Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Sandy Hook Dad Says Alex Jones Fans Showed Up To His House Demanding To See His Dead Son

Sandy Hook Dad Says Alex Jones Fans Showed Up To His House Demanding To See His Dead Son
Alex Wong/Getty Images; @LawCrimeNetwork/Twitter

The father of a child killed during the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting testified that fans of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones showed up to his home demanding to see his dead son.

David Wheeler—whose son Ben was killed in the shooting—says that fans of Infowars host Jones were spurred by his conspiracy theories that the shooting never happened.


Wheeler recalled the moment that an individual "came to the house and knocked on the door" and insisted that Ben Wheeler was in the house and alive. He also said that he first learned from a friend that Jones was sharing conspiracy theories about the shooting.that claimed the lives of 20 students between the ages of six and seven as well as six staff members.

You can hear his remarks—delivered during Jones' latest defamation trial—below.

Wheeler said:

"After the shock of Ben's murder, it felt like I was underwater and I didn't know which way was up. You're grasping with that, trying to get your head around that."
"To have someone publicly telling the world that it didn't happen and that you're a fraud and a phony is incredibly disorienting... I couldn't figure it out."
"It felt like I was delegitimized in a way. It makes you feel like you don't matter, like what you went through doesn't matter."

Wheeler shared that he had to have difficult conversations with his surviving son, Nate, who was nine years old when the shooting occurred:

"For years he would ask me why anyone would do such a thing … Why Alex Jones would say these things." ...
"He said, 'Why is this happening?' and I didn't have an answer."

The trial is the second of three defamation trials for Jones, who last month was ordered to pay $45 million in damages to Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, whose six-year-old son Jesse Lewis was killed in the shooting. For years, Jones suggested the shooting could have been a false flag "staged event" and the victims and families were just "crisis actors."

In perhaps the trial's most striking moment, Lewis took the witness stand and declared "my son existed," a repudiation of a man who for years elevated conspiracy theories claiming the shooting never happened.

Lewis looked Jones right in the eye as she took him to task for repeatedly lying about the shooting on his program, saying even though she knows he believed her, "you're going to leave this court house and you're going to say it again on your show."

Jones is testifying today and insisted under oath that he had not uttered the names of Sandy Hook parents on his program.

Many expressed hopes that Wheeler would also see justice and criticized Jones' actions.



The Sandy Hook shooting—the deadliest mass shooting at a school in United States history—attracted a seemingly endless number of conspiracy theories about the event.

Earlier this year, journalist Elizabeth Williamson published Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth, which analyzed the effect that conspiracy theories had on families who lost their children.

Williamson also interviewed conspiracy theorists, including Kelley Watt, a grandmother of two from Tulsa, Oklahoma who sparked outrage after she said she is "proud" to harass families of the victims.

Watt claimed she spent a significant part of the last decade "researching" mass shootings, concluding that mass shootings are little more than "false flag" operations designed to strike fear and convince people to support comprehensive gun control legislation.

So extreme are Watt's beliefs they ended her marriage and harmed her relationships with her own children. Her daughter, Madison, told Williamson her mother is a narcissist who will never admit she is wrong, saying that it "would explode her own persona to allow any doubt to come in."

More from Trending

Country music chaos hit new heights when Zach Bryan climbed a barbed-wire fence to confront Gavin Adcock.
Joshua Applegate/Getty Images; Lorne Thomson/Redferns via Getty Images

Zach Bryan Confronts Rival

Country music’s latest feud has nothing to do with chart positions or CMA trophies—it’s Zach Bryan channeling his inner WWE stuntman on a barbed-wire fence while Gavin Adcock filmed the whole thing like Nashville’s messiest social media troll.

The spectacle went down at Oklahoma’s Born & Raised Festival when Bryan, hometown hero of Oologah, crashed Gabriella Rose’s set and couldn’t resist spitting out some live-mic shade:

Keep ReadingShow less
Frankie Muniz
Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images

Frankie Muniz Reveals He Turned Down Hosting 'SNL' As A Kid For A Chance To Meet His Celebrity Crush

During awards season each year, it feels like all of the big-name actors have to be in a thousand places at once. From accepting awards to walking the red carpet to presenting awards to their colleagues, there's no end to the obligations, fun, and excitement.

But sometimes, obligations might overlap—and actors might have to make a tough choice about which event to attend. For Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz, his tough choice came back in 2000, and he wrestled with it for the most adorable reason.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charlie Kirk
Benjamin Hanson/Middle East Images via AFP/Getty Images

New York Newspaper Apologizes For Running Charlie Kirk Cartoon After It Sparks GOP Calls For Boycott

Newsday, a paper based out of Long Island, apologized amid calls from GOP leaders for a boycott after publishing a cartoon by former Pulitzer finalist Chip Bok about the murder of far-right-activist Charlie Kirk.

The cartoon depicts an empty chair with blood spattered above it, with an arrow linking the words “Turning Point USA”—Kirk’s organization—to the chair.

Keep ReadingShow less
Malcom-Jamal Warner
FOX via Getty Images

Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Widow Breaks Her Silence With Poignant Message On Their Anniversary

It was just a couple months ago that many mourned the sudden death of Malcom-Jamal Warner after his accidental drowning on a beach in Costa Rica.

Warner rose to fame in The Cosby Show, entering the hearts of millions. Recently his widow, Tenisha Warner, revealed the tribute his family will be making to honor his legacy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Britt Lower
Monica Schipper/WireImage

Eagle-Eyed Fans Notice Subtle 'Severance' Nod Written On Back Of Star's Emmys Speech

Actor Britt Lower had one of the biggest moments of the night at Sunday's Emmys with her big win for Apple TV's Severance, but the real moment for fans was blink-and-you-miss-it.

Lower won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the show, and during her speech she did the usual rounds of "thank yous" for her family, friends, and colleagues.

Keep ReadingShow less