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.
There is no cross-examination of Robbie Parker by defence attorney Norm Pattis.
Mr Parker’s emotionally raw testimony is followed by a video deposition of Rob Dew, who worked for years with Alex Jones at Infowars as news director.
He repeated many of the lies about Sandy Hook. He is shown emails he sent to Dan Bidondi who was sent by Infowars to Sandy Hook to harass officials.
During the brief video Dew says: “I don’t know what I was thinking at the time.”
Court breaks for the mid-morning recess.
Witness: Matthew Soto
Following the break, Matthew Soto, brother of Sandy Hook teacher Vicki Soto, takes the stand.
Mr Soto was 15 at the time of his sister’s murder in December 2012 and is now a high school English teacher.
The jury has already heard from the Soto sisters Carlee and Jillian.
Mr Soto recalls the disruption and trauma he experienced after his sister’s death and spent two years being largely home-schooled because of how pervasive the conspiracy theories had become and how scared he was of being in a classroom environment.
“I was diagnosed with PTSD and fearful of being in a classroom environment because I was constantly waiting for [a mass shooting] to happen there.”
Mr Soto remembers being in class as a sophomore in college when the teacher asked how many students believe Sandy Hook happened. Not everyone raised their hands and he had a panic attack and dropped the class. He later took the class again with a different professor.
He recalls how he changed his activity on social media and would sometimes deny being Vicki’s brother when asked. At the 5K charity run the family organises, he does not like to wear the t-shirt in case someone harasses him.
Plaintiffs’ counsel says his students are lucky to have him as a teacher.
In a short cross-examination he is asked about his participation in a DC Rally organised by survivors of the Parkland shooting, and whether he knows Alex Jones’s views on gun violence — he says he does not.
Witness: Donna Soto
Vicki Soto’s mother Donna Soto takes the stand after her son’s testimony.
Ms Soto is a registered nurse at a local hospital in Connecticut. She fondly recalls her daughter loving being a teacher, collecting books and being described as a “perfect child”.
Ms Soto remembers that 4,000 people came to her daughter’s wake in Stratford, Connecticut, and they needed security. She remembers a man taking photos of the family getting into the limo on their way to the service.
She says there were 25 Facebook pages with Vicki’s name on them covered in lies and a family friend stepped in to help take them down. These had flourished online in just the one month after the tragedy.
A real memorial page was also defaced by hoax believers. The harassment continues to this day with a comment being posted last Sunday accusing the family of making money from the “dead kids”.
In one harrowing detail of Ms Soto’s testimony, the jury hears how the library her daughter had amassed in her classroom could not be returned to the family as the books were contaminated with blood from the shooting.
Ms Soto says she has had to install security cameras around her house and cover the monthly costs of that. She adds that her children have had to drop out of classes and lose out on tuition fees.
After a brief cross-examination, her testimony concludes.
Deposition: David Jones
Next the jury is shown video deposition of Alex Jones’s father David Jones, who is deeply involved in Infowars as an employee of Free Speech Systems.
A former dentist who retired in 201, he says he now reports to his son, Alex — and as does everyone else.
His primary responsibility was to ensure they did business properly and created a good environment for employees.
He takes on duties that were not convenient for his son to deal with as the principal.
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