[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
The Kobe Bryant photo trial has begun, and it’s not for the faint of heart.
As you probably know, Vanessa Bryant is suing Los Angeles County after cops at the scene of the tragic 2020 helicopter crash, which resulted in Kobe and their daughter Gianna’s deaths, as well as seven others, took photos of their bodily remains — and shared them with the public. We’ve already reported that Vanessa herself outed the specific individuals who were responsible for taking the photos, and that she unfortunately saw one herself, which obviously resulted in extra mental torment for the grieving widow.
Now the lawsuit has finally been dragged into court.
According to TMZ, Vanessa’s lawyer opened the trial Wednesday by stating that the eight LA County Sheriff’s deputies who took the pictures of her husband and child did so “for a laugh like they were souvenirs,” adding by doing so, they “poured salt in an unhealable wound.” The attorney described the photos as displaying:
“Broken bodies, close-ups of limbs and burnt flesh.”
Just imagine how traumatic that would be… Knowing that there are photos like that out there and just hoping and praying you never have to see them (again)… and that they never get released to a wider domain. Her lawyer explained how she lives in “fear, anxiety and terror” over the photos’ existence. Heartbreaking.
Related: Vanessa & Daughter Natalia Gianna On What Would Have Been 16th Birthday
A deposition was then played in which a Sheriff’s detective explains that his wife did not want to see the photos, so he proceeded to tell her that they depict “piles of meat.”
So upsetting! We understand how people in jobs like these have to harden their hearts to this kind of horror, but to make light of it with civilians? We’re talking about dead children here.
TMZ noted that the basketball star’s wife was extremely emotional throughout the proceedings — and broke down sobbing during her attorney’s words.
The outlet also reported that LA Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka also fought back tears while taking the stand to address his relationship with the late Kobe. He told the court being friends with Kobe was like being friends with a superhero.
So sad! The athlete was undoubtedly a legend like no other and an inspiration to many across the globe.
The GM explained that he was in church when he received news of the crash and immediately rushed to meet Vanessa at the John Wayne Airport, where the helicopter originally departed. He revealed that authorities took the two of them to the site of the crash, where he then promised the grieving wife that the area would be kept private and secure. He added that he fears what the images could do to the Hall of Famer’s surviving daughters if they were to ever see them — before revealing that Vanessa visited the crash site again in June 2020 to touch the soil where she lost her angels.
Related: Kobe & Gianna Statue Placed At Crash Site In Honor Of 2nd Anniversary Of Their Deaths
LA County’s defense has been that Vanessa is upset by the crash itself, by the loss of her husband and daughter — not by the photos.
The widow, however, has stated explicitly that she is “tormented with thoughts of” these photos being out there and feels “extreme sadness and anger” at the idea her family’s bodies were laughed at after the fact. She wrote in a court filing:
“I imagine Kobe watching over what occurred at that crash scene, and I am overcome by anger and emotion. I feel sick at the thought that deputies and firefighters have gawked at photos of my husband’s and child’s bodies without any reason.”
Sounds like she knows the difference.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Kobe Bryant Act into law two years ago, making it a crime punishable by $1,000 fine for first responders to take and share photos of crime scenes. For this case, Vanessa will have to settle for civil justice. Let’s hope she gets it.
[Vanessa Bryant/Instagram, TSN/YouTube & WENN/Avalon]
Related Posts
