Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones testified on Wednesday that he now realizes it was irresponsible of him to call the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre a hoax and that he now believes it was “100% real”.
The parents of a 6-year-old boy killed in the 2012 attack spoke a day later about the anguish, death threats and harassment they suffered from what Jones shouted on his media platforms. information The presenter told a Texas courthouse that he truly believes there was an attack.
“Especially after meeting my parents. It’s 100% real,” Jones said in a lawsuit to determine how much he and his media company, Free Speech Systems, are owed for defaming Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis. His son Jesse Lewis was among 20 students and six teachers killed in the attack. of Newtown, Connecticut, the deadliest school shooting in US history.
But Heslin and Lewis said on Tuesday that an apology would not be enough and that Jones should be held accountable for repeatedly spreading lies about the attack. They are looking for at least $150 million.
Jones told the jury that any compensation of more than $2 million “would sink us,” but added, “I think it’s appropriate whatever you decide to do.”
The deposition ended at noon and closing arguments are expected to begin on Wednesday afternoon.
Jones is the only person who confirms his defense. His lawyer asked if he now understands that it was “absolutely irresponsible” to make false claims that there was no massacre and no one was killed.
Jones said yes, but added: “They (the media) are not going to let me go back.”
He also complained that it was “written as someone who talks about Sandy Hook, makes money off Sandy Hook, is obsessed with Sandy Hook”.
Under cross-examination by attorney Mark Bankston, Jones admitted to a history of making conspiracy allegations about other mass tragedies, from the Oklahoma City bombings and the Boston Marathon to mass shootings in Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida.
Bankston then showed Jones’ credibility information A video clip from last week in which the presenter, not Jones, claimed the trial was rigged, showed a picture of the judge on fire. Then came another clip of Jones asking if the jury was made up of a group of people who “don’t know what planet” they live on. Jones said he didn’t mean that part literally.
Bankston said Jones failed to comply with court orders to provide text messages and emails for pretrial evidence collection. Jones said, “I don’t use email,” so a compilation from another source was shown that came from his email address. He replied, “I have to dictate this.”
At one point, Bankston informed Jones that his lawyers had mistakenly sent Bankston the past two years of text messages from Jones’ cell phone.
The lawyer also showed the court an email information The business director informs Jones that the company made $800,000 in raw product sales in one day, which would make about $300 million a year. Jones said it was the company’s best sales day.
Jones’ testimony came a day after Heslin and Lewis told a courtroom in Austin, where Jones and his companies are based, that Jones and his false allegations and Infowars have turned their lives into “hell” with death threats, online abuse and harassment. .
They presented impeachment testimony on Tuesday that included a judge chastising Bombast Jones for not being truthful about some of the things he said under oath.
In charming conversation, Lewis spoke directly to Jones, who was sitting about 10 feet away. Later that day, Jones was on his broadcast, telling the audience that Heslin is “slow” and being manipulated by bad people.
“I am a mother first and I know you are a father. “My son existed,” Lewis told Jones. “I’m not the deep state… I know you know that… and yet you’re going to leave this courtroom and say it again on your show.”
At one point, Lewis asked Jones, “Do you think I’m an actor?”
“No, I don’t think you’re an actor,” Jones replied before the judge warned him to remain silent until depositions were called.
Heslin and Lewis are among several Sandy Hook families who have filed a lawsuit alleging that false claims of Sandy Hook made by Jones led to years of abuse by him and his followers.
“What was said about me and Sandy Hook resonated around the world,” said Heslin. “As time went on, I really realized how dangerous it was.”
Jones skipped Heslin’s testimony Tuesday morning when he was on her show, a move Heslin dismissed as “cowardly,” but he arrived in court to hear some of Scarlett Lewis’ testimony. He was accompanied by several private security guards.
“Today is a very important day for me and it’s been a long time… to fight Alex Jones for what he said and did to me. To restore my son’s honor and legacy,” Heslin said when Jones was not present.
Heslin told the jury that his son had a bullet hole in his head and described the extent of his son’s injuries. A key segment of the case is a 2017 Infowars broadcast that claims Heslin was not carrying his child.
The jury saw a school photo of Jesse smiling, taken two weeks before he was killed. The parents did not receive the photo after it was taken. They described how Jesse was known for telling his classmates to “run!” which likely saved lives.
Jones later took office on Tuesday and initially ran into trouble with the judge, who asked him to answer a question from his own attorney. Jones testified that he had long wanted to apologize to complainants.
The judge later sent the jury out of the courtroom and reprimanded Jones for telling jurors that he had completed pre-trial evidence collection when there was none and was bankrupt, which has not been established. . Lawyers for the plaintiffs were outraged by Jones’ mention that he is bankrupt, which they fear would compromise the jury’s verdict.
“This is not your show,” Judge Maya Guerra Gamble told Jones. “Your belief doesn’t make something true. You are under oath.”
In September of last year, a judge reprimanded Jones for his judgment in absentia for failing to provide the documents requested by the Sandy Hook families. A Connecticut court made a similar ruling against Jones on the same grounds in a separate lawsuit filed by Sandy Hook’s other parents.
What’s at stake in the trial is how much Jones will pay. The parents asked the jury for $150 million in damages for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Next, a jury will consider whether Jones and his company will pay punitive damages.
Jones was already trying to financially protect free speech systems. The company filed for federal bankruptcy protection last week. The Sandy Hook families have sued Jones separately for their financial claims, claiming the company is trying to protect millions belonging to Jones and his family through shell entities.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
