A Connecticut jury awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to 15 plaintiffs defamed by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones when the InfoWars host called the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a hoax staged by actors following a script written by the government to build support for gun control.With the plaintiffs sobbing in gallery, the clerk read out the verdict in which the jury decided compensatory damages for both slander and for emotional distress.The plaintiffs, relatives of victims and an FBI agent who responded to the scene, testified that they were tormented by Jones' followers who believed his lies about the massacre.Prosecutors had asked that Jones pay $550 million to a group of Sandy Hook parents, who claim the InfoWars host spread lies about the mass shooting that killed 26 people, including 20 elementary school children.Defense attorney Norm Pattis told jurors it was not their job to bankrupt Jones so he would stop broadcasting lies."