The jury in the Alex Jones trial, squashed into a tiny deliberation room where they dined on Domino’s pizza, struggled with attributing dollar signs to emotional suffering, according to Reuters, which spoke with the first juror to open up about the proceedings. Jones, who claimed the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that claimed 28 lives was staged as a government takeover to remove Americans’ guns, was sued by two parents who faced harassment and death threats by his listeners. The jury, which was required to be unanimous, reportedly considered a massive range of damages, between $500,000 and $200 million, before eventually settling on $45.2 million, offering each parent 10 percent of Jones’ net worth. But that figure could be reduced to as little at $1.5 million under a Texas statute that caps the quantity of punitive damages. Some jurors had initially thought the Sandy Hook parents might not be entitled to any money at all. “We all believed that Neil and Scarlett were credible,” the juror, Sharon, said, adding that there were “tensions” in the room throughout the process. “There just weren’t tangible things behind their mental anguish, and we were asked to award between $1 and $150 million without any guidance.” As for their ultimate decision, “Nobody was super happy with it,” Sharon said.
CHEAT SHEET
TOP 10 RIGHT NOW
- 1
- 2
- 4
- 5
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10