Florida woman who threatened father of Sandy Hook victim gets prison time

A Florida conspiracy theorist found guilty of making death threats against the father of a 6-year-old boy killed in the Sandy Hook massacre was sentenced to prison Wednesday.

Lucy Richards, 57, of Tampa, was sentenced to five months in prison followed by five months of house arrest and three years of supervised release. Court records state that Richards read a conspiracy theory online claiming the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, which left 20 students and six adults dead, was a hoax. In January 2016, Richards left threatening voice mails and sent emails to Lenny Pozner, whose son, Noah, was one of the Sandy Hook victims, court records say. One message said, "You gonna die, death is coming to you real soon," and another stated, "Look behind you, it is death."

Before her sentencing, Richards said she didn't know "where my heart and head were that day, but they were not in the right place. It was the worst mistake of my life and I am truly sorry." Senior U.S. District Judge James Cohn called the threats "disturbing," adding that her words were "cruel and insensitive. This is reality and there is no fiction. There are no alternative facts." During her supervised release, Richards will be required to keep a record of her online activity and undergo mental health treatment, NBC News reports.

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