The family of 14-year-old TrenJ’vious Hutton is demanding answers after discovering that autopsy photos of their son—killed in a 2022 mall shooting—have been shared on social media.
TrenJ’vious lost his life in March 2022 when a fight at the mall escalated into a fatal shooting. Officials said 16-year-old Te’Bryis Robinson has been sentenced to 21 years in prison in connection with the case.
Now, the Hutton family is left reeling once again—this time after graphic autopsy images of the teen’s body began circulating online.
The family said they were stunned to see the images, which appear to be taken from the official autopsy. They had hoped Robinson’s sentencing would bring closure but instead were retraumatized by the photos’ release.
“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,” said community activist Jose Samabrano.
The family also discovered disturbing images showing individuals tampering with TrenJ’vious’ grave.
“I don’t know what kind of street credit you even get for tampering with someone’s grave; I mean, just total disrespect,” said Keena Charles from the Violence Impact Community Integration Program. “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 emphasized that incidents like these serve as constant reminders and amount to harassment for grieving families.
According to the district attorney, the autopsy photos were included in the case’s discovery file, which attorneys and their clients can access. However, because the case has been closed and Robinson sentenced, sharing the images is not considered illegal under Kansas state law.
“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,” said DA Marc Bennett.
Unlike federal law, Kansas does not have statutes preventing the online release of discovery materials. However, lawmakers could introduce legislation to make the sharing of such photos a crime at the state level.
“This is not easy. And to have the band-aid constantly ripped off because of disrespect, it’s got to stop,” Charles said.
