Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Eleven children from Jesse's class survived. Sandy Hook, 10 years later: Scarlett Lewis says her son Jesse's bravery, and his message of "Nurturing Healing Love," are what get her out of bed. Ned Lamont, issuing a statement hours after the verdict, called the emotional turmoil that Jones caused the families as "disgraceful. The testimony was punctuated by clips of Jones mocking the families including Robbie Parker who he called a "method" actor and saying the shooting was "as phony as a $3 bill.". Her 6-year-old son Jesse was murdered in the Dec. 14, 2012, Sandy Hook school shooting. JT Lewis was born Joseph Theodore Lewis on May 18, 2000, to Scarlett Lewis. Lewis has dedicated herself recently to the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation, which promotes ways for communities to 'choose love over anger, gratitude over entitlement, and forgiveness and compassion over bitterness. Lisa Backus is a local, state and national award-winning crime reporter who covers breaking news and criminal justice policy for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. However, little Jesse's heroism and his role in saving the lives of his classmates had not previously been publicly known. "I wish that after today, I could just be a daughter grieving my mom and stop worrying about conspiracy theorists sending me threats, or worse. Safia Samee Ali is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in Chicago. King Charles' Coronation LIVE: Anne dismisses 'slimmed down monarchy' and poll shows rock solid support for Dr Martin Scurr: Why have I always had a runny nose for 30 years - and what can I do to make it stop? 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. Jones has been found to have defamed the parents of a Sandy Hook student for calling the attack a hoax. [1][2][3][4] Choose Love programming is being taught in over 10,000 schools, in all 50 states and over 120 countries, serving over 3 million children globally. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Parker credited the jury with enduring the trial and using the truth to render a verdict. 'He yelled, "Run!" Heslin, who also testified on Tuesday, said that Jones made their lives a "living hell" filled with abuse and trauma from his followers. "These families lost their children and their loved ones in a horrific tragedy that our state, our country and our world will never forget. J.T. Sandy Hook is a hard truth.". But here's the thing: SEL actually does raise test scores, according to research, by an average of 11 percentage points. "They were really missing Jesse and suffering. Lawyers for the parents of two children killed in their Sandy Hook Elementary School classrooms are asking a judge for access to state police evidence to determine whether a substitute teacher . The penalty is in addition to the . got involved in outreach as well. Jesse Lewis always looked forward to the holidays, his dad says, no matter the occasion. Sandy Hook Victim Jesse Lewis' Dad on Coping 5 Years Later - People Truth is what we base our reality on and we have to agree on that to have a civil society. Those trials did not proceed because he failed to respond to court orders and turn over documents. "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. What you're describing is love, and it's still there and he's still all around you. "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. The tragedy claimed the lives of 20 children, the majority of which were between 6 and 7 years old, and six adults. The jury will then consider whether Jones and his company will pay punitive damages. "Jesse was real. 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. On the day of the shooting, Jones published an episode of InfoWars in which he says, "Don't ever think this couldn't be staged." This past year I took itdown. Noah Pozner and Jesse Lewis were in separate classrooms. Last week, an article posted on the Infowars website details Jones' statement to the press following a hearing in which he said the judge of the case is only doing it "for political reasons." IE 11 is not supported. Contributed Photo Show More Show . "I am so glad this day is here. 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. Until the political right purges this movement from its ranks, none of this ends.". I am a mother, first and foremost, and I know you're a father. The pain doesnt dull, but they persevere. "It seems so incredible to me that we have to do this that we have to implore you, to punish you to get you to stop lying," Lewis said. And I meant it, she adds now, in the house that will forever seem quiet to her. Jones later took the stand himself, initially being combative with the judge who had asked him to answer his own attorney's question. "They are beautiful people, they are good friends under the most horrendous situation you could imagine. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, whose son Matt Blumenthal was one of the attorneys representing the families, commended the families. This initiative started with three words written on a kitchen chalkboard by my six-year-old son, Jesse McCord Lewis, on the morning of December 14, 2012. . Their message: Youre going to be OK, and youre going to feel joy again.". RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: What do we want? The Army set came with a plastic camouflage helmet Jesse wore all day and even to bed. Investigators have not disclosed a possible motive for the massacre. The parents claim in a lawsuit that Jones claims that the attack was a hoax have led to years of abuse from his followers. Lanza, 20, shot his way into the school on December 14 and killed 20 first-grade children and six staffers at the school, in one of the worst school massacres in U.S. history. "Nurturing" means loving, kindness and gratitude; "Healing" means forgiveness; and "Love" means compassion-in-action. Share This Story. Scarlett Lewis' 6-year-old son Jesse was among the 20 children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting. [16] Choose Love for Schools Program is now the most taught program in some states. About half of U.S. schools now have some sort of SEL component, says Shriver, who is also chairman of the Special Olympics. "It's a long hard road once you get a judgment to collect when it's someone like Alex Jones," Taubes said after the verdict was announced. 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. An apology from Jones wouldn't be good enough, the parents said. Scarlett Lewis also described threatening emails that seemed to have uncovered deep details of her personal life. I know that youre a father, Lewis told Jones at the time. Lewis, Jesse M.Jesse McCord Lewis was an amazing child, full of light and love that was unmistakable in his presence. Plaintiff and Sandy Hook school parent Robbie Parker holds his hands to his face as he listens to the the jury verdict and reading of monetary damages in the Alex Jones defamation trial at Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn. on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. Lewis's program, he said, stands out because of Jesse's story, and also for its frank emphasis on love and forgiveness. So she understands when people cant comprehend her forgiveness for Adam Lanza, her sons murderer. That Im Deep State. You have. The next step is for Judge Barbara Bellis to make a ruling on punitive damages at a future hearing. "Norturing Helin Love," the message read. The parents didn't receive the photo until after the shooting. Its the courage to be kind and gentle, to do the right thing, to forgive, to step outside of our own pain. Choose Love for Communities is a program for business owners, community leaders, law enforcement agencies and political leaders to be part of the solution and to thoughtfully respond to any thought, action, or circumstance with love. The 19-year-old brother of a Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim announced Monday that he will run for state Senate in Connecticut, challenging the incumbent who he said never returned a phone call his grieving mother made after the mass shooting. Jones has already tried to protect Free Speech Systems financially. "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. 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. "A jury in Connecticut today sent a strong message that what he did to these families and a first responder was disgraceful.. What happened to the Taste NY bathrooms on the Taconic? This is a carousel. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "It's fear for your life," Lewis said. If you would prefer to skip . Its very important for me to have this trial and the testimony today to hold Alex Jones accountable, he said. Statements by both Infowars and Alex Jones repeatedly have tarnished Jesse., The crux of the trial is a 2017 episode of NBC's Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly, on which Heslin appeared and challenged Jones denial of the shooting. With his last breath, Scarlett Lewis's son saved lives at Sandy Hook. He had just seen his teacher shot and urged the others to flee while the gunman put a new clip into his semi-automatic rifle, his mother said back in 2013. "What we got out of it meant more than anything anyone can ever give us.". Jesses loving personality inspired his mom, Scarlett Lewis, to launch the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement to help kids with social and emotional learning. ", At one point, Lewis asked Jones: "Do you think I'm an actor?". For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Twenty of them were between the ages of 6 and 7. Susan Bysiewicz's echoed his remarks. Bill Sherlach, whose wife was killed in the shootings, also described the relationships the family members have formed. The parents, both of whom testified Tuesday, have asked that Jones pay $150 million for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Sandy Hook mom confronts Alex Jones at trial: 'My son existed' "The Sandy Hook families deserve every dollar coming to them from Alex Jones," he tweeted. Jesse, who had saved the lives of nine classmates when he yelled "run" after the shooter's gun jammed, left a message for his mother on the chalkboard at home in the . I loved him to pieces, he knew it, and I knew he loved me to pieces. I held my son with a bullet hole through his head," he said. Ten years ago, on Dec. 14, 2012, twenty 6- and 7-year-olds and six staff members were shot to death inside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. "We recommit ourselves to having the courage that Jesse showed on that day and to spread his message of nurturing, healing love," she adds. She created the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, in memory of her son. . Her older son, J.T. The verdict comes after a nearly four week trial that focused on the pain Jones wrought for families, who had lost loved ones in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 20 first-graders and six educators, by calling the tragedy a "hoax" staged by "crisis actors" who were advocates of gun control. Other speakers include Scarlett Lewis, the mother of a boy slain in the 2012 school shooting and the founder of the nonprofit Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, who will speak about "Social . "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. IE 11 is not supported. "I do see less harassment happening, not only to myself but to other families. He shouted to his classmates, who were huddled in the corner, holding hands. And J.T. Always. 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. "I've come to know these people over almost 10 years," he said. and I try to honor Jesses memory together by having a lot of fun, Scarlett says. He is the older brother of six-year-old Jesse Lewis, [9] who was a first grade student at Sandy Hook Elementary School when he and others were killed in a shooting at the school on December 14, 2012. I know you know that And yet you're going to leave this courthouse and say it again on your show. I asked them to each share their favorite thing about Jesse. N.Y. expanding its crackdown on illegal pot shops, USS Slater kept afloat by shrinking number of volunteers, WFP line in Rensselaer County's 2021 races key in FBI case, Nearly five years later, Schoharie limo families ready for trial, Family still seeking answers in Schenectady woman's disappearance, Deaf man killed on Ballston road remembered as funny, loving, Saratoga Springs firefighters want chief out, eight Sandy Hook families and a federal agent, get more viewers to purchase Infowars items. Jesse with his beloved camouflage helmet. In August, she confronted Jones in court during a defamation trial. 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. Thats the courage to choose love.. Three years . JT Lewis with his little brother, Jesse. J.T. "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.". Why where some of the victims of Sandy Hook moved by first responders
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