Alex Jones will pay colossal fee to Sandy Hook parents after jury reaches decision

After a two-week-long trial, Alex Jones was ordered by the Texas Jury to pay $4.1 million in damages after he lost a defamation case against the parents of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre victim. The known conspiracy theorist claimed that the 2012 shooting was “faked” by gun advocates and that the victims were “crisis actors”.

According to NPR, the parents who confronted Jones were emotional as they had to relive that traumatic memory in the courtroom. Scarlett Lewis, the mother of the 6-year-old victim, Jessie Lewis, called out Jones for calling them “actors” and claiming that the shooting was “fabricated” to crack down on guns.

“I am a mother, first and foremost, and I know that you’re a father. And my son existed. You’re still on your show implying that I’m an actress, that I’m deep state,” she continued, “and I don’t understand. Truth is so vital to our world…

“…I can’t even describe the last nine-and-a-half years. The living hell that I and others have had to endure because of the recklessness and negligence of Alex Jones.”

During the trial, it was revealed that Jones lied under oath when he claimed that “he didn’t have any text messages about Sandy Hook”. It was revealed that the family’s lawyers have all of Jones’ phone records for the past two years and used them as evidence against him.

Jones has claimed in his show, InfoWars, that the school massacre was staged and “manufactured” by the government. Despite the popularity of his radio show, Jones was banned on almost every social media platform such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube due to his constant promotion of hate speech and misinformation. According to NPR, the family’s lawyers will argue whether or not Jones is hiding millions of dollars in assets after his company Free Speech LLC. filed for bankruptcy during the trial.

The Sandy Hook Elementary massacre was described as one of the deadliest mass shootings at an elementary school in US history. The tragedy resulted in 27 deaths of innocent lives and two injured, and the shooter committed suicide on location. The shooting also sparked debate about gun control in the USA, with calls for stricter gun restrictions.

The family sought $150 million in compensation for defamation. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Jones’ attorney requested the jury to limit the damages to $8 million and that any award over $2 million “would sink us”. The jury has decided that Jones will have to pay $4.1 million in compensatory damages and the cost of the punitive damages is still being determined.