The saga of Alex Jones has come to what one would suspect to be a temporary end, or perhaps more like a pause. A jury came back with a decision on Wednesday that Jones and his company Infowars must pay $965 million to family members of eight victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, and FBI agent William Aldenberg. National Review reports that the money will be split between Aldenberg and the families.
In the wake of the tragedy, Jones began claiming that the massacre had been staged by “crisis actors” to foment opposition to the Second Amendment. The families said that because of Jones, they have been harassed by his followers and have even received death threats. The lawyer for the plaintiffs, Christopher Mattei, stated:
“Their lives were shattered by December 14, 2012, but Alex Jones has made it so they can’t escape. Every single one of these families were drowning in grief, and Alex Jones put his foot right on top of them.”
For his part, Jones has said that he finally believes that the massacre did indeed occur, although he also said that he is planning to appeal the jury’s decision. Also noteworthy is the fact that Jones and his companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier in the year in the face of multiple defamation lawsuits regarding his statements about the Sandy Hook incident. He is hoping the filing will protect his companies, stating that he does not have the money.
The judge had previously found Jones liable of defamation after Jones refused to hand over evidence before the trial, and after a jury in Texas ordered him to pay $50 million to a couple who lost their son in the shooting. According to Fox News, one plaintiff, whose six-year-old son was killed, was awarded $120 million.
The December 2012 shooting took the lives of six adults and 20 children.
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