After he returned his work laptop without a hard drive and snapped pictures of NBA star Kobe Bryant’s corpse at the scene of the helicopter accident, a former captain was criticised by the Los Angeles fire chief and called out for having “tarnished” his reputation.
After authorities revealed photos of the collision in January 2020, Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, is suing the LA County fire department and the sheriff’s office for invasion of privacy.
According to Law & Order, acting fire chief Anthony Marrone claimed during his testimony on Monday that he never instructed former Capt.
Brian Jordan to take pictures of the scene of the helicopter crash that killed eight people, including the NBA star and his daughter Gianna, 13, and left eight others dead.
In court, Marrone also acknowledged that he is “alarmed” about not knowing where Capt. Jordan’s hard drive is kept.
You don’t know where the hard drive is as you sit here right now, do you? Marrone was questioned by Jerry Jackson, a lawyer for Christopher Chester, whose wife and daughter perished in the collision.
The acting fire chief said, “No, I don’t.”
Does it worry you, Jackson retorted.
Yes, Marrone acknowledged.
The trial is still ongoing as of August 23, the birthdate of the NBA star.
Marrone was summoned as a witness in Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department and County Fire for negligence and violation of privacy when staff members distributed pictures of the NBA star and his daughter’s remains.
First responders, including firefighters and sheriff officers, are accused in the complaint of passing around “gratuitous pictures of the murdered children, parents, and coaches” and sharing images of Kobe Bryant’s corpse with a bartender.
In his evidence last week, retired fire captain Jordan, who is suspected of sharing the images with Tony Imbrenda and Arlin Kahan, said that Marrone had put pressure on him to “take pictures.”
Jordan often walked off the witness stand during his tense testimony and believed he was being falsely accused. According to Insider, he attributed his early retirement to his mental health.
Jackson questioned Marrone, “If Capt. Jordan stated you had said that, it wouldn’t be accurate, correct?”
That’s right, Marrone retorted. That is not accurate.
Later, he said, “I would like to assume that the victims’ dignity would endure regardless of what we do, since they are decent individuals… I believe that Captain Jordan’s honour was damaged.
The photograph of the dead taken by Jordan at the scene of the collision on January 26, 2020 was shared with an investigator, according to the acting chief, who also said he never gave Jordan the go-ahead to do so.
Kahan also said in his testimony from last week that he was told to take pictures.
The Los Angeles Times reported in February 2020 that first responders had exchanged images of the dead at the accident scene, sparking an inquiry into the photos.
On Monday, the LA County Sheriff’s Department’s Commander William Jaeger testified in court concerning an internal inquiry into the distribution of crime scene photos.
First responders, according to Jaeger, were not aware of a letter from Vanessa’s attorney, Luis Li, requesting that the accident site’s evidence be kept and that all deputies be given fresh phones to examine the photographs on.
According to Los Angeles County attorney Mira Hashmall, the activities of Jordan, Imbrenda, and Kahan violated the department’s code of ethics by disseminating information regarding departmental business.
In response to Vanessa’s allegations that a lack of training led to deputies freely sharing the images among themselves, Hashmall and Marrone told the jury that the department instructs its leaders to operate with good judgement and comprehend the confidentiality regulations.
Imbrenda is also accused of showing a bartender at Baja California Bar and Grill a photo on his phone, prompting the latter to announce aloud to customers and employees that he had just seen a picture of Kobe Bryant’s physique.
According to Law & Crime, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva testified on Friday that he was unaware that the hard drive had vanished and that the initial scene photographer, Deputy Doug Johnson, had transmitted the images to a different senior fire officer.
A few days after breaking down and crying in front of the jury as she described how she felt ‘blindsided’ and ‘betrayed’ by police taking pictures of the corpses of her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna, Vanessa went hand-in-hand with her daughter Natalia to a Los Angeles court on Monday.
After two weeks of hearings and with the trial’s final arguments anticipated this week, the 40-year-old appeared in court with her daughter Natalia, a 19-year-old model and student.
Monica and Ciara, two singers, surrounded her as they entered the court with a cohesive front.
Gianna, Natalia’s 13-year-old sister, and their father were both slain. Vanessa is the mother of three-year-old Capri Kobe and Bianka, who is five.
Bryant sobbed while testifying on Friday that she always worries that after being circulated by authorities, the images of the remains may end up on social media.
According to the New York Post, Bryant cried and gasped for breath as she spoke about having to leave her home so that her girls would not see her sobbing after learning about the existence of the photographs.
The late NBA legend’s widow recalled hearing the news while nursing her youngest kid and said, “I felt like I wanted to go down the street and shout.”
I am unable to leave my body. She confessed to the court, “I can’t run from what I feel.
Bryant acknowledged having frequent panic attacks because she worries that one day, violent photographs of her deceased husband and kid may appear online.
She said, “I never want to see my kids in that manner.”
Nobody ought to ever be forced to see their family in such a manner.
Bryant said in court that County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who informed her that there were no survivors of the collision, had omitted to inform her that the accident site had been captured on camera.
She claimed to have been “blindsided” and “betrayed.”
“I believed them. I had faith that they wouldn’t do these things, she added.
Bryant stated that she thought the corpse of her 13-year-old daughter may have been relocated by authorities so they could take a picture of her.