The police department of Seattle is facing a lawsuit after releasing previously unseen photos from the scene of Kurt Cobain's suicide. The 18 photos largely show the late Nirvana rocker's belongings that surrounded him as he was found dead but more recent images have shown parts of Cobain's actual body. Self-styles investigative journalist Richard Lee is suing the police for not having released the previously undeveloped photos sooner.

Nirvana
A Man, Who Believes Kurt Cobain Was Murdered, Is Suing The Seattle Police Department.

Lee, who has run for Seattle mayor several times, has resolutely stood by his belief that Cobain's death was not a suicide and once hosted a public access television show called Kurt Cobain Was Murdered. Lee will be representing himself in the suit and is suing Seattle police for not releasing the Cobain death scene photos shortly after the Nirvana frontman's actual death, on April 5, 1994, according to the Seattle Pi.

On the 27th March, a police spokeswoman said a cold case detective reviewing the Cobain case file found several rolls of undeveloped film but noted that the newly released images contained "nothing Earth-shattering," and that the long-closed investigation had not been reopened.


"Sometimes people believe what they read ... some of the disinformation from some of the books, that this was a conspiracy. That's completely inaccurate," said Detective Mike Ciesynski, who found the four rolls of undeveloped crime-scene photos. "It's a suicide. This is a closed case."

Nevertheless, the shots received a great deal of attention from the press and the fans who were gearing up to mark the 20th anniversary of the grunge rocker's death. Beyond the photos, Lee is requesting a trial on "broad issues" related to police disclosures in the Cobain case but has not yet asked that a judge impose the stiff civil penalties for non-disclosure included in Washington's public records law - $5 to $100 per day, per document, for any delay.

A spokesperson for the Seattle City Attorney's Office has declined to comment on the case.

Watch Nirvana Perform 'About A Girl' At The 1992 Reading Festival:

2014 is proving a landmark year for the legendary rockers: after celebrating the 20th anniversary of In Utero last September with a new special edition of the album, the band are simultaneously marking the 25th anniversary of their debut, Bleach, and their upcoming induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame on the 10th April. Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, daughter Frances Bean Cobain and former bandmates Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic will reportedly be in attendance at the ceremony.

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