A newly surfaced document has revealed that Courtney Love once sought to obtain the entire Seattle Police Department file on Kurt Cobain’s death.
The letter was written in 1995 by Love’s attorney Bryan Coluccio and addressed to then-Seattle Chief of Police Norm Stamper. It came to light during the ongoing ‘Who Killed Kurt?’ investigation. In it, Coluccio formally requested that all investigative materials be transferred to his firm, with no copies remaining at the department.
“This letter is to request that the complete investigation file of the Seattle Police Department pertaining to Mr. Cobain’s death be delivered to me, with no further records or copies to remain with the Department,” Coluccio wrote.
The letter also included a statement on behalf of Cobain’s estate and Love, affirming their acceptance of the official findings.
“I confirm on behalf of Mr. Cobain’s estate and Ms. Love-Cobain that they are satisfied that the Seattle Police Department performed a complete and thorough investigation into Mr. Cobain’s death,” Coluccio continued. “Our clients agree with and accept, without any reservation, the Department’s final determination that Mr. Cobain’s death was a suicide. The matter can be closed.”
The request drew sharp criticism from retired Seattle police Captain Neil Low, who called it legally and procedurally improper.
“Attorney Bryan Collucio’s request that the SPD give his client all of the police records related to the Cobain investigation is totally absurd,” Low said. “As an ‘officer of the court,’ you would expect Mr. Collucio to know that police agencies are required to document all of their official business and correspondence as a matter of public record. How could there be public record compliance if the police gave everything to this attorney and his law firm? Where would the accountability be?”
Michelle Wilkins is leading the ‘Who Killed Kurt?’ investigation. She also weighed in on the implications of such a request for cold case inquiries.
“Every cold case lives or dies on the evidence that’s preserved,” Wilkins said. “When lawyers are demanding investigative materials be removed from police custody, it doesn’t protect the pursuit of truth — it makes future scrutiny far more difficult.”
The letter is dated October 20, 1995 — roughly 18 months after Cobain’s death. It was part of a broader pattern of efforts by Love’s legal team to control access to materials connected to the case. Its discovery by researchers working on the ‘Who Killed Kurt?’ investigation has reignited debate over what the files contain and why their custody was ever in question.
The scope of what Love’s attorney sought to remove from police custody was significant. The request covered the full contents of the investigative file. This included undeveloped film, Polaroid crime-scene photographs, personal letters, and private financial information — materials that investigators had carefully cataloged as part of the official case record.
Seattle police rejected the demand outright. The department did not hand over or destroy any records, and the files remained in official custody. This decision ultimately allowed researchers decades later to uncover the very letter now drawing public scrutiny.
In October 1995, Love also sued the Washington State Patrol in an effort to prevent the public disclosure of documents related to the case. A court ultimately ruled in her favor, blocking the release of certain materials. This legal outcome further limited outside access to the evidence surrounding Cobain’s death.
The 1995 letter’s emergence during the active ‘Who Killed Kurt?’ investigation underscores how much of the case’s documentary record remains contested territory. Researchers and investigators working the case today continue to argue that the preservation of every piece of physical and documentary evidence is essential. Any past attempt to consolidate or remove those materials from official custody, they maintain, deserves serious scrutiny.
