An American woman who claimed the Sandy Hook school massacre, one of the worst mass shootings in US history, was a hoax has been sentenced to five months in prison for making death threats against the father of one of the victims.
Lucy Richards, 57, will also serve an additional five months of house arrest and face three years of supervised release. During Wednesday’s hearing, she pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting threats.
The Florida resident is part of a small but active group of Americans who refuse to accept that 26 people, including 20 children, were indeed killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012.
Disturbed youth Adam Lanza opened fire on the children and their teachers in a massacre that shook the American public to its core given the number of child victims.
Richards was accused of sending voicemail and email messages threatening the life of Lenny Pozner, whose six-year-old son Noah was killed at Sandy Hook.
The shooting is often cited by gun control advocates seeking to further restrict access to firearms. In turn, some gun rights activists have fueled conspiracy theorists.
The website Infowars.com was among a number of conspiracy-touting outlets that claimed the Sandy Hook massacre had been made up, using child actors.
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