Alex Jones lashes out at critics at trial over Sandy Hook hoax claims

 Alex Jones lashes out at critics at trial over Sandy Hook hoax claims

Reuters, September 22 - Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist who erroneously claimed that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting was a fabrication, started a courtroom yelling match on Thursday while testifying in a case to establish how much money he owes relatives of victims who perished in the incident.

In the courtroom in Waterbury, Connecticut, not far from Newtown, the scene of the shooting, tensions erupted after nearly four hours of testimony. In front of a crowded gallery of the victims' relatives, Jones raged against "liberals" and refused to offer an apology.

"Do you realize Mr. Jones that these are actual people?" Chris Mattei, a lawyer for the family, enquired.

Jones, a Texas-based webcaster who is being sued because he claimed no one was killed at Sandy Hook and the family were only actors, said, "Just like all the Iraqis you leftists slaughtered and adore." Then, several of his supporters intimidated and abused the families.

The sole issue at hand in the defamation trial is the number of damages that Jones and the organization that owns his Infowars website must pay for spreading false information that the US government faked the murder of 20 children and six staff members in order to seize weapons.

Following the testimony, Jones, Mattei, and Jones' attorney Norman Pattis got into a yelling match, with Jones continually objecting to Mattei's questions.

Judge Barbara Bellis informed the council that she will implement a "zero tolerance" rule for interruptions and issue contempt-of-court proceedings for anyone who "steps out of line," including Jones. This was after the jury had departed for the day.

After Mattei showed a video clip in which Jones thanked his supporters for sticking Infowars stickers all over the Connecticut courtroom, Jones also tried the judge's patience.

On the witness stand, Jones mockingly remarked, "Conservatives put up stickers and we're evil, I know, we all deserve to go to prison," which caused the judge to momentarily adjourn the court and have a conversation with the lawyers. Jones is not being prosecuted for any crimes.

As Mattei showed proof that Jones' supporters had harassed Sandy Hook families in person and online, including at victim memorials, the footage was playing.

After Mattei showed a picture from Infowars showing Bellis with red lasers shooting from her eyes, Jones also admitted labeling Bellis a "tyrant." He claimed that he was not in charge of the post.

Bellis has mostly prohibited the trial from discussing politics and conspiracies.

Jones is also not allowed to contest his culpability for damages since Bellis imposed a default judgment against him last year for persistently disobeying court instructions.

Only the amount of compensation for the suffering Jones and Infowars' parent company Free Speech Systems must be decided by the jury on behalf of the plaintiffs, which also include an FBI agent.

A comparable case in Texas, where Free Speech Systems is situated, resulted in a $49.3 million decision against the conspiracy theorist a month prior.

By arguing that it is excessive under Texas law, Jones' attorneys want to get the majority of the compensation revoked.