An Oregon man described by authorities as a “conspiracy theorist” has been accused of harassing the father of a girl killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012 in an apparent effort to falsely prove the shooting was a hoax.
Kevin M. Purfield, 58, of Portland, Oregon was arrested by Oregon Health and Science University Police on Nov. 25 and charged with 10 counts of telephonic harassment and a single count of stalking, according to Multnomah County Circuit Court records.
Purfield has allegedly been stalking Robbie Parker, the father of 6-year-old Emilie Parker, since 2013, but authorities say the conduct has recently escalated, according to court documents.
Emilie was one of 20 children killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. A video clip of her father smiling briefly and consulting notes before addressing TV cameras in the wake of the shooting was used by Alex Jones to push the conspiracy theory that the shooting never happened and that the parents of the victims were paid actors.
Robbie Parker authored a book titled, “A Father’s Fight: Taking on Alex Jones and Reclaiming the Truth About Sandy Hook,” and testified against Jones during his defamation trial in 2022.
According to the probable cause affidavit in the harassment case, Purfield has allegedly tried “relentlessly” to contact Robbie Parker, including at OHSU where he works. The alleged harassment included messages, calls and mail that was sent to his former home, the document said.
In October, Purfield allegedly called the university asking if Parker worked there and told the woman who fielded the call that the father had reported him to the FBI, the affidavit said. He also allegedly told the woman Parker was going to “get what was coming to him,” the document said.
On Nov. 10, Purfield was banned from the university and issued a no-contact order indicating “any communication” with the university could be considered telephonic harassment, according to the probable cause document. On Nov. 25, he was issued a temporary restraining order that bars him from contacting Parker or coming within 1,000 feet of him, the probable cause affidavit said.
After receiving the orders, prosecutors wrote in the affidavit, Purfield allegedly called the university at least 10 times and, during one instance, used a vulgarity to describe Parker and made a false claim that Emilie had not been killed. During one of the calls, he also allegedly said he knew where Parker works and lives, the document said.
A prosecutor described Purfield in the affidavit as “a conspiracy theorist who seeks out and terrorizes families who have lost children in mass shootings, among others.”
“He has shown up at the homes of his stalking victims as recently as this September, when he arrived unannounced at the home of a member of the mayor’s staff,” a prosecutor wrote.
According to media reports, Purfield was previously accused of harassing family members related to the victims killed during the mass shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado in July 2012.
Purfield is being held in custody and is scheduled to face a judge on Friday, records show.
