![]() ![]() "The judge should balance the horrific nature of the photographs versus the public value of disclosure," said Mills, a former dean of the University of Florida Law School. He also fought the release of autopsy photos on behalf of the families of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt and Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace. Jon Mills, the attorney for Brancheau's family, represented the families in the 1990 Gainesville killings. Morris found that allowing the public and media to privately inspect but not distribute the investigative photos posed no risk that the victim's families would be exposed to them. "We hope the limited viewing would protect that right."Īs the SeaWorld case goes forward, Fugate is looking at the precedent set during the 1990 Gainesville killings. "We certainly understand their privacy interest and want to protect them," she said. "We want the opportunity to inspect."Īs Fugate sees it, the public is served by the independent verification the media can provide, especially in cases involving competing or inconsistent versions of events. "We are not advocating that the photographs be released or that they be published or broadcast in any manner," she said. In March, Florida Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Kirkwood granted a temporary injunction against the release of the video and ordered mediation for all parties wanting access.įlorida media attorney Rachel Fugate, who specializes in First Amendment and public access cases, will be participating in the mediation on behalf of The Orlando Sentinel, The Tampa Tribune, The Lakeland Ledger and WFLA-TV. Why do people need to know more than that?" she said. "I would respect the family it is them who are going through this loss. Larson sees no need to release the video showing the death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau, 40. ![]() I would respect the family it is them who are going through this loss. I don't know how I could have done it without my faith." "I don't think you are ever able to heal from that loss. "It stays with you forever," Larson said. Larson never saw the photos and said she cannot imagine what her life would have been like if they had been released to the public. "In 16 years, no one has ever challenged it," the judge said. You have the public's right to inspect how their money is being used but there is a way that you can accomplish that and respect the rights of the families to privacy," Morris, now retired, told CNN in a phone interview from his home in Florida. "The spirit of the ruling is very clear, you have two competing interests, and they are both valid. Morris ruled to allow the public and the media to view 700 grisly crime scene and autopsy photos, under the condition that no copies could be made. After a contentious hearing, Alachua County Judge Stan R. "We did not want our loved ones to be put out there in the scenes where they where found, because he was a butcher, and he was cruel," Larson said from her home in Florida.Īlong with the families of the other victims, Larson fought in court to seal the autopsy and crime scene photos. As part of his ritual, he left his female victims' mutilated corpses in grotesque poses. Her daughter, Sonja, was murdered in 1990 by a serial killer known as the Gainesville Ripper.ĭanny Harold Rollings mutilated and killed five Florida college students that summer, leaving behind gruesome crime scenes. It's an issue Ada Larson knows well from painful experience. The question: Where should the line be drawn between the public's right to know and a crime victim's family's right to privacy? (CNN) - Recent court fights over the videotape of a killer whale attack at SeaWorld in Florida and a writer's request for investigative photos of a slain Georgia hiker's body are rekindling a familiar debate. Attorneys say one fix is to allow such material to be viewed but not distributed.Precedents include Dale Earnhardt case, 1990 Gainesville Ripper case.Legal battle is latest to pit public's right to know against victim's privacy rights.Family of SeaWorld trainer tries to keep video of killer whale attack out of public eye. ![]()
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