By Alicia Cruz
The Black Urban Times
DeKalb Superior Court Judge Daniel Coursey has issued a ruling that temporarily prevents the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) from releasing "any and all photographs, visual images or depictions of hiker, Meredith Emerson which show the young woman in the nude or a dismembered state.
Emerson's nude and decapitated body was discovered after her killer led police to her body in exchange for a life sentence. The photographs were wanted by a writer on assignment for Hustler magazine.
Emerson's family sought the temporary protective order after learning of the request for copies of their daughter's crime scene photos. They were horrified.
Gary Michael Hilton, the man convicted of murdering Emerson received a life sentence after he agreed to lead detectives to Emerson's body in the northern Georgia mountains on January 7, 2008. Emerson had been missing for six days when Hilton disclosed the location of her body.
Judge Coursey's decision came as state lawmakers debate passing legislation, House Bill 1322,which would prevent the release of photographs of the bodies of crime victims that are "nude, bruised, bloodied or in a broken state with open wounds, a state of dismemberment or decapitation."
First Amendment lawyers say the legislation could have a chilling effect on open records requests.
The bill would allow credentialed journalists, lawyers and law enforcement to view crime scene/victim photographs at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's headquarters, but copies of said photographs would no longer be made.
As for autopsy photos, current statues do not allow the release of autopsy photos without the permission of the decedents next of kin.
Judge Coursey handed down his order the same day the Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously agreed to pass the "Meredith Emerson Memorial Privacy Act," which would prevent gruesome crime scene photos from being released to the public.
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www.theblackurbantimes.com
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The Black Urban Times
DeKalb Superior Court Judge Daniel Coursey has issued a ruling that temporarily prevents the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) from releasing "any and all photographs, visual images or depictions of hiker, Meredith Emerson which show the young woman in the nude or a dismembered state.
Emerson's nude and decapitated body was discovered after her killer led police to her body in exchange for a life sentence. The photographs were wanted by a writer on assignment for Hustler magazine.
Emerson's family sought the temporary protective order after learning of the request for copies of their daughter's crime scene photos. They were horrified.
Gary Michael Hilton, the man convicted of murdering Emerson received a life sentence after he agreed to lead detectives to Emerson's body in the northern Georgia mountains on January 7, 2008. Emerson had been missing for six days when Hilton disclosed the location of her body.
Judge Coursey's decision came as state lawmakers debate passing legislation, House Bill 1322,which would prevent the release of photographs of the bodies of crime victims that are "nude, bruised, bloodied or in a broken state with open wounds, a state of dismemberment or decapitation."
First Amendment lawyers say the legislation could have a chilling effect on open records requests.
The bill would allow credentialed journalists, lawyers and law enforcement to view crime scene/victim photographs at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's headquarters, but copies of said photographs would no longer be made.
As for autopsy photos, current statues do not allow the release of autopsy photos without the permission of the decedents next of kin.
Judge Coursey handed down his order the same day the Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously agreed to pass the "Meredith Emerson Memorial Privacy Act," which would prevent gruesome crime scene photos from being released to the public.
Click HERE to read more on this story
Media Outlets must credit The Black Urban Times
www.theblackurbantimes.com
twitter.com/thebutmsdotcom
facebook.com/theblackurbantimes
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