Conspiracy Theorist to Pay Nearly 1 Bln to Sandy Hook Families

A jury in the U.S. state of Connecticut ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay nearly 1 billion U.S. dollars in damages to the family members of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

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The far-right radio show host must pay US$965 million dollars in compensatory and punitive damages to 15 plaintiffs, the relatives of eight shooting victims.

The relatives sued Jones after he claimed the shooting on Dec. 14, 2012, at the school in Newton, Connecticut, was a hoax staged by U.S. authorities to impose gun control measures. The shooting left 20 children aged six to seven and six adults dead.

Jones has apologized for spreading the conspiracy and was ordered in August to pay nearly US$50 million in damages to the relatives of another victim in Texas.

From the "InfoWars" show, Jones spent years holding the theory that the shooting at Sandy Hook School was a "farce."  As the victims' families began filing lawsuits, however, he began to gradually change his speech to acknowledge that the shooting was real.

Nevertheless, his conspiracy theory led several of his followers to threaten the Sandy Hook parents, including Jesse’s relatives, whom they accused of lying about his son’s death for political purposes.

"I'm in bankruptcy. You want to fight. That's fine," Jones said on Wednesday live on his show after learning about the court's decision.