Apparently Thad Matthews, a Memphis blogger (who, in the interest of basic human decency, gets no link from me), visited the funeral home where the body of one of the victims of the recent murder there was housed (without the knowledge of the funeral home staff), snapped some photos, and posted them on his blog. WBIR and Michael Silence have further details (but do not post the photos).
I have no idea how Matthews is explaining his actions, and I have no real desire to find out as there is absolutely no scenario under which it would be justified. I would imagine that he committed a crime in the process, and I hope he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
UPDATE: He apparently did commit a crime. From the Memphis Commercial Appeal:
In photographing the body, Matthews may have violated Tennessee criminal code.
A 1989 law makes physically mistreating “a corpse in a manner offensive to the sensibilities of an ordinary person†a Class E felony.
A 2005 law prohibits medical examiners and their employees from distributing autopsy and post-autopsy photographs. The law, however, doesn’t apply specifically to private citizens.
He’s getting what he wanted right now–free publicity. But soon, I hope his blog is shut down and he’s behind bars.
