After learning that Los Angeles County officials were sharing photos of her husband's and daughter's remains, she wanted to run down the block and scream.
Bryant said it was like running down a pier and jumping into the water. I can't escape. I can't leave my body.
Bryant took the witness stand for three hours on Friday. She accuses the LA County sheriff's and fire departments of causing emotional distress, including negligent and invasion of privacy, for sharing images of her late husband Kobe Bryant, 41, and their 13-year-old daughter.
The helicopter was on its way to a girls basketball game at Kobe's Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks when it crashed into a hillside.
Bryant said that when she arrived at the sheriff's station in Malibu, they "stared" at her.
I went in and asked where they were. I asked many times. She said they stared at her. Where are they located? Is there a place where they are?
The LA County Sheriff brought a publicist with him when he met with her to confirm the deaths.
Bryant asked Villanueva to make sure that no one took photographs of her husband and baby if they couldn't return. The area needs to be secured. He said he would. I told him I needed him to get on the phone and make sure the area was secured.
The LA Times reported graphic photos from the crash site.
A patron at the Baja California Bar and Grill testified that a bartender told him that a sheriff's deputy had shown him pictures of the crash site. The deputy was shown photos of Kobe Bryant's decapitated body, according to the patron.
I was in disbelief, that's what he said at the trial. I was upset and disappointed.
When she heard of the LA Times story, Bryant was with her daughters and baby.
Bryant testified that he left the house so his girls wouldn't see. I was devastated again. I knew they were trustworthy. I knew they wouldn't do these things.
She said she expected them to have more kindness. My husband and daughter should be treated with respect.
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