AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Fighting back tears and finally getting the chance to confront conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, the parents of a 6-year-old boy killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting described that they have been subjected to a “living hell” of death threats, harassment and ongoing trauma over the past decade caused by Jones using his media platforms to push claims that it was all a hoax.
The parents gave impeachment testimony that included the judge scolding 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 in the final day of testimony in the two-week defamation trial against Jones and his media company Free Speech Systems. They are seeking at least $150 million in damages.
In a fascinating exchange, Lewis turned directly to Jones, who was sitting about 10 feet away. Earlier that day, Jones was on his show telling his audience that Heslin was “slow” and being manipulated by bad people.
“I am a mother first and foremost and I know you are 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 courthouse 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 he was 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.
“It seems so incredible to me that we have to do this — that we have to plead with you, punish you — to get you to stop lying,” Lewis said. “I’m so glad this day is here. I’m actually relieved. And I’m 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 claims of Sandy Hook fraud pushed by Jones led to years of abuse by Jones and his followers.
Both Heslin and Lewis said they feared for their lives and encountered strangers at home and on the street. Heslin said his home and car were shot at. The jury heard a death threat sent via phone message to another Sandy Hook family.
“I can’t even describe the last nine and a half years, the hell that I and others have had to go through because of the recklessness and negligence of Alex Jones,” Heslin said.
Scarlett Lewis also described threatening emails that appear 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 hoax conspiracy theory originated with Jones, but it was Jones who “lit the match and lit the fire” with an online platform and broadcast that reached millions around the world.
“What was said about me and Sandy Hook itself reverberates around the world,” Heslin said. “As time went on, I really realized how dangerous it was.”
Jones missed Heslin’s morning testimony while on his show — a move Heslin dismissed as “cowardly” — but did arrive in the courtroom for part of Scarlett Lewis’ testimony. He was accompanied by several private security guards.
“Today is very important for me and it’s been a long time coming … to confront Alex Jones for what he said and did to me. To restore my son’s honor and legacy,” Heslin said when Jones wasn’t there.
Heslin told the jury that he held his son with a bullet hole in his 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 says Heslin did not hold his son.
The jury was shown a school photo of a smiling Jesse taken two weeks before he was killed. The parents received the photo only after the shooting. They describe how Jesse was famous for telling his classmates to “run!” which probably saved lives.
An apology from Jones would not be enough, the parents said.
“Alex started this fight,” Heslin said, “and I’m going to finish it.”
Jones later took the stand himself, initially hostile to the judge who had asked him to answer his own attorney’s question. Jones testified that he had long wanted to apologize to the plaintiffs.
“I never intentionally tried to hurt you. I never said your name until it came to court,” Jones said. “The internet had questions, I had questions.”
The judge later escorted the jury out of the room and strongly berated Jones for telling the jury that he had complied with the collection of evidence when he had not, and that he was bankrupt, which was not specified. The plaintiff’s lawyers were angered by Jones’ mention that he was bankrupt, which they worried would taint the jury’s 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.
Guerra admonished Jones during his sentencing last September for failing to turn over documents requested by Sandy Hook families. A Connecticut court issued a similar default judgment against Jones on the same grounds in a separate lawsuit filed by other Sandy Hook parents.
Heslin and Lewis suffer from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder, which comes from permanent trauma similar to that suffered by soldiers in war zones or victims of child abuse, testified a forensic psychologist who studied their cases and met with them Monday.
Jones framed the case 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. A jury will then decide whether Jones and his company will pay punitive damages.
The process is just one of several faces of Jones.
Courts in Texas and Connecticut have already found Jones liable for defamation for his portrayal of the Sandy Hook massacre as a hoax. In both states, judges ruled 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 separately sued Jones over his financial claims, alleging the company was trying to protect millions owned by Jones and his family through shell entities.
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Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber contributed to this report.
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