Alex Jones concedes Sandy Hook attack was '100% real'

Rightwing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Wednesday admitted he now believes the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was "100% real."

His attorney asked him if he now understands it was "absolutely irresponsible" to push the false claims that the school shooting didn't happen.

"It was ... especially since I've met the parents. It's 100% real," Jones said during testimony in a defamation trial against him.

He told a Texas courtroom it was "crazy" of him to claim that the shooting was a hoax.

Emotional testimony from Sandy Hook victim's parents

Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of six-year-old Jesse Lewis are seeking as much as $150 million from Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems.

On Tuesday, Heslin testified Jones made his life a "living hell" by claiming the murders were a "false flag" operation carried out by "crisis actors."

It resulted in a campaign of harassment and death threats against him by people who believed he lied about his son's death.

Jesse's mother Scarlett, addressed Jones directly on Tuesday after he questioned Heslin's credibility during a morning broadcast on his Infowars radio show and webcast.

"I am a mother, first and foremost, and I know you are a father," Lewis said. "My son existed ... I know you know that."

At one point, Lewis asked Jones: "Do you think I'm an actor?"

"No, I don't think you're an actor," Jones responded before the judge admonished him to be quiet until called to testify.

Jury to decide on compensatory and punitive damages

Jones has already been found liable for defamation by Maya Guerra Gamble, who issued a rare default judgment against him in 2021.

The jury just has to decide how much he must pay for spreading falsehoods.

Jones is the only person testifying in defense of himself.

He said he's been "typecast as someone that runs around talking about Sandy Hook, makes money off Sandy Hook, is obsessed by Sandy Hook."

He complained that he sought years ago to distance himself from the theory that the shooting was staged after he began to doubt its credibility but was misrepresented by political opponents of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

"I was thrown into the deep end of the weaponization of politics," Jones said.

Mark Bankston, the lawyer for the parents, earlier accused Jones of approaching the trial in bad faith, citing broadcasts where he said the trial is rigged against him.

On Wednesday Bankston showed video of Jones saying the jury pool was full of people who "don't know what planet they're on."

Jury to decide on compensatory and punitive damages

On December 14, 2012, a 20-year old shooter,  Adam Lanza, entered the Sandy Hook elementary School armed with a Remington assault rifle, licensed to his mother, whom he had already shot dead at their home in Newtown.

After killing 20 children and six educators, he shot himself dead with a handgun.

It remains one of the worst school shootings in US history.

Free Speech Systems declared bankruptcy  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.

lo/aw (AP, Reuters)