Alex Jones Reprimanded by Judge as Sandy Hook Trial Gets Heated: 'This Is Clearly Not Your Show'

Alex Jones’s defamation trial got heated on Thursday, when the alt-right radio show host told a Connecticut courtroom that he was done apologizing for falsely asserting that the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting was a hoax.“Is this a struggle session? Are we in China?” Jones said, according toThe Washington Post, after an attorney for the plaintiffs, Chris Mattei, pointed out the victims' family members in the courtroom. “I’ve already said I’m sorry hundreds of times, and I’m done saying I’m sorry.“It was the conspiracy theorist and Infowars founder’s first appearance in the courtroom during the defamation trial — which will determine damages awarded to the plaintiffs who are parents and family members of the victims of the 2012 shooting, as well as one FBI agent who responded to the scene, according toCNN. Three lawsuits against Jones have been consolidated into the trial.Alex Jones.SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty ImagesDuring his testimony, Jones lashed out and rambled, per thePost, asserting that his focus was “crushing the globalists.” He also accused attorney Mattei of “ambulance chasing” and ranted about “liberals,” according toCNN.At one point, Judge Barbara Bellis admonished Jones for his outbursts, and reminded him that he was in a court of law.“This is clearly not your show and you have to respect the process,” Bellis told Jones. “Whether you like it or not you have to respect the rules.“Alex Jones.Matt York/AP/ShutterstockJones' attorney Norman Pattis alleged that the plaintiffs' claims have been “exaggerated,” and that the families “want to silence [Jones] for political reasons.“Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.In a separate defamation trial that concluded last month, a jury in Austin, Texas ordered Jones to pay the parents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim more than $45 million in punitive damages after he called the mass shooting a hoax and accused victims' parents of being actors.Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of Jesse, 6, who died in the shooting, were awarded $45.2 million in punitive damages.

Alex Jones’s defamation trial got heated on Thursday, when the alt-right radio show host told a Connecticut courtroom that he was done apologizing for falsely asserting that the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting was a hoax.

“Is this a struggle session? Are we in China?” Jones said, according toThe Washington Post, after an attorney for the plaintiffs, Chris Mattei, pointed out the victims' family members in the courtroom. “I’ve already said I’m sorry hundreds of times, and I’m done saying I’m sorry.”

It was the conspiracy theorist and Infowars founder’s first appearance in the courtroom during the defamation trial — which will determine damages awarded to the plaintiffs who are parents and family members of the victims of the 2012 shooting, as well as one FBI agent who responded to the scene, according toCNN. Three lawsuits against Jones have been consolidated into the trial.

Alex Jones.SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

During his testimony, Jones lashed out and rambled, per thePost, asserting that his focus was “crushing the globalists.” He also accused attorney Mattei of “ambulance chasing” and ranted about “liberals,” according toCNN.

At one point, Judge Barbara Bellis admonished Jones for his outbursts, and reminded him that he was in a court of law.

“This is clearly not your show and you have to respect the process,” Bellis told Jones. “Whether you like it or not you have to respect the rules.”

Alex Jones.Matt York/AP/Shutterstock

Jones' attorney Norman Pattis alleged that the plaintiffs' claims have been “exaggerated,” and that the families “want to silence [Jones] for political reasons.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

In a separate defamation trial that concluded last month, a jury in Austin, Texas ordered Jones to pay the parents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim more than $45 million in punitive damages after he called the mass shooting a hoax and accused victims' parents of being actors.

Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of Jesse, 6, who died in the shooting, were awarded $45.2 million in punitive damages.

source: people.com