InfoWars’ Alex Jones Loses Custody Case, Ex-Wife Wins Right to Decide Where Children Live
Jones had been fighting to retain custody of his three children in the nine-day trial, with his lawyers arguing his InfoWars persona is simply a character.
BEN HARTMAN04.27.17 11:35 PM ET
AUSTIN, Texas — Alex Jones suffered a dramatic defeat in his custody battle Thursday night in a trial that questioned both Jones’ future visitation of his children and the legitimacy of his performances on InfoWars, his conspiracy-theory website and talk show.
The couple will receive joint custody and Kelly Jones, the ex-wife of the InfoWars host, will have the right to decide who the children live with.
The jury ruled 10-2 in Kelly’s favor following 10 hours of deliberation at the end of the nine-day trial.
Jones had previously been joint managing conservator and the three children lived at his residence. Kelly saw them sparingly, only five times so far this year, her attorneys said.
A central question in the case, and the main reason for wider interest in what is essentially a child-custody case, has been whether or not Alex’s off-air persona is the same as what viewers have seen on InfoWars—or if he is merely a kind-hearted, doting, and soft-spoken father off-camera.
Jones’ lawyers have notably argued that his on-air persona is an act, an assertion that could potentially cast some doubt on his often over-the-top political claims, including doubts that the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre ever occurred.
Regardless, questions about InfoWars have been something of a moot point due to Judge Orlinda Naranjo’s refusal to allow the trial to focus on the program or Alex’s politics.
Ex-wife Kelly Jones’ attorneys only brought a few videos to enter into evidence, and all but two were ruled inadmissible by Naranjo: a clip of Alex apparently inebriated in Washington, D.C. on Inauguration Night bellowing that “1776 will commence again” and “the age of man is here,” before announcing that he is going to go urinate on a tree. The only other clip allowed was from the Joe Rogan show, in which he can be seen smoking a joint, which is legal in California, where the clip was filmed.
The clip appeared to contradict Jones’ assertion that he only smokes marijuana once a year “to test its potency” (he also blamed George Soros for brain-damaging people with overly potent marijuana), though it’s unclear how bad this toke played with a jury in liberal Travis County, Texas.
Perhaps the most significant InfoWars clip to get traction in court was one from Saturday morning in which he boasted that he had slept with “conservatively” at least 150 women by the time he was 16. The clip was not played in court, but Kelly Jones’ attorneys managed to bring it up in court as evidence that Alex is not a positive role model for his 14-year-old son.
Regardless, the jury and assorted onlookers have been treated to a healthy dose of an Alex Jones, who in real life—in the courtroom, without cameras—does, in fact, bear a strong resemblance to the on-air dynamo who brought us “Hillary for Prison” and the infamous gay frogs rant. Under cross-examination, he spoke not only about George Soros and overly potent marijuana, but also his taste for zebra meat and canned exotic game hunts, and confirmed that a big bowl of hot Texas chili caused him to forget details about his kids’ lives, which he’d referenced in his deposition.
more:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/04/27/infowars-alex-jones-loses-custody-case-ex-wife-wins-right-to-decide-where-children-live.html?via=newsletter&source=DDMorning
DO SOMETHING!
| 