Sloan Jambor ‘26, Copy Editor/Social Media Manager
On Feb. 17, Netflix Original American Murder: Gabby Petito was released and brought attention back to the murder of 22-year-old Gabby Petito in 2021. Petito traveled across the country with her then fiancé Brian Laundrie before she went missing and was later found dead at Bridger-Teton National Forest in Jackson, Wyoming. The documentary follows Petito’s family and friends as they grieve for her and describe all the moments leading to her death.
Throughout the entirety of the documentary one thing remained apparent: Petito faced domestic violence through verbal abuse. Laundrie was consistently depicted as a manipulative boyfriend who was reluctant to even let Petito leave the house. Petito had a journal that she regularly updated, and Netflix featured a plentiful amount of the entries that depicted the truth behind Laundrie’s silence and seemingly happy motives with her. One entry that really stuck out to viewers was, “Brian you know how much I love you. Just please stop crying and stop calling me names. You in pain is killing me.” Netflix was also able to get ahold of screenshots of the couple’s text messages, and a majority of them left viewers unsettled. “Don’t try to control me because it only makes me mad… I love you so much but it’s the way you speak to me that hurts me the most.” Abuse is not always hitting the person one is supposed to love—but just verbal abuse is still abuse.
Though Petito’s friends and family did not have access to her messages and journal, they still saw the tension and danger that Laundrie always tried to cover up. When on their road trip, the couple was reportedly seen hitting each other, and their van was later pulled over. The result? The cops separated them for the night and depicted Petito as the prime abuser. Laundrie was seen on the body cam footage making jokes and smiling while Petito was visibly in distress, trying to tell the truth. Though both of their stories lined up and the cops did not make any arrests, viewers were still appalled because arresting one of them could have potentially prevented her death. During the documentary, the footage also shows the cops discussing whether or not they should look further into it, but ultimately, they took no further action. Not only that, but around two days later, there was a photo taken that the police uncovered with Petito having a black eye and scratches all over her face. Laundrie’s actions were always abusive, and came to the point where he decided ending her life was the only way to protect his heinous behavior.
Petito was afraid, but she, like many in similar situations, was too afraid to leave. In domestic relationships, when one fears the person they are supposed to love, they also fear to leave them because they do not want to enter a possibly threatening situation. Florida State University conducted research on why there is such a stigma around leaving relationships that are filled with domestic abuse: “Fear of the unknown… Also, victims are often threatened with physical harm if they try to leave.” When there is a chance that anybody could face more abuse or even death, they do not leave. Even just making a call to family or the police can result in irrational choices by the abuser.
Petito’s best friend, Rose Davis, and her family suspected that there was a story that Petito was hiding, but they did not speak up. Davis was there for all the tears and rants that Petito talked to her about, but when nobody did anything about it, it resulted in Petito’s death. Though in the documentary, Davis mentioned the concerns she had for her friend and the advice she gave her, Petito ended up disappearing on the road trip because the advocacy from her family and friends was simply not enough.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline has been trying to make an effort to change the future for those who are afraid to leave, but the amount of men and women that face domestic abuse is still heart breaking. “An average of 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States—more than 12 million women and men over the course of a single year.” Abuse comes in multiple forms, and without speaking up, there will always be more. If you see something, say something. Always be a listening ear or helpful voice for those who are facing domestic violence. If you, or somebody you know, could possibly use help, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233, and they are always available to help.
Lyon Life 