@vanessabryant / Joseph A. Lee (CC)
Following the accident leading to the death of Kobe Bryant, his wife Vanessa received horrible messages from some members of law enforcement of Los Angeles County. She will also be able to publicly reveal the content, soon. This announcement could well tip the outcome of the trial between the two camps.
Two and a half years after the death of Kobe Bryant, his relatives are still unable to turn the page. Indeed, the Mamba’s family is still in the midst of a legal war against the County of Los Angeles, demanding a sanction against certain members of the police force. In question, photos taken by the latter at the site of the helicopter accident and publicly released thereafter, including the corpse of the former Laker.
Since this shameful revelation, Vanessa Bryant has pursued the officers in question, even going to trial for justice to be done. She has just obtained an authorization which could prove decisive: to reveal certain messages which were sent to her by the accused, in which she notably received threats. Although the judge refused that she could show them all, those sent after this terrible scoop were considered admissible, as the site explains. Law & Crime :
The jurors will see the shameful text messages received by Vanessa Bryant
Lawyers representing Vanessa Bryant in her lawsuit against Los Angeles County will not be allowed to show jurors the social media taunting messages she received about Kobe Bryant’s death before he was released. common knowledge that sheriff’s deputies and firefighters had been circulating graphic photos.
They will, however, be allowed to feature the messages she subsequently received, including one that threatened to ‘release Kobe’s body images’ and another that contained an aerial photo of the January 26, 2020 helicopter crash. , which District Judge John F. Walter said could be inferred to be a county photo, one of several key rulings handed down Friday ahead of trial.
Representing Los Angeles County, attorney Mira Hashmall said “the county is not responsible for internet trolls” and that the posts are “classic hearsay.” But while Walter agrees it’s hearsay, he said the messages meet the legal criteria to be admitted to trial because they won’t be shown to jurors to testify. accept them as truth; rather, they will be presented to demonstrate Bryant’s state of mind when she read them. One of the banned posts is “recognized as relevant as a taunt,” Walter said.
In other words, the jurors present during this trial will be able to get a very concrete idea of the emotional state of Vino’s widow, following the tragedy that struck him and the world of sport in January 2020. The defense has of course already begun to denigrate these exhibits as much as they can, but even they could not sufficiently challenge the crucial nature of these messages. With such a card in hand, the file could quickly be folded.
Failing to be able to show all the terrible messages she received following the death of Kobe, Vanessa Bryant will at least be able to present some of it to the jury. Enough to convince the latter to render a verdict in his favor? Given the nature of these text messages, it is possible.