bankston knowledgeable Jones that his attorneys had mistakenly despatched Bankston the final two years’ value of texts from Jones’ cellphone.
The legal professional additionally confirmed the court docket an e-mail from an Infowars enterprise officer informing Jones that the corporate had earned $800,000 gross in promoting its merchandise in a single day, which might quantity to just about $300 million in a 12 months. Jones mentioned that was the corporate’s finest day in gross sales.
Jones’ testimony got here a day after Heslin and Lewis advised the courtroom in Austin, the place Jones and his firms are based mostly, that Jones and the false hoax claims he and Infowars pushed made their lives a “living hell” of loss of life threats, on-line abuse and harassment.
They led a day of charged testimony Tuesday that included the decide scolding the bombastic Jones for not being truthful with a few of what he mentioned underneath oath.
In a gripping trade, Lewis spoke on to Jones, who was sitting about 10 toes away. Earlier that day, Jones was on his broadcast program telling his viewers that Heslin is “slow” and being manipulated by unhealthy individuals.
“I am a mother first and foremost and I know you are a father. My son existed,” Lewis mentioned to Jones. “I am not deep state … I know you know that … And yet you’re going to leave this courthouse and say it again on your show.”
At one level, Lewis requested Jones: “Do you think I’m an actor?”
“No, I don’t think you’re an actor,” Jones responded earlier than the decide admonished him to be quiet till known as to testify.
Heslin and Lewis are amongst a number of Sandy Hook households who’ve filed lawsuits alleging that the Sandy Hook hoax claims pushed by Jones have led to years of abuse by him and his followers.
“What was said about me and Sandy Hook itself resonates around the world,” Heslin mentioned. “As time went on, I truly realized how dangerous it was.”
Jones skipped Heslin’s Tuesday morning testimony whereas he was on his present — a transfer Heslin dismissed as “cowardly” — however arrived within the courtroom for a part of Scarlett Lewis’ testimony. He was accompanied by a number of non-public safety guards.
“Today is very important to me and it’s been a long time coming … to face Alex Jones for what he said and did to me. To restore the honor and legacy of my son,” Heslin mentioned when Jones wasn’t there.
Heslin advised the jury about holding his son with a bullet gap by means of his head, even describing the extent of the injury to his son’s physique. A key phase of the case is a 2017 Infowars broadcast that mentioned Heslin didn’t maintain his son.
The jury was proven a faculty image of a smiling Jesse taken two weeks earlier than he was killed. The dad and mom didn’t obtain the photograph till after the capturing. They described how Jesse was recognized for telling classmates to “run!” which possible saved lives.
Jones later took the stand Tuesday and was initially combative with the decide, who had requested him to reply his personal legal professional’s query. Jones testified he had lengthy wished to apologize to the plaintiffs.
Later, the decide despatched the jury out of the room and strongly scolded Jones for telling the jury he had complied with pretrial proof gathering though he didn’t and that he’s bankrupt, which has not been decided. The plaintiffs’ attorneys had been livid about Jones mentioning he’s bankrupt, which they fear will taint the jury’s choices about damages.
“This is not your show,” Judge Maya Guerra Gamble advised Jones. “Your beliefs do not make something true. You are under oath.”
Last September, the decide admonished Jones in her default judgment over his failure to show over paperwork requested by the Sandy Hook households. A court docket in Connecticut issued an identical default judgment towards Jones for a similar causes in a separate lawsuit introduced by different Sandy Hook dad and mom.
At stake within the trial is how a lot Jones pays. The dad and mom have requested the jury to award $150 million in compensation for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional misery. The jury will then contemplate whether or not Jones and his firm pays punitive damages.
Jones has already tried to guard Free Speech Systems financially. The firm filed for federal chapter safety final week. Sandy Hook households have individually sued Jones over his monetary claims, arguing that the corporate is attempting to guard hundreds of thousands owned by Jones and his household by means of shell entities.
___
Associated Press author Paul J. Weber contributed to this report.
___
For extra of the AP’s protection of faculty shootings: https://apnews.com/hub/school-shootings
Source: www.bostonherald.com”