The researchers put conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in this latter group. “They were the most dangerous. That’s where we put Alex Jones,” Connecticut police Detective Daniel Jewis told jurors on the first day of testimony in a Texas trial to determine how much Infowars host Jones owes for defaming the parents of one of the children who lost their lives. the deadliest school shooting in American history. “It’s absolutely horrific the amount of trauma they’ve had to go through after losing a loved one,” said Jew, who called supporting the Sandy Hook families the “most honorable” thing he’s ever been a part of. Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son Jesse was killed in the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting, are seeking $150 million for emotional distress and reputational damage Jones caused them, and more for punitive damages. The lawyer, Mark Bankston, told the court during his opening statement as Jones looked on, shaking his head a few times. Jones repeatedly “lied and attacked the parents of the murdered children” when he told his Infowars audience that the shooting was a hoax, Bankston said. He created a “massive campaign of lies” and recruited “wild extremists from the fringes of the Internet … who were as cruel as Mr. Jones wanted them to be” to the families of the 20 first-graders and six teachers who were killed, the lawyer said. Jones capitalized on the explosive popularity of Sandy Hook conspiracy stories that became an “obsession” for the site, even years after the shooting, said Bankston, who played video clips of Jones claiming on his program that the shooting was a hoax and “the whole thing was completely bogus. …It just didn’t happen.” Anticipating that Jones’ lawyers would argue that what Jones said about Sandy Hook was why he was protected by the First Amendment — Jones arrived in court wearing tape over his mouth emblazoned with the message “Save the 1st” — the Bankston to the jury: This has nothing to do with the Constitution. Defamation is not protected by free speech. … Speech is free, but lies you have to pay for.” During the defense’s opening remarks, Jones’ attorney, Antino Reynal, called Jones one of the “most polarizing figures in this nation” who made statements about Sandy Hook “that we don’t dispute were wrong.” But he said Jones has already been punished for those statements when he was banned from Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and Twitter for violating their hate speech policies. Jones is “already undone” and has lost millions of dollars, said Reynal, who urged the jury to limit damages to $1. Reynal painted a picture of a talk show host who is “trying to give an alternative point of view” but who was duped by some of his guests. “Alex Jones was wrong to believe these people, but he didn’t do it out of malice. He did it because he believed it. … He believed that a citizen has the right to go on Infowars and talk about his questions,” Reynal said. He also called the case important for freedom of speech. “I believe in his right to say it and I believe in the right of every American to choose what they see, what they hear and what they believe,” Reynal said. Between opening statements from both sides, Jones stormed out of the courtroom to yell at reporters, calling it a “kangaroo court” and a “show trial” that was an attack on the First Amendment. She did not return to the courtroom for the afternoon opening of testimony, which included Infowars producer Daria Karpova. Jones’ media company appointed Karpova to testify about Infowars’ audience and some of the videos the site produced after the Sandy Hook shooting. The trial adjourned for the rest of the day before completing scheduled testimony. The jury could have dealt Jones a significant financial hit that would have put the constellation of conspiracy businesses in greater jeopardy. In addition to being banned from major social media platforms, he claims to be millions of dollars in debt – a claim the plaintiffs reject. The Texas court and another court in Connecticut found Jones liable for defamation for his portrayal of the Sandy Hook massacre as a prank involving actors aimed at increasing gun control. In both states, judges entered default judgments against Jones without trial for failing to comply with court orders and turn over documents. In all, the families of eight Sandy Hook victims and an FBI agent who responded to the school are suing Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems. Jones has since admitted that the shooting took place. During a deposition in April, Jones insisted he was not responsible for the suffering Sandy Hook parents say they suffered because of the conspiracy hoax, including death threats and harassment from Jones’ followers. Jones claimed in court filings last year that he had a negative net worth of $20 million, but attorneys for the Sandy Hook families have painted a different financial picture. Court records show that Jones’ Infowars store, which sells nutritional supplements and survival gear, earned more than $165 million between 2015 and 2018. Jones also urged listeners to his Infowars program to donate money. The race began Monday in Austin, Texas — where Jones lives and broadcasts his show — after months of delays. It also comes about two months after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, which is about 145 miles (235 kilometers) southwest of Austin. It was the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook.
