Sympathetic portrayal of Alex Jones rebuked as 'hypocrisy'

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A producer for conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s media company tried to paint a sympathetic portrait of him Thursday as a jury decides how much in financial damages he should pay for his past claims that the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school was a hoax — a move that lawyers for parents of a child slain in the massacre immediately rebuked as hypocritical.

Daria Karpova, a producer at Jones’ Austin, Texas-based Infowars website, testified that that the pressure of multiple lawsuits and trials has taken a toll on Jones. He's been "stressed out” and can’t relax even while on vacation as he’s been constantly worried about his programs and money over the past four years since being sued for defamation.

Karpova said some people believe Jones murdered the 20 first-graders killed in the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, that left a total of 26 dead.

A lawyer for the parents suing Jones for at least $150 million for the abuse they say they’ve suffered for years because of Jones’ false statements immediately jumped on the depiction of a wounded man struggling to cope with lies said about him as posturing.

“When people lie about you it affects you negatively, it affects your well-being? Do you understand the irony, the hypocrisy of making that statement in this courtroom right now?” asked Mark Bankston, attorney for Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, parents of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, who was killed at the school.

“It’s just the truth," Karpova said. "What am I supposed to say?”

Heslin and Lewis sued Jones for emotional distress and reputational damage that Jones caused them and are seeking at least $150 million from Jones and his media empire Free Speech Systems.

Courts in Texas and Connecticut have already found Jones liable for defamation for his...