Alex Jones’ second defamation trial over his “hoax” lies about the Sandy Hook massacre has entered its fourth week in Connecticut court.
The Infowars host is expected to return to the stand later this week as a witness for the defense – after his first turn on the witness stand last month descended into a shouting match in front of jurors and crying victim families.
Tuesday’s proceedings began with testimony from Francine Wheeler, whose six-year-old son Ben was killed in the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
She told the court how the lies pushed by Jones and his followers dominated her life for years, saying: “They took my identity, they took my husband’s identity, they took my surviving son’s identity.”
Ms Wheeler recalled being unable to explain to her surviving son, then in fourth grade, why strangers on the internet were saying the victims and their families were merely “actors”.
Jurors will decide how much Jones owes in damages to the relatives of eight victims and a former FBI agent who responded to the shooting.
Key Points
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What’s at stake in Jones’ Connecticut Sandy Hook trial?
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Mother of six-year-old victim tells of unavoidable lies
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Court hears from top target in Jones’ ‘hoax’ campaign
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Jones loses his temper on witness stand
Mother says Sandy Hook conspiracy theorists ‘took my identity’
16:19 , Megan Sheets
Francine Wheeler spoke at length about how unavoidable conspiracy theorists’ lies about Sandy Hook for years after the shooting.
When she launched the foundation Ben’s Lighthouse in honor of her son, it was constantly overshadowed by the lies that came up first when she searched her own name on Google.
Ms Wheeler said she enlisted a friend’s help in making it so the foundation came up when her name was searched, rather than the lies, but the fix only lasted a few weeks.
She said she eventually watched all of Jones’ videos about the shooting being a hoax, in an attempt to understand his motivations.
Ms Wheeler described how hoaxers took videos of her musical performances and twisted them to mock her as a wild.
“It’s ironic because I spent my adult career performing. I loved my life in New York and even in Newtown,” she said.
“They took that from me and doctored and edited 20 years of my work. They took that from me.”
“They took my identity, they took my husband’s identity, they took my surviving son’s identity.”
Later in her testimony, Ms Wheeler told how she attended a conference for mothers who had lost their children to gun violence called Circle of Mothers.
While there, she said she spoke to a woman whose son was killed in a robbery gone awry. When she explained that her own son was killed at Sandy Hook, Ms Wheeler said the mother told her that wasn’t possible because the massacre never happened.
With that, direct examination came to a close and Jones’ attorney Norm Pattis stepped up for a brief cross.
The court is now in recess.
Mother recalls learning of Jones’ Sandy Hook lies
15:56 , Megan Sheets
During her testimony, Francine Wheeler described her slain son Ben as an introverted boy who dreamed of becoming a paleontologist and shared a very close relationship with his older brother Nate.
She said she first became aware of Jones in the days after the shooting, when she heard about “this man” who was attacking Robbie Parker – the father of another victim – and spreading lies about what had happened.
Ms Wheeler said she walled herself off from those claims as she dealt with her grief “minute by minute”.
Several months after the shooting, she said it became impossible to avoid lies about Sandy Hook families and their victims being “actors” in a “hoax”.
It hit closest to home when her son Nate, then in fourth grade, was exposed to Jones’ lies by a friend.
She said she was unable to answer when Nate asked her why people were lying.
The court was then shown a photo purporting that 10 Sandy Hook victims had been found alive – featuring Nate.
Ms Wheeler said that while many parents lose children, “It’s quite another thing when people take everything about your boy, who is gone, and your surviving child, and your husband, and harass you, and make fun of you.
“I can’t make that better for Nate. Forever he has that.”
New witness: Sandy Hook mother Francine Wheeler
15:20 , Megan Sheets
The plaintiffs’ first witness of the day is Francine Wheeler, whose six-year-old son Ben was killed at Sandy Hook.
Ms Wheeler’s husband David tested earlier in the trial.
Court in session
15:14 , Megan Sheets
The court is now in session, with Jones’ attorney Norm Pattis informing the judge that he will potentially be called to testify on Wednesday.
Mr Pattis also said that Jones is planning another press conference outside the courthouse – after getting in hot water for his previous remarks to reporters.
Jones arrived outside the court before proceedings kicked off but has not entered the gallery.
Jones in the middle of basketball star row
14:51 , Megan Sheets
Away from the courtroom, Alex Jones has unexpectedly found himself in the middle of an internet spat between two basketball players.
In a Substack column on Monday, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit out at current star Kyrie Irving for sharing a 2002 video of Jones explaining the “New World Order” conspiracy theory.
Mr Abdul-Jabbar called for fans to leave Mr Irving – who has a history of pushing disinformation – to “stew his own gelatinous ignorance”.
“But now Irving is back and more destructive, insensitive, and just plain silly than before,” he wrote. “He decided it would be a good idea to post a 2002 video clip from Infowars founder Alex Jones. Yeah, the guy who has been on trial for denying the Sandy Hook shootings and who previously admitted in open court that he’s a performer and his onscreen persona is just a character (that bilks millions of dollars from unaware viewers).
“The main gist of the clip is a warning about a cabal of international leaders who are secretly releasing plagues on the world from which they can profit. (Of course, we know who really profits from making this claim).”
RECAP: Alex Jones’ first turn on the witness stand
14:30 , Megan Sheets
In his tumultuous first appearance on the witness stand, plaintiffs’ attorney Christopher Mattei confronted him with the people who he accused of being “crisis actors” almost as soon as their children and loved ones were murdered in one of the worst school shootings in US history .
Mr Mattei pointed out father Robbie Parker in the courtroom and asked Jones if he “is real”.
The right-wing extremist admitted “yes” – after he spent years claiming that the parents of the murder victims were “crisis actors” whose children never even existed.
“For years you put a target on his back, didn’t you?… Just like you did every single parent and loved one sitting here,” said Mr Mattei.
Mr Jones denied that this and tried to argue that he hadn’t named the family members specifically.
When Mr Mattei told Mr Jones that “these are real people”, the Infowars host launched into an unhinged rant about “liberals” and “Iraqis” before asking if he was “in China”.
“Just like all the Iraqis that you liberals killed and love. You are unbelievable. You switch emotions on and off as you want, it is just an ambulance chasing,” he ranted.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp recounts the chaos:
Alex Jones shouts ‘I’m done apologizing’ at Sandy Hook parents crying in court
When will Jones return to the stand?
14:10 , Megan Sheets
Alex Jones is expected to testify at some point this week as a witness for the defense.
He took his first turn on the stand on September 22 to face questioning by the plaintiffs’ lawyers, during which he refused to acknowledge any responsibility for causing a decade of harassment to the victims’ families.
“I’ve already said I’m sorry hundreds of times. And I’m done saying sorry,” he shouted across the courtroom.
Watch the dramatic moments:
Following that outburst, Jones’ attorney Norm Pattis waived his right to cross-examination, saying he hoped to “lower the temperature” in court. Mr Pattis said he would take his turn to question Jones later on as a defense witness.
ICYMI: Father at the center of ‘hoax’ lies felt he ‘failed’ his daughter
13:50 , Megan Sheets
Robbie Parker, the grieving father at the center of Alex Jones’ Sandy Hook hoax lies, testified over two days last week about how the far-right conspiracy theorist left him feeling like he “failed” his murdered daughter.
Choking back tears on Thursday, Mr Parker told jurors of the lies Jones was spreading about his six-year-old daughter Emilie.
“I already felt like I failed Emilie as a dad when she was alive because we sent her to school,” he said.
“And I was especially starting to feel like I was failing her in her death because of what people were saying about her and what they were saying about me trying to remember her.”
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:
Sandy Hook father says Alex Jones lies made him feel like he ‘failed’ his daughter
Trial entered fourth week
13:33 , Megan Sheets
Welcome back to The Independent’s live coverage of Alex Jones’ Sandy Hook defamation trial in Connecticut.
The case brought by nine plaintiffs – eight relatives of Sandy Hook victims and one former FBI agent who responded to the shooting – entered its fourth week on Tuesday.
Here’s a recap of what’s at stake for the Infowars host:
Alex Jones shouts ‘I’m done apologizing’ at Sandy Hook parents crying in court