LOS ANGELES – Vanessa Bryant testified Friday that she was only beginning to grieve the loss of her husband, basketball star Kobe Bryant and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna as she faced the horror of learning that the scene Sheriffs and firefighters took and shared photos of their bodies at the site of the helicopter crash that killed them.
“I felt like I wanted to run, run down the block and scream,” she said, her tears turning to sobs and her voice speeding. “It’s like running down a pier and jumping into the water. The problem is I can’t escape. I can’t escape my body.”
During her three-hour witness in Los Angeles federal court, where she is suing LA County for invasion of privacy over the photos, Bryant said she struggled to get past even the public memorial. and privacy for her loved ones and seven others. was killed on January 26, 2020 and thought she was ready to actually begin the grieving process about a month later. She was with friends and her surviving daughters, and holding her 7-month-old baby, when she received a call about a Los Angeles Times story on photos of the crash.
“I rushed out of the house and went around to the side so my girls wouldn’t see,” she said. “I’m blind again, devastated, hurt. I trust them. I trust they won’t do these things.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that a sheriff gave a photograph of Bryant’s body to a bartender while he was drinking, prompting a formal complaint from another man. were drinking nearby, and that the firefighters shared them with each other at an awards party. Others share them with spouses. A district attorney said the photos were taken only because they were needed to gauge the moments after the crash, and when LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva learned they had been shared, he requested that all be deleted. they.
None of the photos have appeared publicly, but Vanessa Bryant said she frequently worries that some still might.
“I live in fear every day on social media and these things pop up,” she testified. “I live in fear of my daughters showing up on social media and these things showing up.”
She said the thought kept her awake at night while lying next to her 3-year-old and 5-year-old, and sometimes led to panic attacks that left her unable to breathe.
Under cross-examination by J. Mira Hashmall, the attorney representing the District of LA at the trial, Bryant testified that she did not receive any medical diagnosis of panic attacks, or any disorder. mental health disorders, nor have they taken any medication for them.
She said she talked to a therapist for about 18 months after the accident, but hasn’t since.
“I feel like it helps sometimes,” says Bryant, “but sometimes it’s completely draining.”
Hashmall spent most of her 90-minute cross-checking running the business roles Bryant currently fills, including acting president of her husband’s multimedia company, Granity Studios, overseeing the work. published a book he had written and helped complete and publish another, the foundational title that started Kobe and Gianna, and founded several other companies.
Hashmall thinks Bryant’s ability to do all of this means she’s doing well and isn’t overcome by fear and anxiety.
“It seems like above everything else you’re juggling a business empire,” Hashmall said at one point.
“For me, it’s a work of love,” Bryant said.
She often cried, and sometimes laughed, during the interrogation of her lawyer Luis Li, who had her describe her life with her “proud father” husband and their daughters.
“He was a wonderful and devoted father,” she said.
Bryant documents the date of the accident, her grief, and frustration trying to find out if her husband and daughter were still alive after she heard from an initial aide that five were alive. omission.
She described sheriff Villanueva going into a room where she waited at the Lost Hills sheriff’s station and confirming that her husband and daughter had been killed. He asked if he could do anything for her.
“I told him, if you can’t bring my kids back, then secure the area,” Bryant said. “I’m concerned about the paparazzi.”
“Did the sheriff tell you that one of his deputies went up the hill to take close-up photos of the crash victims?” Li asked.
“No,” replied Bryant.
During the cross-check, Hashmall said the co-pilot, Doug Johnson, who walked through difficult terrain into the hills of northern Los Angeles County to the crash site and took the photos that were then shared. share, just try to use them to assess the situation.
“You can see why he wants the same information as you did,” says Hashmall.
Bryant replied, “I don’t think you need to take close-up photos of people to determine how many people are on an airplane. “I think he might have just counted.”
Bryant’s side paused the case after her testimony, which took place on the eighth day of the trial.
