On August 12, the prosecution’s expert, retired LAPD lieutenant Adam Bercovici, alleged the sharing of death scene photos is a common issue amongst officers. According to our on-site Nicki Swift court reporter, Bercovici told the jury some officers have “death books” or “ghoul books” containing grim photos from police scenes, which they pass around in locker rooms. The expert also claimed officers favor images of “traumatic amputations” and scenes where the person had killed themselves. He bluntly opined, “The more graphic, the better,” per our Nicki Swift court reporter.
However, Bercovici’s testimony took another troubling turn when he claimed a similar instance occurred in 1994 after a polaroid of Nicole Brown Simpson’s murdered body circulated within the police department. “It was a just polaroid, a random polaroid,” Bercovici said, per Nicki Swift’s court reporter. After flagging the disturbing photo, personnel allegedly responded: “We know about it, and we’re trying to round them up.” Toward the end of his testimony, Bercovici said that “without clear policy or guidance,” officers will continue to handle sensitive death scene photos improperly.
Bercovici’s time on the stand wasn’t the only disturbing testimony. During that same hearing, Luella Weireter alleged her Fire Captain husband’s co-worker shared grim photos of the crash site at a February 2020 gala. Weireter’s emotional claim about how one of the firefighter’s responded to the images left Vanessa Bryant crying and hunched over in her seat.
