Erica Lafferty, whose mother was the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School shot and killed during the massacre, released a statement moments after the verdict against Alex Jones was read Wednesday.
My name is Erica, I am the daughter of Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, the principal of Sandy Hook school — and as I was testifying about the rape threats that were sent to me because of Alex Jones’ lies, he was on the steps of the courthouse holding a press conference spreading his hate and further pushing his dangerous agenda.
After almost a decade of threats and messages from conspiracy theorists lead by Jones, this is a moment years in the making. And in this big moment, like in every big moment since the shooting, I just wish I could call my mom and tell her about it.
I would tell her about the horror of watching Alex Jones hold court with press outside the courthouse. The disappointment of watching so many news outlets who’ve known us since 12/14 run his words unfiltered. The heartbreak of reliving the shooting as so many families took the stand to share stories of their slain loved ones.
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But I would also tell her about the bright spots. News stations like NBC CT refused to give a platform to a dangerous conspiracy theorist. The jury bravely bore witness to our pain, sitting through hours of testimony that is unlikely to leave their minds anytime soon. And then there are the people who were by my side through the trial. Chris, Alinor, Josh, Matt and team, were my guideposts and shining lights throughout all of this and I can’t thank them enough for their compassion, extreme expertise and friendship.
I wish I could tell my mom about all of this. I wish I could tell her about so many things that have happened since she was murdered. I will never stop missing her.
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. But I know that this is not the end of Alex Jones in my life.
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I know his hate, lies, and conspiracy theories will follow me and my family through the rest of our days. But I’m also hopeful that what happened here today will save other families of high profiles tragedies from the cycle of abuse and retraumatization that we all were put through as we simply tried to survive the hardest days of our lives.
I am incredibly proud and thankful of the message we sent here today: The truth matters. And those who profit off of other people’s trauma will pay for what they’ve done. There will be more Alex Joneses in the world. But today they learned that they will be held accountable.
