Alex Jones ordered to pay nearly US$1 billion for Sandy Hook lies
- The verdict is the second big judgment against the US conspiracy theorist for spreading the myth that the deadly school shooting never happened
- Victims’ families and an FBI agent who was among the first responders said Jones turned their loss and trauma into years of torment with his hoax claims
Jurors ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Wednesday to pay nearly US$1 billion to Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims’ relatives and an FBI agent, who said he turned their loss and trauma into years of torment by promoting the lie that the rampage was a hoax.
The US$956 million verdict is the second big judgment against the Infowars host for spreading the myth that the massacre never happened, and that the grieving families seen in news coverage were actors hired as part of a plot to take away people’s guns.
The verdict came in a defamation lawsuit filed by the relatives of five children and three educators killed in the 2012 shooting, plus an FBI agent who was among the first responders. A Texas jury in August awarded nearly US$50 million to the parents of another slain child.
Robbie Parker, who lost his 6-year-old daughter, Emilie, said outside the Connecticut court that he was proud that “what we were able to accomplish was just to simply tell the truth”.
“And it shouldn’t be this hard, and it shouldn’t be this scary,” said Parker, who became an early target of conspiracy theorists after he spoke at a news conference the day after the shooting. The jury awarded him the most of any plaintiff: US$120 million.