Florida woman calls Sandy Hook massacre a ‘hoax,' threatens to kill parent of victim, officials say

TAMPA, Fla. — A 57-year-old Tampa woman has been charged with threatening to kill the parent of a victim in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre because she believes the shooting never happened, officials said.

Lucy Richards is accused of sending several threatening text messages to the child’s parent, saying things like, “You gonna die, death is coming to you real soon,” a federal indictment said.

One of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history, the Sandy Hook massacre took place on Dec. 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut, and resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults.

“Richards’ belief that the school shooting was a hoax and never happened allegedly motivated her to make the charged threats,” a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The threatening text messages were allegedly all sent on Jan. 10, court documents said.

Richards was arrested Monday and charged with four counts of transmitting threats in interstate commerce.

If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison.

Cox Media Group