Los Angeles cops have a culture of keeping “ghoul books,” which contain photos of dead celebrities and other high-profile victims.
A retired officer testified Friday that the books were shared between officers in locker rooms and casual settings. The former officer took the stand in the trial for Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit against the L.A. County Sheriff’s office and the county.
Bryant alleges that eight deputies and fire personnel took personal photos of the corpses of her late husband, Kobe Bryant, and daughter, Gianna Bryant, after they were killed in a helicopter crash. She is accusing the officers and firefighters of sharing the pictures.
“These death books are widely spread and well-known,” retired LAPD special investigator Adam Bercovici told the court. “Officers keep them as souvenirs, and they have no investigative value.”
Meanwhile, deputy Doug Johnson testified that a higher-ranking officer ordered him to take photos at the crash site, which the other officer denies. Johnson told the court he was not remorseful about taking the pics.
Johnson said he only took about 25 photos, according to TMZ, but another officer claimed it was closer to 100.
The deputy freely admitted that he photographed Kobe’s remains but said at the time that he wasn’t aware it was the Laker legend. He also admitted to taking pictures of a Black child with long hair whose body was located in a ravine near the crash site, which was likely Gianna.
It was reported that Vanessa broke down into tears several times during the testimony.
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