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Moscow murder victim’s sister tells committee released crime-scene photos caused trauma
Summary
Olivia Gonsalves told the Senate Judiciary & Rules Committee that first-scene photos from the 11/13/2022 Moscow murders were released widely despite a nondissemination order and that seeing the images caused severe emotional harm to her and her family.
Olivia Gonsalves testified that photos from the 11/13/2022 murders in Moscow, Idaho, were released and circulated widely on social media, amplifying the family's trauma. "When the first scene photos were released, they were everywhere all at once within an hour," she said. "I opened my Facebook app not knowing what I was looking at. My stomach sank, my heart rate spiked, and the panic set in."
Gonsalves said a nondissemination order had been put in place but that, at sentencing, Moscow police released documents and photos that made the images unavoidable for family members. She described sitting with investigators to view the photos in person to limit further damage, and urged lawmakers to protect families' privacy and dignity from future uncontrolled dissemination.
