AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Fighting back tears and finally getting a chance to confront conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, the parents of a 6-year-old boy killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on 2012 described that they had been subjected to a “hell” of life. the death threats, harassment and continued trauma over the past decade caused by Jones using his media platforms to push claims that it was all a hoax.
The parents led a day of deposition testimony that included the judge rebuking the bombastic Jones for not being truthful with some of what he said under oath.
Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose son Jesse was killed at Sandy Hook, took the stand Tuesday on the final day of testimony in the two-week libel damages trial against Jones and his media company Free Speech Systems. They are seeking at least $150 million in damages.
In a riveting exchange, Lewis spoke directly to Jones, who was sitting about 10 feet away. Earlier that day, Jones was on his broadcast show telling his audience that Heslin is “slow” and is being manipulated by bad people.
“I’m a mother first and I know you’re a father. My son existed,” Lewis told Jones. “I’m not 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 admonished him to remain silent until called to testify.
Lewis continued to try to impress upon Jones that the Sandy Hook shooting and the trauma inflicted in the decade since were real.
“I find it so incredible that we have to do this, that we have to beg you, punish you, to get you to stop lying,” Lewis said. “I’m so glad this day is here. In fact, I’m relieved. And grateful… that I have to tell you all this.”
Jones visibly shook his head several times as Scarlett Lewis addressed him.
Heslin and Lewis are among several Sandy Hook families who have filed several lawsuits alleging that the Sandy Hook hoax claims pushed by Jones have led to years of abuse by Jones and his followers.
Heslin and Lewis said they fear for their lives and have been confronted by strangers at home and on the street. Heslin said his house and car have been shot at. The jury heard a death threat sent by phone message to another Sandy Hook family.
“I can’t even begin to describe the last nine and a half years, the hell that I and others have had to endure because of the recklessness and negligence of Alex Jones,” Heslin said.
Scarlett Lewis also described threatening emails that appeared to have revealed deep details of her personal life.
“It’s fear for your life,” said Scarlett Lewis. “You don’t know what they were going to do.”
Heslin said he didn’t know if the Sandy Hook conspiracy theory originated with Jones, but it was Jones who “lit the match and started the fire” with an online platform and a broadcast that reached millions of people all over the world.
“What was said about me and Sandy Hook itself resonates around the world,” Heslin said. “As time went on, I really realized how dangerous it was.”
Jones skipped Heslin’s morning testimony while on his show, a move Heslin dismissed as “cowardly,” but did come to the courtroom for part of Scarlett Lewis’ testimony. He was accompanied by several private security guards.
“It’s very important for me today and it’s been a long time coming… to confront Alex Jones about what he said and did to me. To restore my son’s honor and legacy,” Heslin said when Jones was not around.
Heslin told the jury he was holding his son with a bullet hole in the head, even describing the extent of the damage to his son’s body. A key segment of the case is a 2017 Infowars broadcast that said Heslin did not have her child.
The jury was shown a school photo of a smiling Jesse taken two weeks before he was killed. The parents didn’t get the photo until after the shooting. They described how Jesse was known to tell his teammates to “run!” which probably saved lives.
An apology from Jones wouldn’t be good enough, the parents said.
“Alex started this fight,” Heslin said, “and I’m going to finish this fight.”
Jones later took the stand himself, initially combative with the judge, who had asked him to answer his own lawyer’s question. Jones testified that he had wanted to apologize to the plaintiffs for some time.
“I never intentionally tried to hurt you. I never said your name until this came to court,” Jones said. “The internet had questions, I had questions.”
The judge later sent the jury out of the courtroom and strongly reprimanded Jones for telling the jury that he complied with the collection of evidence before the trial when he did not, and that he is bankrupt, which he did not has been determined The plaintiff’s attorneys were furious that Jones mentioned he is bankrupt, which they worry will taint a jury decision on damages.
“This is not your show,” Judge Maya Guerra Gamble told Jones. “Your beliefs do not make something true. You are under oath.”
Last September, Guerra admonished Jones in his default trial for his failure to turn over documents requested by the families of Sandy Hook. A Connecticut court issued a similar default judgment against Jones on the same grounds in a separate lawsuit brought by other Sandy Hook parents.
Heslin and Lewis suffer from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder that comes from constant trauma, similar to what soldiers in war zones or victims of child abuse suffer from, a forensic psychologist who studied their cases and met with them.
Jones has described the lawsuit against him as an attack on his First Amendment rights.
At stake in the trial is how much Jones will pay. The parents have asked the jury to award $150 million in damages for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The jury will then consider whether Jones and his company will pay punitive damages.
The trial is just one of the many faces of Jones.
Courts in Texas and Connecticut have already held Jones liable for defamation for his depiction of the Sandy Hook massacre as a hoax. In both states, judges entered default judgments against Jones without trial because he failed to respond to subpoenas and turn over documents.
Jones has already tried to financially protect free speech systems. The company filed for federal bankruptcy protection last week. The Sandy Hook families have sued Jones separately over their financial claims, arguing that the company is trying to protect millions owned by Jones and his family through shell companies.
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Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber contributed to this report.
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