Vanessa Bryant's attorneys allege that close-up photos of the remains of the basketball star and his daughter were passed around on at least 28 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department devices and by at least a dozen firefighters.
Vanessa Bryant, 39, said she is infuriated "that the people I trusted to protect the dignity of my husband and daughter abused their positions to obtain souvenirs of their deaths, as though possessing pictures of their remains somehow makes them special. I imagine Kobe watching over what occurred at that crash scene, and I am overcome with anger and emotion," according to her declaration.
In his deposition, Villanueva testified that he told his personnel to get rid of the photos in order to ensure the graphic images were not shared, which would cause additional harm to the suffering families of the victims, according to county attorneys. The county maintains there's no evidence that "death images" were shared within the sheriff's or fire departments. When allegations of improper photo sharing surfaced, "they took appropriate action. Every action was aimed at preventing harm, not causing it," defense documents state.