Alex Jones verdict - live: Sandy Hook families say ‘good prevails’ as Infowars conspiracist to pay $1billion
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A jury has awarded the relatives of Sandy Hook victims a combined $965m in damages after reaching their verdict in Alex Jones’ defamation trial on Wednesday afternoon.
The six-person panel spent more than three days deliberating how much the Infowars host must pay in damages to the plaintiffs - including 15 family members who lost loved ones in the 2012 shooting and a former FBI agent who responded to the scene.
Family members openly wept in court as the individual damages amounts were read out for each plaintiff.
“Good does prevail,” Nicole Hockley, who lost her son Dylan in the massacre, said outside court.
The highest individual damages award was $120m, which went to Robbie Parker, who lost his 6-year-old daughter Emilie in the shooting.
The sum of $965m in damages comes after a Texas jury awarded nearly $50m in damages against Mr Jones in a separate defamation trial.
As the damages verdict was read out in court, Mr Jones told viewers on his Infowars site: “I want to be the billion dollar man.”
Alex Jones’ $1bn verdict
Alex Jones ordered to pay $965m to Sandy Hook families
‘I want to be the billion dollar man!'
What next for Alex Jones?
Key moments from the trial
Families react to $1bn verdict
‘I want to be the billion dollar man'
07:07 , Bevan Hurley
As the $965m damages verdict was read out in court, Alex Jones was asking for donations to meet his legal fees on his Infowars site.
“I want to be the billion dollar man,” he told his audience.
Full story below.
Alex Jones cheers as he watches verdict live on Infowars show
Jones pays for his ‘realm of lies and deceit’
06:07 , Bevan Hurley
Sandy Hook families spoke emotionally outside of court after the jury awarded them nearly $1bn in damages on Wednesday.
“Everyone on the stand told the truth except for one,” said Robbie Parker, who the jury awarded $120m.
Bill Sherlach, whose wife Mary was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, warned “Alex Jones’s wannabes” that there was now a cost of entering the “realm of lies and deceit.”
Sandy hook families warn against ‘wannabes’ following Alex Jones in ‘lies and deceit’
‘Good does prevail’
05:07 , Bevan Hurley
Nicole Hockley, who lost her son Dylan in the 2012 shooting, told reporters that she had taken comfort from being with the other Sandy Hook families in court.
“I have always believed in the goodness of other people. And when I first started engaging with followers of Alex Jones back in January of 2013, I was looking for the good. And I didn’t find it. And I gave up. Until I decided to fight.
“Today, with this jury, who I have so much gratitude for listening so attentively... for hearing us, I’m so grateful to them.
“This is sending the right message that people are good, and that good does prevail. And thank you restoring my faith.”
The cost of entering a ‘realm of lies and deceit’
04:02 , Bevan Hurley
Sandy Hook families spoke emotionally outside of court after the jury awarded them nearly $1bn in damages on Wednesday.
“Everyone on the stand told the truth except for one,” said Robbie Parker, who the jury awarded $120m.
Bill Sherlach, whose wife Mary was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, warned “Alex Jones’s wannabes” that there was now a cost of entering the “realm of lies and deceit.”
Sandy hook families warn against ‘wannabes’ following Alex Jones in ‘lies and deceit’
‘Everyone on the stand told the truth except for one’
03:02 , Bevan Hurley
In emotional scenes outside the courthouse in Connecticut, Robbie Parker said that “everyone on the stand told the truth except for one.
He asked Infowars followers to asked themselves: “What has this man ever given me, and what has he taken from me?”
Read the full story of Mr Parker’s appearance in the witness stand below.
Sandy Hook father recalls press briefing that made him top target of Alex Jones’ lies
What next for Alex Jones?
02:02 , Bevan Hurley
After damages awards of more than $1bn in two defamation damages trials, what comes next for Alex Jones?
A bankruptcy hearing for his company Free Speech Systems underway in Texas will go some way to determining how much the families can prise from the Infowars host.
An attorney for the Sandy Hook relatives says they will do whatever it takes to enforce the verdict.
Full story below.
What next for Alex Jones after Connecticut jury awards $965m to Sandy Hook families?
‘Alex Jones is finished’
01:30 , Bevan Hurley
“It took a jury in Connecticut to finally fell this beast,” writes Hannah Selinger for Independent Voices.
“No amount of fundraising can save Alex Jones now. One billion dollars is an insurmountable debt — as insurmountable, some might argue, as having to relive the death of your child over and over again in the public eye for almost an entire decade, without apology.
“Alex Jones is finished. Infowars is dead.”
As Alex Jones faces a $1bn comeuppance it looks like the good guys have won
Far-right extremist Alex Jones ordered to pay $965m
01:02 , Bevan Hurley
Even as his lies were on display in the courtroom for the whole world to see, Mr Jones continued to monetise the tragedy by mocking the judge and the so-called “kangaroo court” on his Infowars show.
Read our full write up after a jury awarded $965m to the Sandy Hook families.
Alex Jones will be forced to pay more than $1bn for his Sandy Hook lies
‘We are going to enforce this verdict’
Thursday 13 October 2022 00:30 , Bevan Hurley
Chris Mattei, an attorney for the families, said outside the courthouse that the $1bn verdict shows “the harm and wreckage that lies like the ones he pushed can have”.
“We believe (the verdict) is historic, and we are going to enforce this verdict. We are going to go through whatever forum we have to… as long as it takes, because that’s what justice requires.”
Thursday 13 October 2022 00:01 , Bevan Hurley
As the $965m damages verdict was read out in court, Alex Jones was asking for donations to meet his legal fees on his Infowars site.
“I want to be the billion dollar man,” he told his audience.
Full story below.
Alex Jones cheers as he watches verdict live on Infowars show
‘Alex Jones is finished'
Wednesday 12 October 2022 23:30 , Bevan Hurley
“It took a jury in Connecticut to finally fell this beast,” writes Hannah Selinger for Independent Voices.
“No amount of fundraising can save Alex Jones now. One billion dollars is an insurmountable debt — as insurmountable, some might argue, as having to relive the death of your child over and over again in the public eye for almost an entire decade, without apology.”
As Alex Jones faces a $1bn comeuppance it looks like the good guys have won
WATCH: Sandy Hook families react as jury award them $965m in defamation case
Wednesday 12 October 2022 23:03 , Bevan Hurley
The relatives of Sandy Hook victims openly wept in court as the jury awarded them $965m in the Alex Jones defamation case.
A panel of six people spent more than three days deliberating how much the Infowars host had to pay to the loved ones of victims killed in the 2012 school shooting, after Jones claimed they were actors.
Sandy Hook families react as jury award them $965m in defamation case
Jones' ‘realm of lies and deceit’
Wednesday 12 October 2022 22:32 , Bevan Hurley
Sandy Hook families spoke emotionally outside of court after the jury awarded them nearly $1bn in damages on Wednesday.
“Everyone on the stand told the truth except for one,” said Robbie Parker, who the jury awarded $120m.
Bill Sherlach, whose wife Mary was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, warned “Alex Jones’s wannabes” that there was now a cost of entering the “realm of lies and deceit.”
Sandy Hook families react emotionally to $965m Alex Jones ruling
What next for Alex Jones?
Wednesday 12 October 2022 22:10 , Bevan Hurley
After damages awards of more than $1bn in two defamation damages trials, what comes next for Alex Jones?
A bankruptcy hearing for his company Free Speech Systems underway in Texas will go some way to determining how much the families can prise from the Infowars host.
An attorney for the Sandy Hook relatives says they will do whatever it takes to enforce the verdict.
Full story below.
What next for Alex Jones after Connecticut jury awards $965m to Sandy Hook families?
$965m verdict sends a message to ‘Alex Jones wannabes'
Wednesday 12 October 2022 21:59 , Bevan Hurley
Bill Sherlach, whose wife was shot dead Mary after confronting the shooter, spoke a short time ago outside court.
“I’ve come to know these people over almost 10 years, these beautiful people, they’re good friends, under the worst, most horrendous situation you can imagine.
“And to belittle that horrific event was criminal in and of itself.
“We came in here with a default verdict, so we knew there would be some sort of statement coming out of this trial,” he said.
The jury responded “as we hoped they would for our entire community”, he said.
“It shows that the internet is not the wild, wild west, and that your actions have consequences.
“And for someone to stand in front of a camera probably right now as we’re speaking, to spew the lies to enrich himself, well now there’s a cost-benefit analysis that will have to be done. Because we’ve sent a response, we put a does of civility into the society that we really need at this point in time.
“Going forward, people like Alex Jones will have to rethink what they say, how they say it, how long they say it, and for those who want to be Alex Jones wannabes, this trial, this verdict set a pretty high hurdle in terms of what the cost will be to them, to enter into that realm of lies and deceit.”
‘Good does prevail'
Wednesday 12 October 2022 21:49 , Bevan Hurley
Nicole Hockley, who lost her son Dylan in the 2012 shooting, told reporters that she had taken comfort from being with the other Sandy Hook families in court.
“I have always believed in the goodness of other people. And when I first started engaging with followers of Alex Jones back in January of 2013, I was looking for the good. And I didn’t find it. And I gave up. Until I decided to fight.
“Today, with this jury, who I have so much gratitude for listening so attentively... for hearing us, I’m so grateful to them.
“This is sending the right message that people are good, and that good does prevail. And thank you restoring my faith.”
‘We are going to enforce this verdict'
Wednesday 12 October 2022 21:41 , Bevan Hurley
Chris Mattei, an attorney for the families, says outside the courthouse that the verdict shows “the harm and wreckage that lies like the ones he pushed can have”.
“We believe (the verdict) is historic, and we are going to enforce this verdict. We are going to go through whatever forum we have to… as long as it takes, because that’s what justice requires.”
Robbie Parker says: ‘Everyone on the stand told the truth except for one'
Wednesday 12 October 2022 21:36 , Bevan Hurley
In emotional scenes outside the courthouse in Connecticut, Robbie Parker said the experience should not have been so terrifying.
“Everyone on the stand told the truth except for one,” Mr Parker said.
“What has this man ever given me, and what has he taken from me?”
Read the full story of Mr Parker’s appearance in the witness stand below.
Sandy Hook father recalls press briefing that made him top target of Alex Jones’ lies
The Sandy Hook families are expected to speak soon outside court
Wednesday 12 October 2022 21:30 , Bevan Hurley
We’re awaiting reaction from the Sandy Hook families after high drama in the Waterbury courthouse.
Alex Jones still has to face a third damages trial
Wednesday 12 October 2022 21:26 , Bevan Hurley
Alex Jones will face a third damages trial in Texas after losing a defamation suit to Lenny Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, parents of Noah Pozner, the youngest victim of the Sandy Hook shooting.
That is likely to take place towards the end of the year.
‘I want to be the billion dollar man!'
Wednesday 12 October 2022 21:05 , Bevan Hurley
As the $965m damages verdict was read out in court, Alex Jones was broadcasting on his Infowars site.
“I want to be the billion dollar man,” he told his audience.
Full story below.
Alex Jones cheers as he watches verdict live on Infowars show
Far-right extremist Alex Jones ordered to pay $965m
Wednesday 12 October 2022 21:00 , Bevan Hurley
Read our full write up after a jury awards $965m to the Sandy Hook families.
Far-right extremist Alex Jones ordered to pay $965m to Sandy Hook victims’ families
Judge thanks jury and discharges them
Wednesday 12 October 2022 20:58 , Bevan Hurley
Judge Barbara Bellis thanked the jury for their service and has discharged them.
The attorneys were asked if they had any comments to the jury, and both declined.
A total of $965m awarded to 15 Sandy Hook relatives
Wednesday 12 October 2022 20:57 , Bevan Hurley
The jury has awarded a total of $965m to 15 family members who lost relatives in the Sandy Hook school shooting.
Robbie Parker reacts after being awarded $120,
Wednesday 12 October 2022 20:48 , Bevan Hurley
Robbie Parker listens as a jury awards him $120m.
$120m to first plaintiff Robbie Parker
Wednesday 12 October 2022 20:40 , Bevan Hurley
Robbie Parker, the first plaintiff, is to receive $120m, the jury decides for defamation and emotional distress.
That’s for just one of 15 plaintiffs.
‘We are ready with our unanimous verdict'
Wednesday 12 October 2022 20:35 , Bevan Hurley
A note from the jury foreperson has been passed to the judge, and the jury are returning to the courtroom in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Judge Bellis is sending the jury back to complete paperwork
Wednesday 12 October 2022 20:28 , Bevan Hurley
There will be a slight delay before we know the damages amount awarded against Alex Jones.
“I am going to send you back with very minor instruction,” she tells the jurors.
“I had asked you to have the foreperson initial each page as well as sign.”
The families’ nervous wait will continue for a few more minutes.
Judge Bellis is now reading the completed verdict forms
Wednesday 12 October 2022 20:25 , Bevan Hurley
“Just bear with me,” she tells the courtroom.
Judge Barbara Bellis returns to courtroom
Wednesday 12 October 2022 20:22 , Bevan Hurley
Judge Bellis says the jury have reached a unanimous verdict.
