Seattle Police Department sued by Cobain death conspiracy theorist

A Kurt Cobain death conspiracy theorist has sued the Seattle Police Department.

Richard Lee, who believes that Cobain was murdered, has opened a lawsuit against the police after they recently discovered and released previously undeveloped photos which were taken at the scene of Cobain’s death in 1994. Lee – who is representing himself in the case – states that the pictures should have been released long ago, writes Seattle PI. The case concerns “broad issues” surrounding police disclosure of the photos. Lee once hosted a public access television show called Kurt Cobain Was Murdered.

The recent re-investigation into the suicide of the Nirvana legend 20 years ago did not discover any new evidence that changed the original findings. Lee is however pursing the department, as state law in Washington says that failure to disclose records can result in a fine of $5-100 a day for each document. A spokesperson for the Seattle City Attorney’s Office has declined to comment on the case.

The four rolls of previously undeveloped film contained photographs taken at the scene of Cobain’s suicide. One of the two images released showed a small cigar box containing a spoon, needles and a lighter laying on the floor next to a cigarette butt and a pair of dark sunglasses. A second picture shows the box closed, next to cash, a woolly hat and an open wallet that appears to display Cobain’s ID. A police spokeswoman described the new photos as “underwhelming”.

Kurt Cobain was aged 27 when he was found dead of a shotgun wound in his home on Lake Washington Boulevard on April 8, 1994. He was found by an electrician who had come to do some work on the house. The police investigation determined that Cobain had committed suicide three days before, on April 5. Despite that finding, there have been conspiracy theories suggesting that the Nirvana frontman had been murdered.

The city has yet to respond to Lee’s lawsuit, which is filed in King County Superior Court.