U.S. conspiracy theorist ordered to pay nearly 1 bln USD to families of Sandy Hook victims

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- A jury in the U.S. state of Connecticut ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay nearly 1 billion U.S. dollars in damages to the family members of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The American far-right radio show host must pay 965 million dollars in compensatory and punitive damages to 15 plaintiffs, the relatives of eight shooting victims, read the jury's decision on Wednesday.

The relatives sued Jones after he claimed the shooting on Dec. 14, 2012, at the school in Newton, Connecticut, was a hoax staged by U.S. authorities to impose gun control measures. The shooting left 20 children aged six to seven and six adults dead.

Jones, 48, has apologized for spreading the conspiracy and was ordered in August to pay nearly 50 million dollars in damages to the relatives of another victim in the U.S. state of Texas.

"I'm in bankruptcy," Jones said on Wednesday live on his show. "You want to fight. That's fine."