Hustler's Request for Slain Hiker Meredith Emerson's Crime Scene Photos Denied

ATLANTA (CBS/AP) Hustler Magazine's request for the crime scene and autopsy photos related to the death of slain hiker Meredith Emerson has been denied by a Georgia judge.

Emerson's decapitated body was found in January 2008 in the woods of North Georgia. The 24-year-old Georgia University graduate was killed while hiking. Her killer, Gary Michael Hilton, is serving a life sentence for Emerson's murder. Authorities have linked him to at least three other slayings.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, a statewide police agency, denied Hustler's request on Monday, calling the porn magazine's request "indecent." One Georgia lawmaker described the request as "vile" and "disgusting." Emerson's family filed suit against the GBI to halt any potential release of the photos.

And so now DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Dan Coursey has weighed in, denying Hustler's request, and saying on Wednesday that releasing the photos of Meredith Emerson to Hustler Magazine would cause "irreparable harm."

The reason for Hustler's request is unclear. On Feb. 25, Hustler Magazine reporter Fred Rosen asked for the photos as part of an open records request filed with the GBI. Rosen said in the request that he should have access to the photographs because it has been more than two years since Hilton was sentenced for the crime. Rosen also asked for Hilton's confession and Emerson's autopsy report, including the rape kit.