Kobe Bryant Crash Trial Begins With Absolutely Devastating Moments

Vanessa Bryant's unimaginable nightmare is still going as she headed to court regarding the tragic deaths of her husband, Kobe Bryant, and teenage daughter, Gigi Bryant. As the world already knows, the father and daughter were among nine people who died in a helicopter crash in January 2020, and, eight months later, the Los Angeles Times reported that Vanessa was suing the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the county's fire department, the county, and eight individual officers, alleging that photos were taken of the crash scene that showed the deceased bodies of the victims of the horrific accident. It was also alleged that the disturbing photos had then been shown to a bartender, Victor Gutierrez, at a bar by one of the police officers who took them.

A patron of the bar, Ralph Mendez, spoke candidly about the night the photos were showed to ABC 7 in January, explaining he was the one who filed a complaint against Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy Joey Cruz, who's alleged to have shown the images. "It just sounded wrong on different levels, whether it's illegal or not," Mendez said after Gutierrez told him what he'd seen, while Gutierrez testified that the photos were very graphic and even depicted body parts.

The case finally went to trial in August after being pushed back, and Vanessa's reaction to the ordeal is breaking hearts around the world once again.

Vanessa Bryant had the most heart-wrenching reaction to the opening statements in the difficult photo trial, reportedly breaking down in tears as the case was set up. Vanessa's lawyer explained on her behalf that, as well as dealing with the unfathomable loss of her beloved daughter and husband, she lives in never ending fear that the photos of her deceased family members will be made public and likened the officers taking photos to buying a souvenir from a trip, according to TMZ. Vanessa's attorney also shared an audio clip of one of the officers in question stating his wife refused to look at the photos after he described the bodies to her as "piles of meat," per BuzzFeed News. The defense retorted though that Vanessa's devastation stems from the crash itself and the loss of her husband and daughter, not so much from the unauthorized photos being taken and shared. 

Vanessa has continued to publicly remember her family members in touching ways in the wake of their untimely deaths. In June, she proudly showed off a basketball court dedicated to Gianna "Gigi" Bryant and Kobe Bryant in his Philadelphia hometown on Instagram. "I chose this location so that young people in this community may have a safe space to play with equal opportunity which was important to Kobe and Gianna," she captioned the shot. Two months before, Vanessa took to Instagram to share a throwback snap of herself and her husband in honor of what would have been their 21st anniversary. "I love you forever, baby. Happy Anniversary," she penned.