REVIEW: Netflix Documentary ‘American Murder: Gabby Petito’ *MUST* Watch! - The DV Walking Wounded:
Due to being off for hip replacement surgery, I decided to carve out time to watch the new Netflix documentary, American Murder: Gabby Petito. It was chilling, but I am SO glad that I did watch it! It’s very worth while, but you may (if you are a DV survivor), have to watch it in increments, as you may be triggered. It was very well done and I’m going to give a synopsis of it. While it was excellent in its construction, as you have to hear the good and the bad, in order to get a full picture of the events as they unfolded. There were many interviews sprinkled in, which I appreciated, but the most chilling of all was Gabby herself. Through the use of AI, they recreated Gabby’s voice from past recordings and “she” read her own letters, journal entries, and texts. I had goosebumps the ENTIRE time.
The documentary is broken into three episodes, otherwise known as a docuseries, which I appreciate from a mental absorption standpoint, as well as if I need to stop it to process the horrifying total account of Gabby’s abuse and murder. It is A LOT to take in, but is very thorough in it’s portrayal. I remember being obsessed about trying to follow everything, when her disappearance was going on in current events. This documentary made me realize how much I did, in fact, not know or missed. I still have a love for Gabby that will never be shaken, and she was a very loved individual in her lifetime by many family and friends. However, her abuser, Brian Laundarie not being one of those who truly loved her — he just wanted to possess her. It was sickening how evident the signs were, once the documentary started laying out the timeline of Gabby’s life.
The first episode was entitled, “We Bought A Van.” In this episode, we meet Gabby and find out about her life before being with Brian Laundrie. We learned about her birth, with her parents separating soon after; however, her parents put aside their differences and raised Gabby together, even when both found other spouses and had additional children. They always took Gabby’s wellbeing and continued to co-parent TOGETHER. We meet Gabby’s boyfriend, Jackson, before Laundarie, and her friend Rose Davis. Everyone conveyed their love for Gabby, despite differences and difficulties, describing her as the fun-loving, boisterous young lady she portrays herself as in videos. You can see the zest for life Gabby embodied. The episode outlines her meeting and dating of Laundrie, as well as them purchasing a van to pursue Gabby’s dream of being a travel vlogger. She worked tirelessly at Taco Bell 50+ hours per week to fund her dream. I adore how she relied on her determination to earn her way to her dream, despite Laundrie trying to throw up speed bumps to deter her (and shaming her – GRRRRRR!) She was a woman determined, real and unshaken!
The next episode, “Where is Gabby?” is where the documentary starts to get very disturbing. The series meticulously pieces together Gabby’s final days, using personal texts, videos, social media posts, and police bodycam footage from the famous Moab Police welfare check/stop. Whie the Moab police didn’t do a terrible job, there were things that they probably done differently, such as having Gabby be placed at the hotel and Brian left to fend for himself in the van — but Laundrie turned on his narcissistic charm and told police that he didn’t have the money, when they went to separate them. Also, when the police officers conferred together, away from the two lovers, they elude to how this could be “nothing” or turn into something “tragic.” I had to stop the documentary for a bit to recover from the irony of that statement. Despite the police separating the two, Gabby and Laundrie met up again later that evening. No judgement, dear Gabby…abusers can be SO charming, much like the snake in the Garden of Eden… These slip ups by the Moab Police department would later be addressed by Gabby’s family in the reform of Utah’s lethality assessment (outlined in the 3rd episode). Another point that just about made me physically ill was how Brian’s mother quickly turned to dislike Gabby. As Gabby’s whereabouts became unknown and Laundrie returned home, a letter from Roberta Laundrie (written to her son) surfaced. Here’s is an excerpt from that letter, which bore his full name and the statement “burn after reading:”
I just want you to remember I will always Love you, and I know you will always Love me. You are my boy. Nothing can make me stop loving you. Nothing will or could ever divide us: no matter what we do, or where we go or what we say — we will always Love each other. If you’re in jail, I will bake a cake with a file in it. If you need to dispose of a body, I will bring show up with a shovel and garbage bags. If you fly to the moon, I will be watching the skies for your re-entry. If you say you hate my guts, I’ll get new guts. Remember that love is a verb, not a noun. It’s not a thing, it’s not words, it is actions. Watch people’s actions to know if they love you — not their words. “Therefore I am certain that neither death nor Life, nor angels nor the ruling spirits, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers from above, nor powers from below, nothing in the entire created world can separate our love. Neither hostile powers nor messengers of heaven nor monarchs of earth. Nothing has the power to separate us… ” –Romans 8:38 (extended version!) (Nothing can separate us: “not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not threats, not even sin, not the thinkable or unthinkable can get between us.) ~Not time. Not miles and miles and miles
NOTE: Just keep in mind that the above letter, found in Laundrie’s waterproof backpack after he was found deceased, was the basis of Gabby’s family’s “wrongful death” lawsuit. Their case stated that Laundrie’s parents knew that their son had taken Gabby’s life, despite the Laundries denying that claim, stating that the letter was written before all of the final events and was “coincidental.” Yeah, I call BS on that…however, I applaud Gabby’s family for keeping that out of documentary. I just wanted to add that for context.
Lastly, the final segment was called “Burn After Reading.” In this episode, we see the American public join in to find the missing Gabby, as well as when her family learned of the finding of her remains on live television. This is a particularly emotional episode, as the outpouring of love for Gabby was overwhelming. You see the FBI turn the search from Gabby to Laundrie, although he was far from a “missing person,” but more of a fugitive “person of interest.” The outcry of how Laundrie slipped out from news reporters and protestors was strong, as well as the blatant hate for the Laundrie family. Ironically, after law enforcement opened up the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, Laundrie’s parents joined in the search and his remains were found the same day, within hours. Coincidence again? Most likely NOT, but perhaps. However, if they knew where their son frequented, they did not share that with law enforcement. It did give me ease to see Gabby’s family trying to heal by starting a foundation and by scattering her ashes near the Grand Teton park where her remains were found. She is forever a part of the outdoors that she loved! It also delves into the media frenzy surrounding the case, contrasting it with the often-overlooked disappearances of other women, particularly women of color. Gabby’s father emphasized how he wanted to help EVERYONE escape abuse, but of course was obsessed with finding his beloved daughter.
Again, WATCH THE DOCUSERIES! I cannot brag on this enough! I thought the final informative links, at the end of the video were amazing. Of course, there is the Gabby Petito Foundation links, as well as the Netflix Resources webpage, for difficult topics: WannaTalkAboutIt.com. Great information for victims and survivors alike! Bravo, Netflix! <3
