Crime & Punishment: "Sandy Hook Truthers" Are Out in Full Force

While many found themselves in a stunned state of disbelief after the Newtown shootings, a small group has made disbelief their permanent stance on the incident. "Sandy Hook truthers" claim the government staged the event to increase support for gun control. A 30-minute "truther" video has been seen more than 10 millions times on YouTube. The conspiracy theorists say that grieving family members are actually "crisis actors" and ruthlessly scrutinize their media appearances, claiming they aren't convincingly sad. They also say they have identified "victims" alive and well in post-Dec. 14 photos, though in two cases they mistook a sibling for the deceased. As for qualifications, Jay Johnson, who runs SandyHookHoax.com, said "I am the only person in the world to solve LOST" (the TV show). A Newtown resident who sheltered a group of fleeing children at his home told the Danbury News-Times he's received an onslaught of ominous calls and e-mails from truthers, as has a Norwalk man who had parked in a fire lane that morning, sweeping his name into police radio traffic.

By Nick Keppler

January 22, 2013