In the second trial of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, an FBI agent testified and struggled to control his emotions on Tuesday while describing on the witness stand the time he saw bodies inside Sandy Hook elementary school.
The witness, identified as FBI agent William Aldenberg, was the first to testify as a Connecticut jury began hearing statements in a trial to decide how much money the defendant owes for spreading conspiracy theories about the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown.
Alex Jones' Second Trial
Aldenberg broke down while he was describing how he felt being among the first law enforcement officers to enter the two classrooms where two children were killed. Attorney Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, asked the witness if what he witnessed at the school was fake.
The FBI agency replied simply, "No. It's awful. It's awful." Aldenberg also testified about how he and several others in the community and law enforcement were targeted with threats and conspiracy theories, including one that claimed he was an actor who also pretended to be the father of a victim, as per the Associated Press.
"It's one of the worst things that ever happened, if not the worst thing that ever happened here, what happened to them. And people want to say this didn't happen? And then they want to get rich off of it? That's the worst part," Aldenberg said.
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The trial, which was held in Waterbury, was attended by more than a dozen family members of the victims, including David Wheeler, the father who conspiracy theorists had claimed was the same person as Aldenberg. Wheeler simply nodded his head as the FBI agent apologized for what he had to endure because of their resemblance.
According to the New York Times, the trials came as, for years, Jones spread bogus theories that the September 2012 attack, which resulted in the death of 20 first graders and six educators, was part of a government-led plot to confiscate Americans' firearms. He also argued that the victims' families were "crisis actors" in the scheme.
Sandy Hook Shooting
The people who believed Jones' lies repeatedly harassed the families at their homes and at events honoring their slain loved ones, and in some cases, threatened their lives. The defendant had already been found liable by default in this case after he did not turn over documents and other records under court orders.
Judge Barbara N. Bellis, before the jury entered the courtroom on Tuesday, castigated the defense's lawyers for what she called a "stunningly cavalier attitude" toward discovery. It was a reference to a Google Analytics spreadsheet that described years of website traffic to Infowars, which lawyers for the families said had only been shared last Friday.
Furthermore, Jones' attorney suggested that parents of children who died during the brutal 2012 attack are exaggerating their claims to promote an anti-gun political agenda. Norm Pattis said during his opening remarks that the plaintiffs were attempting to silence his client for supporting the Second Amendment. Jones was nowhere to be seen during the Tuesday trial, Business Insider reported.
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