Kobe Bryant Crash Photo Trial: Witness Reveals How Fire Captain Shared 'Kobe's Burnt-Up Body'
Vanessa Bryant has an additional woe on Friday after a witness testified how a fire captain shared Kobe Bryant's crash photo, in the aftermath of the fatal helicopter crash.
According to TMZ, the witness was identified as Luella Weireter, a wife of an LAPD Fire captain, sharing what she saw during an award show three weeks after the tragedy happened.
Weireter said she saw a group of people, including another fire captain, look at the photos during the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California's Golden Mike Awards, WTAE reported.
Many firefighters reportedly attended the media event that is known to honor the fire department and public information officers for their work in informing the public about wildfires.
Weireter, who insisted she did not look at Kobe Bryant's crash photo, overheard another man saying that he saw Kobe's burnt-up body when he was about to eat.
The witness also shared that she drove to a county fire station in Malibu and filed an official complaint. She also noted that she was called by LA County Fire chief to follow up.
After Weireter shared the details, Vanessa Bryant was spotted rocking back and forth, crying, with her head in her hands.
Weireiter is the cousin of Keri Altobelli, who also died in the helicopter crash, along with her husband John and daughter Alyssa.
Photos Like Kobe Bryant Crash Photo, Common Among Law Enforcement - Ex-LAPD Officer
On Friday, an expert witness hired by Vanessa Bryant's legal team, ex-LAPD Officer Adam Bercovici, testified that seeing photos like the Kobe Bryant crash photo is not uncommon.
Bercovici noted that he and other cops saw the body of Nicole Brown Simpson dead body after her June 1994 murder.
The former LAPD officer noted that illicit photos of human remains, also called "death books," are common among law enforcement.
Despite sharing the human remains of individuals being a pain to the relatives, the former LAPD officer shared that there is not enough movement to end the said practice.
Kobe Bryant Crash Photo Trial
Vanessa Bryant is seeking legal action against the sheriff's office and the fire department of Los Angeles County after one of the deputies showed photos of Kobe Bryant's decapitated body to several bar patrons in Norwalk.
Whistleblower Luis Li, who was at the Baja California Bar & Grill at the time, alleged that Deputy Joey Cruz from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office showed the photos of the crash site. He claimed that the photos disturbed him so much, prompting him to file a complaint to the county's sheriff's office.
On Thursday afternoon, bartender Victor Gutierrez testified in court, describing photos taken at the scene of the crash. The bartender described what he saw in the photos shown by the Los Angeles County Sherriff's deputy.
Vanessa Bryant cried and stood up, prompting her lawyer to ask the judge permission for Kobe Bryant's widow to leave the courtroom.
Kobe Bryant's crash photo trial is expected to last about two weeks. The suit filed in 2020 seeks undisclosed damages and claims civil rights violations, negligence, emotional distress, and violations of privacy.
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Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Trial Begins Over Kobe Bryant Crash Photos - From NBCLA