WATERBURY A six-member jury awarded eight Sandy Hook families and a federal agent defamed by Alex Jones $965 million in damages and emotional distress in a momentous verdict on Wednesday that came after close to three full days of deliberation. Scarlett Lewis, the founder of the Choose Love Movement, sits near her son Jesse Lewis's grave in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown. "No, I don't think you're an actor," Jones responded before the judge admonished him to be quiet until called to testify. "No amount of money will ever bring back the beautiful lives lost that tragic day, but this decision is resounding, long-awaited justice for the Sandy Hook families," he tweeted. Safia Samee Ali is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in Chicago. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. | Greenwich Moms", "9 years later: News 8 spends the day with mother of Sandy Hook victim, gets a look at what she's doing in son's memory", "Mom honoring Sandy Hook victim's legacy through 'Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement', "Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement Reviews and Ratings | Newtown, CT | Donate, Volunteer, Review | GreatNonprofits", "Sandy Hook's Scarlett Lewis on spreading healing with her nonprofit org Choose Love", "Rolling with Life's Ups and Downs Can Prevent Bullying and School Shootings, Says Sandy Hook Mom", "Sandy Hook mother works to help kids and prevent violence with emotional education effort", "How the power of 3 words changed this Sandy Hook mother's life", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jesse_Lewis_Choose_Love_Movement&oldid=1101722920, Children's charities based in the United States, Non-profit organizations based in Connecticut, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from May 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Articles with a promotional tone from April 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The Choose Love Movement was founded in honor of Sandy Hook victim/hero, Jesse Lewis, to spread his message of Nurturing Healing Love", This page was last edited on 1 August 2022, at 13:44. "I think about that bravery every single day," Lewis says. "I absolutely see that Alex has lost credibility with a portion of his audience," she adds. Having a 6-year-old son shot in front of his classroom is unbearable and you dont think youre going to survive and then to have someone on top of that perpetuate a lie that it was a hoax, that it was a false flag, Scarlett Lewis said during her testimony. In all, 11 children from Miss Soto's class survived. After his murder at Sandy Hook, Lewis said, a lot of people blamed Adam Lanza's mom (who was also his first murder victim), but as a single parent herself, Lewis was struck by the similarities in their lives. It has been nine years since Jesses murder. The onslaught of horrific comments was escalating so quickly, that the couple couldn't focus on their daughter's funeral because they were so afraid protestors or Sandy Hook deniers would burst in to create a scene or take photos of their child's casket, Alissa Parker said. "Norturing Helin Love," the message read. 'He yelled, "Run!" When Adam Lanza stepped into her sons classroom, his gun jammed or he briefly ran out of bullets, and Jesse shouted at his friends to run. The pain and suffering doesnt get any better, doesnt go away, doesnt get any easier as time goes on, Heslin says. Surviving students from her class say they didn't hear any gunshots until he started shooting there. Lewis says she has never really allowed herself to consider what her son would be like if he had been given the opportunity to grow into the 16-year-old boy he should be today. Lewis, a Republican, has been a supporter of President Donald Trump and met with him for a roundtable on school security at the White House in December, according to the Hartford Courant. which likely saved lives. Parents of Sandy Hook victim testify in Alex Jones' defamation trial The Connecticut election will take place next November. "I do see a shift," Lewis says, when asked if she believes the lawsuits against Jones for spreading conspiracy theories will help to stop the spread of disinformation. In a gripping exchange, Lewis spoke directly to Jones, who was sitting about 10 feet away. Hero: Jesse Lewis, 6, was shot in the head after screaming for his classmates to run and flee gunman Adam Lanza, Survivors: Eleven children from Jesse's class manages to escape Lanza - thanks to Jesse's courage and the heroism of his teacher who shielded them from the bullets. He repeatedly suggested that the mass shooting could have been a"staged event. Sandy Hook are private. IE 11 is not supported. IE 11 is not supported. Mother of Sandy Hook victim reflects on eve of 9th anniversary | fox61.com "You may say that's astronomical," Mattei told the jury in his closing arguments. A therapist referred her to a college professor who told her hed do some research. Sandy Hook's Scarlett Lewis on spreading healing with her nonprofit org "I am so glad this day is here. She said she would tell her mother about the "horror" of watching Jones hold press conferences outside, but she would also tell her about the "bright spots" like the jury that "bravely bore witness to our pain" and the attorneys who have been her "shining lights" through the trial. When do we want it? "I knew they had actors there, clearly, but I thought they killed some real kids. "What we got out of it meant more than anything anyone can ever give us.". "They called Emilie a whore and were calling Robbie a liar and saying we are going to burn in hell for what you've done.". Lewis finally got an answer to the question that haunted her years ago, when everyone she loved was safe and she couldnt imagine forgiving someone who hurt her kids. Scarlett Lewis, whose son Jesse, 6, was killed in the elementary school shooting, rebuked the Infowars fabulist over his lies in a face-to-face courtroom confrontation. They described how Jesse was known for telling classmates to "run!" Since Sandy Hook, the record for the worst mass shooting in U.S. history has been surpassed several times over. And grateful that I got to say all this to you.". It was reported shortly after the shooting that Miss Soto, 27, hid some of her children in a closet and gave her life trying to distract Lanza. Sandy Hook Victim Jesse Lewis' Dad on Coping 5 Years Later - People Another encounter after Jesses death put Lewis and her older son J.T. Alex Jones engaged in an active, for-profit campaign to defame and harass a first responder and the families of Sandy Hook," she said in a statement. Two Sandy Hook families file lawsuit against Alex Jones, Infowars She recalls a moment she consoled two of Jesse's grieving friends months after the tragedy. The comments below have not been moderated. Jesse left a little note for J.T. I knew immediately, if Adam Lanza had felt nurturing, healing love, this would not have happened, Lewis says. You can access him any time that you want, not in the form that you want we want that physical form; the one we're used to and see and feel and touch and experience but he's still here.". Jones has been found to have defamed the parents of a Sandy Hook student for calling the attack a hoax. I believe that inside every one of us is that same innate courage and to honor Jesse, Ive decided to be courageous enough to run for state Senate in my home state, Lewis said after describing his brother's last moments. Jones has been a controversial figure and one of the leading voices in the Sandy Hook "truther" movement, a group that claims the Dec. 14, 2012, mass shooting never occurred, the lawsuit said. JT Lewis - Wikipedia Sandy Hook Siblings, 10 Years Later, Reflect On Love and Loss - Today She felt sure it meant something, and it was up to her to figure it out. "I believe that he would have been a soldier or a first responder, a police officer or a public servant in the role of protector," she says. With help from friends, Lewis founded the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement and combined the most effective elements of SEL school programs into one curriculum, and made it free. [16] Choose Love for Schools Program is now the most taught program in some states. **This video touches on the Sandy Hook tragedy and Jesse's death. A third Sandy Hook defamation awards trial against Jones will take place in Texas in December. About half of U.S. schools now have some sort of SEL component, says Shriver, who is also chairman of the Special Olympics. Parents of a 6-year-old Sandy Hook victim say Alex Jones has made life The jury will then consider whether Jones and his company will pay punitive damages. Sister Carli Soto-Parisi was awarded $66 million, mother Donna Soto was awarded $48 million, sister Jillian Soto Marino was awarded $68.8 million and brother Carlos Matthew Soto was awarded $57.6 million. The new evidence also suggests that Lanza might have started in Soto's room. Contributed Photo Show More Show . Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The mass shooting renewed the . Facebook pages belonging to Jones or InfoWars had a combined total of more than 2.5 million followers, and Jones YouTube account had 2.4 million subscribers when the accounts were removed in 2018. ", "You're still on your show today trying to say that, implying, that I'm an actress, that I'm deep state. Jones skipped Heslin's morning testimony while he was on his show a move Heslin dismissed as "cowardly" but arrived in the courtroom for part of Scarlett Lewis' testimony. ", She added the verdict sends a message that "truth matters. It can sound a bit soft-and-cuddly, especially when schools are under pressure to raise test scores. Alex Jones, the Austin-based far-right conspiracy theorist, is currently facing a $150 million lawsuit against parents of Jesse Lewis, a child killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Jesse Lewis, 6 Jesse Lewis, aged six, one of the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., who was shot dead on December 14, 2012. Attorneys for the families painstakingly made the case that Jones would often highlight the shooting while mocking the parents to spike ratings and get more viewers to purchase Infowars items such as books and vitamin supplements, making money off of their pain. These programs work. But you always have that longing. Jesse Lewis, 6 Jesse Lewis had been looking forward to . "I've come to know these people over almost 10 years," he said. A report on the Newtown shooting by investigators is due to be released soon. "This is not your show," Judge Maya Guerra Gamble told Jones. Plaintiffs Robbie Parker, left, and Nicole Hockley hug following the reading of the jury awards for damages in the Alex Jones defamation trial at Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn. on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "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. Keir Starmer braces for civil service verdict on Sue Gray's recruitment as his chief of staff today saying Ed Sheeran devastated after his beloved Irish grandmother who inspired one of his hit songs dies. What happened to the Taste NY bathrooms on the Taconic? He also expressed frustration with elected officials who he said, are in it for themselves, take pictures and feel an inflated sense of importance.. Jesse's older brother, J.T., avoids the spotlight, but their mother Scarlett says J.T. Lewis dove into research. My son existed," Lewis said to Jones. Jessica Hill/AP Photo/Jessica Hill Show More Show Less 20 of 38 Jesse Lewis, a victim in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn. Dec. 14, 2012. Sitting at the witness stand and looking Jones straight in the eyes, Lewis said, "I wanted to tell you to your face. The decision to sue Jones, Lewis says, was a direct result of her son's parting message to her three words Jesse had written on their kitchen chalkboard that she found shortly after he died. Heslin, who also testified on Tuesday, said that Jones made their lives a "living hell" filled with abuse and trauma from his followers. It has been five years since Jesse, 6, was slaughtered with 25 others including 19 other children in a gunmans rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. Heslin and Lewis suffer from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder that comes from constant trauma, similar to that endured by soldiers in war zones or child abuse victims, a forensic psychologist who studied their cases and met with them testified Monday. Susan Bysiewicz's echoed his remarks. Im listening.. Often speaking directly to InfoWars host Alex Jones, the mother of a 6-year-old killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School testified Tuesday that the right-wing conspiracy theorists lies that the attack was a hoax have left her in fear for her life and compounded her grief. PARAMUS, NJ - On Sunday, December 8, 2019, U.S. Always. "The Sandy Hook families deserve every dollar coming to them from Alex Jones," he tweeted. "Alex started this fight," Heslin said, "and I'll finish this fight.". The father of 6-year-old killed at Sandy Hook says Alex Jones - PBS I loved him to pieces, he knew it, and I knew he loved me to pieces. Why where some of the victims of Sandy Hook moved by first responders Sandy Hook suit seeks to exploit loophole in federal gun law 'I am so incredibly proud of him,' Ms Lewis told the Associated Press. But Im also hopeful that what happened here today will save other families of high profiles tragedies from the cycle of abuse and retraumatization that we all were put through as we simply tried to survive the hardest days of our lives. The parents have asked the jury to award $150 million in compensation for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. After Jesse was killed in the . "To go back to what Robbie Parker said, all Alex Jones does is take from you, exploit you, lie to you, feed your fears and your anxiety and your mistrust and the person that benefits from that equation is him. 'Leading through uncertainty' is the focus of a Sandy Hook nonprofit's We tallied the votes from this years Best of the Capital Region contest in 100 categories. What you're describing is love, and it's still there and he's still all around you. She created the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, in memory of her son. Rob Ryser, Jordan Fenster and Daniel Figueroa IV contributed to this report. Now she devotes her days to spreading a program she thinks could have saved her son, and Adam, from their intertwined fates: it's called social and emotional learning. "Their mom asked if her kids could talk to me, because they were having a really hard time," she recalls. Earlier that day, Jones was on his broadcast program telling his audience that Heslin is "slow" and being manipulated by bad people. Three years . "Part of my decision to hold (Jones) accountable was that I felt like he was acting in direct opposition to what my mission is, which is to keep kids safe," Lewis explains. Father of 6-year-old killed in Sandy Hook shooting testifies Alex Jones The parents, both of whom testified Tuesday, have asked that Jones pay $150 million for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. During often tearful and halting testimony in Waterbury, Sandy Hook parents described losing a child and then being confronted online and in-person by Jones' followers who believed that the shooting never happened and that their loved one either never existed or was alive. Sandy Hook mom confronts Alex Jones at trial: 'My son existed' Six children fled the classroom and made it to safety. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. This jury sent a message to Alex Jones that his disgusting and reprehensible behavior will not be tolerated.. I dont think you understand the fear you perpetuate, not just to the victims family but to our family, our friends and any survivor from that school.. "Were an evidence-based movement.". "I'd peel it off his sweaty head as he went to school," Scarlett adds. He has already been found liable for defamation by courts in Texas and Connecticut for how he portrayed the mass shooting as a hoax. Adam reloaded and shot him in the head,' said his mother Scarlett Lewis, who learned details of the events inside the classroom from investigators. As the news of the Sandy Hook shooting circled the globe, a group of orphaned Rwandan genocide survivors heard about it. 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Sandy Hook Mom Scarlett Lewis Talks About Her Son Jesse - Today Alissa Parker said she found her husband Robbie up at 2 a.m. two days after the shooting frantically deleting comments on the Facebook page honoring their daughter Emilie who was killed in the shooting, she said. [19][20] Choose Love for Athletic Leadership Development is a program for athletes and leaders to incorporate the Choose Love Formula in any sports program to build character and create positive relationships on and off the playing field. . Doggy day-care! ", My goal is to hold Alex Jones accountable," he added, "and to be able to walk out of this courthouse very soon with this all behind me and move on with my life.". The 6-year-old Sandy Hook hero: New report reveals Jesse Lewis saved six classmates by telling them to run when Adam Lanza's gun ran out of bullets but was shot dead for his bravery when the . First published on August 2, 2022 / 1:14 PM. While he tries go through the motions for the holidays, one thing Heslin will not be doing this year is putting up a Christmas tree. "He loved pretending like he was a little soldier," she explains. Her 6-year-old son Jesse was murdered in the Dec. 14, 2012, Sandy Hook school shooting. Jones visibly shook his head several times while Scarlett Lewis was addressing him. With his last breath, Scarlett Lewis's son saved lives at Sandy Hook. I didnt have the heart to look at it, quite frankly. You have, this week. They won their cases last year when two judges issued default rulings because Jones failed to follow court orders and submit evidence and responses on time. The parents didn't receive the photo until after the shooting. But what makes this holiday season, Christmas, Thanksgiving to the New Year, harder is thats when the tragedy occurred.. "They are beautiful people, they are good friends under the most horrendous situation you could imagine. JT Lewis, whose younger brother Jesse was killed along with 19 other classmates and six staff members after a gunman opened fire in the Newtown, Connecticut, school in 2012, kicked off his candidacy in a video on Twitter. So she understands when people cant comprehend her forgiveness for Adam Lanza, her sons murderer. Jesse was among the victims. For her, there was no other choice her pain was an anchor dragging her down. Lewis said that after the shooting, he and his mom called then-Republican state Rep. Tony Hwang to help prevent future tragedies but never heard back from the lawmaker. Its only this year that he took down his last one the same tree that Jesse helped him set up before the mass shooting. Pregnant Rihanna looks like a bride in elaborate white dress as she FINALLY Anne Hathaway brings back the Versace safety pin dress at the Met Gala three decades after Liz Hurley Bill's in Vogue! I had one up for five years that Jessie and I four years Jessie and I set up and never got a chance to decorate. Two Sandy Hook Families File Lawsuit Against Alex Jones, Infowars On the morning of December 14, 2012, a gunman killed twenty six people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The jury also ordered Jones to pay "reasonable" attorney fees for the 15 plaintiffs. ', The foundation was inspired by a message that Jesse had left on their kitchen chalkboard with the words 'nurturing,' 'healing' and 'love. I didnt have the heart to take it down, Heslin says. Several other families told similar heart-wrenching stories of being confronted by Sandy Hook deniers. The next step is for Judge Barbara Bellis to make a ruling on punitive damages at a future hearing. Jesse used to hide his plastic Army men around the family's farm. Nurturing, healing, love: How Jesse Lewis' final chalkboard message "But lets be clear there is a whole ecosystem of hate and conspiracy and Jones is just one organism of many. "Every day we got on stand in the courtroom and told the truth," said father Robbie Parker, who was awarded the most $120 million. "They were really missing Jesse and suffering. This past year I took itdown. IE 11 is not supported. On the 10-year anniversary of the day her son was taken from her, Lewis says she plans to do what her family does every year: Gather at Jesse's grave, light candles, read bible verses and inspirational quotes and say a prayer. Sandy Hook parents: Alex Jones claims created 'living hell' Jesse and 19 of his schoolmates and six adults were killed on Friday, Dec. 14, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown when a 20-year-old man shot them with a semiautomatic rifle. Profile", "Little hero of Sandy Hook saved his pals", "Sandy Hook Student Killed After Telling Classmates to Run: Mom", https://www.policinginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/csp_aar.pdf, "Meet the Mom Behind the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement! Hollywood writers go on strike over fair pay in streaming era, Missing teens likely among 7 people found dead in Oklahoma, authorities say, Fish contaminated with "forever chemicals" found in nearly every state, Gordon Lightfoot, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" singer, dies at 84, CBS News Poll: How GOP primary race could be Trump v. Trump fatigue, Oklahoma governor signs gender-affirming care ban for kids, American climber dies on Mount Everest, expedition organizer says, Bob Lee died from three stab wounds, medical examiner says, At least 6 dead after dust storm causes massive pile-up on Illinois highway, Sandy Hook dad blames Alex Jones for "hell", Sandy Hook parent blames Alex Jones for years of "hell", Sandy Hook parents still fight for change 10 years after school shooting, Alex Jones ordered to pay another $473 million to Sandy Hook families, Alex Jones concedes Sandy Hook massacre was "100% real", Mom of Sandy Hook victim confronts Alex Jones: "My son existed".
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