Alex Jones trial updates: Sandy Hook dad recalls stranger’s vile verbal assault after 4 years of Infowars lies
The third week of Jones’ defamation trial against Sandy Hook families has concluded
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Alex Jones’s second defamation trial over his “hoax” lies about the Sandy Hook massacre has finished its third week in Connecticut court.
The jury heard emotional testimony from family members after a tense conclusion to the previous week’s proceedings, when the Infowars host delayed his return to the witness box following a rant at reporters outside the courthouse.
His own defence attorneys waived their right to cross-examine him, and he is now expected to resume testimony as a witness for his defence next week.
In his testimony, Jones shouted that he was “done apologising” for his egregious claims about the shooting under questioning from the plaintiffs’ lawyer while families of victims broke down in tears in the courtroom.
On Thursday morning, Sandy Hook father Robbie Parker, who found himself the target of hoax accusations the day after his daughter was murdered, concluded his emotional testimony, recalling a vile verbal assault from a conspiracy theorist, four years after the tragedy. He noted that these occurrences corresponded to when Jones would broadcast his lies.
Ms Parker started a program called Safe and Sound Schools with Michele Gay, another of the mothers of a Sandy Hook victim — her daughter’s good friend, Josephine.
She decided that she didn’t want the organisation to be flooded with threats or attacked and so did not join the suit as a plaintiff, though her husband did.
The Parkers left Newtown within a year of the tragedy as they had few ties to the area and the threats and harassment became too much.
“They were sending threatening letters to our home, death threats. We just wanted some anonymity.”
Having moved to Washington state, the threats did not stop and they could not escape the conspiracy theories.
A tearful Ms Parker says that the conspiracy even followed them into their church, saying that frequently she is told by friends that they have argued with relatives or associates who think the Parkers are liars.
“That happens on a regular basis. People telling us that people in their lives don’t believe us and think we’re horrible people.”
“You’re paranoid people in your own group are turning against you,” she says, describing it as scary to know that they’re everywhere.
Ms Parker is asked about how this has all affected her husband whom she has known for decades.
“He doesn’t talk to anyone. He doesn’t trust people,” she says.
“It’s stolen so much of him. He is very withdrawn, doesn’t talk to people. He doesn’t look up or talk to people when we go to church, he sits in a corner and has his head down the entire time.”
Mr Parker is weeping in the gallery as she speaks.
“He felt so much shame and felt like it was his fault that this happened and felt like it was because of him that our family got attacked and all the other families got attacked. He beat himself up for it and felt like he had to fix it.”
Ms Parker’s testimony ends and defence attorney Norm Pattis declines to cross-exam her.
Court takes a brief recess.
Witness: Robbie Parker
After the emotional testimony of his wife, Alissa, Robbie Parker now takes the stand. He is clearly upset from reliving the trauma of the tragedy and what follows but manages to make a joke about her account of their dating life.
After some gentle questioning about his travel schedule to be in court every week, he says about testifying: “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.”
The jury is shown photos of father and daughter together at Fenway Park as well as Emilie with her two sisters — he says they looked up to her and she understood her role as the older sibling.
Mr Parker also recalls her birth: “They wrap her up and they give her to me. I was so scared almost by how much I could love somebody so immediately. I’d never felt so vulnerable in my entire life as I did in that moment when Emilie was looking at me.”
He later became a physician’s assistant working in a neonatal intensive unit, which is where he was on the morning of 14 December 2012.
Judge Bellis calls for the mid-afternoon break.
Judge Bellis back on the bench, but there is an extended sidebar underway with the attorneys regarding charge instructions from what can be heard on the livestream.
As court is scheduled to end at approximately 4.30pm, we may have to wait until tomorrow to hear more from Mr Parker.
There was a technical issue that has now been resolved, so we will hear more from Mr Parker.
Attorney Chris Mattei asks him about the morning of 14 December 2012.
He recalls an automated voicemail and an immediate call from his wife, Alissa. They both tried to find out more information before they determined what to do next.
The suggestion was to follow advice not to go to the school but Alissa instead went to the firehouse. There another mother took the two other girls from Alissa and she stayed at the firehouse.
Mr Parker eventually was allowed to leave his locked-down hospital and advised to go and be with his wife.
Mr Parker is reminded about the photos the jury saw earlier and asked if he knew who Alex Jones was prior to the incident.
He is then asked about the speech he made outside their church and prompted to tell the story in his own words.
Mr Parker asked a friend to set it up as he wanted to honour his daughter and believed there would be just one reporter as he couldn’t believe anyone beyond their community in Utah would want to know what he had to say. He thought a taped statement would mean that his words would not be misconstrued.
As the court heard from Alissa, there was a huge media presence broadcasting live. He recalls being blinded by the lights and he wanted someone to tell him what to do.
The court is played a video of the moment Mr Parker came out to speak.
In the footage from CNN, Mr Parker smiles as he emerges from the church to give his statement. The smile is a foundational part of Sandy Hook conspiracy theories.
Mr Parker is asked about the smile.
He says when he tries to relax or try to calm down, he smiles or chuckles to himself. As he walked up to the podium his father joked: “Go get ‘em Oggy,” referencing the name of the mascot he used to play that had become his nickname. He said it was a dad, making a dad joke.
Mr Parker is asked whether he knew that Alex Jones has replayed the smile on numerous occasions. He said he did know.
It is this footage that Jones said he thought was fake and he called him an actor, setting off the conspiracy that the entire incident was faked.
In footage from Jones’s deposition he quibbles as to whether he called him an actor or said it “looked like he was acting”.
In another piece of footage from Infowars, director Rob Dew is seen saying that Mr Parker looked like he was “getting into character”. That clip was broadcast two years after the tragedy,
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