Racing Turtles

Kelly met me at the front gate, a heavy mechanized metal apparatus. Stepping inside the compound, I saw a life-sized baby elephant statue over her shoulder. Kelly had decorated the grounds with her collection of antique carousel creatures and ancient-looking statuary, adding to the looking-glass aura of the place

We stood across from the pool, a lagoon-like sprawl of boulders and palm trees larger than most resorts', its multiple fountains hissing. A tile-roofed barbecue pavilion jutted into the water. A two-tier stone fireplace surround, all carved lions and laurel wreaths, was parked on the main pool deck as if just delivered, its poorly supported mass enough to crush multiple people if it fell.

We entered the pool house, a villa with a black carousel dragon standing guard. The decor seemed a mash-up of Tuscan and British colonial, with heavy gilt mirrors, dripping chandeliers, and a fireplace with a portrait of a tiger on its mantel. Kelly's imposing teak desk was adorned with carved elephant heads, flanked by more prancing carousel horses. The place looked unlived-in: dead gnats dusted the sink in the wet bar, and a smoke alarm with a dying battery chirped while we spoke.

Kelly filed for divorce in 2013. Kelly, Alex, David Jones, the supplements broker Anthony Gucciardi, the Infowars bookkeeper, and several other people testified in closed proceedings about the business, which was reaping $20 million in annual revenue by then. The couple fought over who was responsible for that success and what Kelly's role had been.

Kelly's lawyers quizzed Jones under oath about the $317,000 he'd spent since they separated, buying four Rolexes in a single day, jewelry for his new girlfriend (soon to be his wife), $40,000 on exotic fish and a saltwater tank, thousands on steakhouse dinners and parties in his expensive Austin penthouse rental.

Jones and his lawyers in turn accused Kelly of wasting money on the pool complex, which had cost more than $500,000.

Kelly received a settlement worth several million dollars, their main residence, and most of its contents. She got three of the family's four dogs; Alex refused to relinquish Captain Fantastic, the French bulldog. Jones got the lake house and its collection of toys--including a boat, a four-wheeler, and Jet Skis--and another property. He kept his $70,000 collection of firearms and from the family's home retrieved a rug, a couple of tables, and a sterling silver cutlery service for twelve, according to court records.

In late 2021, Lenny bought a house, the first house he has owned since the one in Sandy Hook.

Lenny had lived in about a dozen apartments in the last decade, moving mostly because trolls kept posting his home address. Now the hoaxers' voices had quieted enough for him to sink deeper roots. Still, he asked me not to name his new town.

Lenny still keeps Noah's pajamas in his dresser drawer. He also has Noah's camo-patterned Crocs, his Batman costume, and the green-striped hoodie he wore in the last photo taken of him, lighting a Hanukkah candle the night before his death.