The father of a 6-year-old killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting testified Tuesday that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones made his life a “living hell” by pushing claims that the murders were a hoax.
"Today is very important to me and it’s been a long time coming ... to face Alex Jones for what he said and did to me. To restore the honor and legacy of my son," Heslin said.
Heslin also said that while he doesn’t know if the Sandy Hook hoax theory originated with Jones, it was Jones who "lit the match and started the fire" with an online platform and broadcast that reached millions worldwide. Heslin told the jury about holding his son with a bullet hole through his head, even describing the extent of the damage to his son’s body. A key segment of the case is a 2017 Infowars broadcast that said Heslin holding his son didn’t happen."Alex started this fight," Heslin said, "and I’ll finish this fight."
Jones wasn't in court during Heslin's testimony, a move the father called "cowardly." Jones has skipped much of the testimony during the two week trial and had a cadre of bodyguards to the courtroom when he did attend. Tuesday was the last scheduled day for testimony and Jones was expected to take the stand as the only witness in his defense.
Jones has already tried to protect Free Speech Systems financially. The company filed for federal bankruptcy protection last week. Sandy Hook families have separately sued Jones over his financial claims, arguing that the company is trying to protect millions owned by Jones and his family through shell entities.
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