Vanessa Bryant's Agonizing Testimony Reveals Why She Held Out Hope Kobe And Gigi Survived Crash

Vanessa Bryant's testimony in her case against the Los Angeles County continues to be even more heart-wrenching. After the tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna (aka Gigi) in January 2020, Bryant was shocked to find that horrific photos of both Kobe and Gigi's bodies had allegedly been shared by members of the Los Angeles County sheriff's and fire departments. The trial officially began on August 10, and Nicki Swift has been present in the courtroom throughout.

Those following this case have continued to hear and read facts about the crash and the investigation, including reported insensitive comments made about Kobe's body. However, Vanessa's grief and hearing personal testimonies from the families give more insight into the emotional aftermath of it all. Painful as it appears to be, their presence has shown the impact of this tragic accident (and these images) on the families that remain behind."I can't escape my body, I can't escape what I feel," Vanessa testified through tears on August 19.

In her continued testimony, it was revealed Vanessa initially believed Kobe and Gigi survived the crash — despite receiving "RIP Kobe" notifications on her phone while en route to the scene. And the reason for her hope at the time is crushing.

Per Nicki Swift's courtroom reporter, Vanessa Bryant walked the courtroom through the day of the helicopter crash from her perspective. Kobe Bryant's assistant first delivered the distressing news of the accident, initially sharing there were "five survivors." At the time, Vanessa believed there were only five people on the helicopter in the first place. Of course, it turned out to be nine.

In her court testimony, Vanessa also still believed Kobe and Gigi were fine after tracking their locations, revealing her family had the Life360 app on their phones. This specialized app not only tracks the location of family members but also can detect crashes and provide emergency responses. The app showed Gigi at a church, while Kobe was near a hillside. With that information, Vanessa believed that Kobe was simply helping someone at the crash site, while Gigi was safe with another parent. Tragically, that turned out not to be true. 

Once Vanessa got to the sheriff's station, she kept repeating to personnel, "Where are they? Where are they?" in reference to Kobe and Gigi. But, as she tearfully recalled, "everyone stared at me." Finally, Sheriff Alex Villanueva told her no one survived the crash. She testified pleading to Villanueva at the time, "If you can't bring my babies back, please make sure you secure the area." Tragically, it appears her request wasn't fulfilled.