The final afternoon of scheduled testimony in Jones’ two-week trial got off to a rocky start Tuesday, with the judge presiding over Austin’s case reprimanding the notorious conspiracy theorist as he appeared to chew on something in court. “Spit out your gum, Mr. Jones,” said Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, scowling at Jones from behind the bench. “It’s not gum,” the far-right broadcaster immediately replied. Jones claimed he had a tooth pulled late last month and was massaging the hole in his mouth with his tongue. “Would you like me to show you?” he asked leaning in. “…I don’t want to see the inside of your mouth,” Gumble said, warning him to ‘sit down’. The brief exchange came after a morning of emotional testimony from plaintiff Neil Heslin, father of 6-year-old Sandy Hook massacre victim Jesse Lewis. Heslin and Lewis’ mother, Scarlett Lewis, is seeking at least $150 million from Jones and his media company, Free Speech Systems, in damages. (Free Speech Systems filed for federal bankruptcy protection last week, according to the Austin American-Statesman, though that is not expected to affect the litigation.) The parents argue in their 2018 lawsuit that Jones falsely claimed the massacre was a government-orchestrated hoax, dragging them — and other Sandy Hook families — through years of harassment and pain. “I can’t even describe the last nine and a half years, the living hell that I and others have had to endure because of the recklessness and negligence of Alex Jones,” Heslin said. Jones was not present in court during Heslin’s testimony, the Associated Press reported. Heslin criticized his absence, calling it “cowardly”. “Today is very important for me and it’s been a long time coming… to confront Alex Jones for what he said and did to me. To restore my son’s honor and legacy,” he said. Jones went so far as to single out the families, calling them “pawns” in an episode of his Infowars show that aired Tuesday, according to Media Matters for America. Later in the episode, an aggrieved Jones blasts Gumble and the lawyers representing Lewis’ parents, calling them “caricatures of what you’d imagine in some alternate universe of goblin dwarves.” “It’s demonic,” he added. “Everyone is acting demonically possessed. The judge, the lawyers. It’s surreal to be around them. And it makes you feel sorry for them because these people are devoted to the occult ideology of the new world order. Footage of the episode was shown by the prosecution in court later that day, while Scarlett Lewis was on the stand. Asked how the clip made her feel, she looked at Jones, who had arrived at the Texas courthouse at that point. “It’s horrible. Horrific. Horrible,” he said, according to the Independent. Jones, who tried to frame the complaint against him as an attack on his First Amendment rights, had appeared in court after the morning session. A piece of duct tape covering his mouth had the words “Save the 1st” on it. To reporters outside, Jones raged at Judge Gamble, accusing her of rigging the trial. “All I did was speculate and ask questions – I’m entitled to do that,” he fumed. Later Tuesday, Jones himself took the stand. Asked by his lawyer F. Andino Reynal how he feels, he replied: “I really feel good. Because I have the opportunity – for the first time – to say what’s really going on, instead of the high-powered law firms of the corporate media manipulating what I really did.” The defense’s only witness, Jones almost immediately clashed with Gamble once again, complaining that Lewis had been allowed to “monologue,” and he was not. After further questioning from Raynal, Jones was quick to claim that he “never intentionally tried to hurt” Lewis and Heslin. He also took the opportunity to challenge the introduction of the Infowars clip, protesting that it was unfair that the video had been shortened to less than a minute. Reynal, reportedly the eleventh attorney to officially represent Jones in the case, had to restrain his client as he strayed dangerously close to the foiled area. “Let’s slow down a little bit,” the lawyer said, after Jones testified that he saw his work as a means to reveal “the womb” to his audience. (Reynal himself has been scolded by Gamble several times during the trial, including at least twice for chewing gum in her courtroom, according to a reporter for Texas Monthly. On another occasion, he had to apologize after using his waist The finger to get Mark Bankston, prosecuting attorney, out of Gamble’s sight.) Less than an hour after his deposition, Jones was coughing so often that Gamble gave him a lozenge. He thanked her. “This is the exception for courtroom dining [rule]Gumble said with a weak laugh.
