In January 2020,Kobe Bryant's helicopter crashed into a hillside outside Los Angeles, killing the basketball great, his daughter. , seven people died. Others have shattered families and shocked his fans around the world.
Currently, his wife Vanessa Bryant is suing Los Angeles County, claiming that she lawyer said in court he had "exploited the accident" and "poured salt on wounds that could not be sealed." He was killed in a helicopter crash on January 26 while en route to a basketball tournament from Orange County.
Bryant's attorney told jurors in the case that days after the accident, police and firefighters hired by the county showed off photographs of the crash site, including the bodies of the victims.
"January 26, 2020 was the worst day of Vanessa Bryant's life," her attorney Louis Lee told jurors.
``County officials exploited the accident. 20} At the Calabasas site, Lee said first responders, including the fire department, "walked around the wreckage and took pictures of the bodies mangled from the helicopter crash. They took close-ups of limbs and charred flesh. It shocks my conscience."
Firefighters working at helicopter crash site
(AP)
And he added: "This case is about accountability. It proves that a county official took the picture and shared it widely."
He told the court that the photos had been shared with so many people that it was impossible for authorities to guarantee they would not be leaked in the future. One Christopher Chester, who has not seen the photos, is suing the county for emotional distress and threats that the photos will one day be published. Leaving Vanessa Bryant
(AP)
Orange County Financial Advisor Chester lost his wife Sarah and 13-year-old daughter Peyton in an accident.
"Each day since the county did what it did, Mrs. Bryant and Mr. Chester have to take risks, fears, fears, and recreate what they have lost. I am terrified of being part of the family in the most excruciating way,” Lee added.
John Altobelli also died in the crash. his wife, Keri Altobelli. Their 14-year-old daughter Alyssa Altobelli. Coach Christina Moser. and pilot Ara Zobayan.
Mauser and his Altobellis family filed lawsuits over the photos and settled with the County of Los Angeles last November for $1.25 million each.
Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka
Bryant's former agent Rob Pelinka was the first witness in the case. NBA officials drove Bryant to the Sheriff's Substation at Malibu Lost Hills Station to meet with Sheriff Alex Villanueva after the crash.
Mr. Pelinka tearfully recounted his professional and personal relationship with Bryant.
"He's still my best friend. Being friends with Kobe was like having a real superhero as a best friend, so I'm very grateful," he said in court.
He then explained that he had taken Vanessa to meet with the officials, saying that "her first instinct" was to seal the scene."These are my angels." Please," Pelinka explained her words.
"Through the sheriff, I had assurances that the crash site would be kept safe and that my family's "privacy would be maintained." .
Former Los Angeles County Fire Chief Walks Out of Witness Stand
Brian Jordan left the witness stand three times, claiming he was extremely traumatized by the crash in court.
Mr. Jordan, who spent 35 years at LAFD, told jurors that images of what he saw at the crash site "will haunt me forever."
Mr. Jordan took a series of photographs at the scene, including images of his torso, arms and dark-skinned hands.
He told the court that then-Deputy Commissioner Anthony Malone told him to "take the picture, take the picture, take the picture."
Sheriff's Deputy Shows Photos to Bartender
Deputy Sheriff Joey Cruz In Court Shows Photos Containing Human Skeletons in Norwalk, Calif. He said he showed it to the bartender. Only two days after the accident.
Deputy Commissioner Cruz admitted that he had no good reason to have the photos, but that he also showed them to his adult niece and sent them to another legislator.
He was initially suspended for ten days, but appealed and received two days of unpaid suspension and he received three days of paid training.
"It went too far," he told jurors about showing the photo to a bartender, a close friend of his.
The firefighter shared a photo while sipping a cocktail at a media awards ceremony.
The Los Angeles County firefighter said he had been a month since the accident. Afterwards, the photos were shown during the cocktail hour at the awards ceremony. A witness told the trial.
Luella Weireter, wife of an LA firefighter, said the incident occurred at the Southern California Radio and Television News Association's Golden Microphone Awards in February 2020.
She told jurors they saw LA County firefighter Tony Imbrenda share photos and other images of Bryant's remains with people at the event. I just saw a body and I can't believe I'm about to eat it," she testified after hearing one firefighter say.
Weireter is the cousin of her Keri Altobelli, who died in a helicopter crash along with her husband, her John, and her daughter, her Alyssa.
She said that two weeks after her incident, she filed her formal complaint with the Battalion Commander of the County Fire Department in Malibu.
Forensic experts say graphic photos have been erased from a sheriff's deputy's cell phone
Los Angeles sheriff's deputy , the court heard from the crash site that "violated basic forensic policy" when it removed graphic photos.
Forensic expert David Freskos said data was wiped from 28 of his devices owned by the LA County Fire Department and his LASD staff.
According to his September 2020 forensic analysis conducted by the technology company Kroll,1 he found that nine of his 11 LASD staff phones were new since the accident. was shown.
And he testified that the phone of deputy Joey Cruz, who admitted to showing off the photo to the bartender, had been factory reset.
"When Kroll turned on the device to extract the data, it displayed a 'Hello' screen," investigators wrote, noting that the phone's data was "forensically unrecoverable." I added that there is.
