Kobe Bryant Crash Photos: Vanessa Formally Launches Trial Years After NBA Legend's Death
Kobe Bryant's widow, Vanessa, is not yet done in seeking justice the late NBA star deserves.
Nearly three years since Bryant and his daughter Gianna tragically died in a helicopter crash, the mourning matriarch had to reopen the wounds again as the privacy trial against the Los Angeles County sheriff's and fire departments started.
On Wednesday, Rolling Stone reported that Vanessa went to a federal court and sobbed heartbreakingly while her lawyer described how a sheriff's deputy showed people pictures of Bryant's decapitated body.
Her representative, Luis Li, told the court that a whistleblower who was at the Baja California Bar & Grill in Norwalk was left disturbed after Deputy Joey Cruz showed people pictures of the basketball superstar's dead body.
To support his claims, he showed a video of Deputy Cruz seating at the bar while holding up his phone to a bartender who eventually walked away from him.
"January 26, 2020, was and always will be the worst day of Vanessa Bryant's life. County employees exploited the accident. They took and shared pictures of Kobe and Gianna as souvenirs. ...They poured salt in an unhealable wound," he said.
Li added that the first responders and fire officials walked around the crash scene and took pictures of the victims' bodies. They, reportedly, even took photos of their burnt flesh. He then played audio of one detective admitting that his wife refused to see the photos since they looked like "piles of meat."
This marked the first trial eight months after Vanessa originally filed the lawsuit.
Vanessa Bryant Angry, Heartbroken After Officials Took Photos of Kobe Bryant's Body
Following the heartbreaking crash, Vanessa recalled how she asked Sheriff Alex Villanueva on January 26 - the day of the crash - to secure the crash site and ensure that no one would take photographs of the remains after learning there were no survivors in the incident.
"If you can't bring my husband and baby back, please make sure no one takes photographs of them," she reportedly told Villanueva.
Unfortunately, the opposite happened.
She detailed that at least 20 people have copies of the photos. Although the County assured her they had all been deleted, Vanessa reportedly still has strong doubts that the photos were still somewhere.
According to Vanessa, she already saw a photo showing Kobe's remains, leaving her tormented. She also noted the fact photos can be stored, transferred, and edited with the current technology.
The matriarch also feels troubled that her children might also see the photos one day.
