When it's a public request, and the people involved are already dead, there can be this kind of public spectacle. Apple was part of PRISM as per Snowden's leaks

When it's a public request, and the people involved are already dead, there can be this kind of public spectacle. Apple was part of PRISM as per Snowden's leaks, and as cited in the wiki page, Snowden further claims regarding this specific case that the FBI was already perfectly capable of decrypting the device.