Family of 14-year-old killed in mall shooting wants to know why his autopsy photos were shared online
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) - A family in Kansas is searching for answers after autopsy photos of a teen killed in a mall shooting in 2022 are surfacing online.
The family of TrenJ’vious Hutton said they now want to know why the photos made their way online and if it is against the law.
TrenJ’vious was 14 in March 2022 when a fight at the mall led to the deadly shooting.
Officials said 16-year -old Te’Bryis Robinson faces 21 years in prison in connection with the shooting.
TrenJ’vious’ family said they were shocked to see photos of the teen’s body all over social media, with the pictures seemingly taken from the 14-year-old’s autopsy.
The Hutton family believed Robinson’s sentencing would be the end, but were disturbed when the photos surfaced.
“Families always suffer and become the victims. And that’s what we’re talking about right now. We’re talking about being victimized over and over, and this is still going on,” community activist Jose Samabrano said.
TrenJ’vious’ family said there were also photos posted online that show people tampering with his grave.
“I don’t know what kind of street credit you even get for tampering with someone’s grave; I mean, just total disrespect,” Keena Charles, with the Violence Impact Community Integration Program, said. “You’re not disrespecting him, he’s not here. He can’t feel it, can’t see it, can’t hear it. What you are doing is hurting the family.”
Charles, a community advocate, said situations like this serve as constant reminders for families and amount to harassment.
The photos of TrenJ’vious’ body were included in the discovery file in the murder case. Attorneys and their clients have access to these files, but concerning the resurfacing of the autopsy photos on social media, Bennett said that no law was broken at the state level, as the case has been tried and solved.
“The problem is, in this case, it’s over with; [Robinson has] been sentenced and gone to prison. So, I don’t have a viable intimidation of a witness,” Bennett said.
The district attorney said that although the federal system does have laws to prevent the sharing of “discovery,” the state of Kansas does not.
“This is not easy. And to have the band-aid constantly ripped off because of disrespect, it’s got to stop,” Charles said.
A state lawmaker could introduce a new bill to make sharing discovery photos from cases online a state crime in Kansas, like federal law, but that hasn’t happened.
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