Anyone following the Gabby Petito case? (Breaking)

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Res Ipsa
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Re: Anyone following the Gabby Petito case? (Breaking)

Post by Res Ipsa »

Gunnar wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 5:43 am
There's probably no way of knowing how this whole episode might have played out, had Gabi's body never been found. If Brian Laundrie did murder her, and he therefore decided to commit suicide, at least he spared society of the legal costs of indicting, prosecuting, trying, convicting and incarcerating him.
Yeah, but he took from her parents something that only he could give them: how her life ended and the chance to tell him what her death means to their lives. I wonder if they feel that justice has been done.
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Re: Anyone following the Gabby Petito case? (Breaking)

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Res Ipsa wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:36 pm
Gunnar wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 5:43 am
There's probably no way of knowing how this whole episode might have played out, had Gabi's body never been found. If Brian Laundrie did murder her, and he therefore decided to commit suicide, at least he spared society of the legal costs of indicting, prosecuting, trying, convicting and incarcerating him.
Yeah, but he took from her parents something that only he could give them: how her life ended and the chance to tell him what her death means to their lives. I wonder if they feel that justice has been done.

This is how I see it so far...

1. They spared, not just the expense of trial/incarceration, but spared the family from learning the gruesome details of the murder and autopsy. Though, some family leaves the courtroom during those testimonies, most I've seen sit right through it as representatives of the deceased.

2. Had he been taken into custody and confessed to 2nd degree murder (max sentence 20 years), the expense and the arduous process of a trial would have been eliminated.

3. They family may think that the trial process, conviction, and sentencing would best represent justice.

4. The family may think that his death represents justice.

In any case, neither the Petito/Schmidt nor Laundrie families will ever have the answers to all the questions they have. I have learned from hard experience, that one can make a place for the unanswered questions and acceptance of that status, with you as you move forward. Just as we accept and make a place for the grief.

You can spend your life raging at the WHY or you can try to pull something positive out of the situation. The Petito/Schmidt family are already trying to honor their daughter by creating a positive.

Right here: https://gabbypetitofoundation.org/
Last edited by Jersey Girl on Sun Oct 24, 2021 8:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Anyone following the Gabby Petito case? (Breaking)

Post by Jersey Girl »

I just want to repost this short (1:50) video on the thread from Real Gone GonZo in case anyone here might find it meaningful or would just like a visual moment to think on all that has taken place.

Gabby Petito rested here. 🦬💛🦬💛WY♡
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKlPch8udyQ
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Re: Anyone following the Gabby Petito case? (Breaking)

Post by Gunnar »

Res Ipsa wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:36 pm
Gunnar wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 5:43 am
There's probably no way of knowing how this whole episode might have played out, had Gabi's body never been found. If Brian Laundrie did murder her, and he therefore decided to commit suicide, at least he spared society of the legal costs of indicting, prosecuting, trying, convicting and incarcerating him.
Yeah, but he took from her parents something that only he could give them: how her life ended and the chance to tell him what her death means to their lives. I wonder if they feel that justice has been done.
They probably don't feel justice has been done. :(

On the other hand, though, as Jersey Girl pointed out, if her death was particularly gruesome, it might have been a blessing to be spared having to hear the details of how she died, if they were brought out in a trial.
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Re: Anyone following the Gabby Petito case? (Breaking)

Post by Res Ipsa »

Gunnar wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 11:21 am
Res Ipsa wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:36 pm


Yeah, but he took from her parents something that only he could give them: how her life ended and the chance to tell him what her death means to their lives. I wonder if they feel that justice has been done.
They probably don't feel justice has been done. :(

On the other hand, though, as Jersey Girl pointed out, if her death was particularly gruesome, it might have been a blessing to be spared having to hear the details of how she died, if they were brought out in a trial.
I don’t know whether it would be best for the parents to hear the details or confront the killer. It’s taking away the choice that I think is the loss.
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Re: Anyone following the Gabby Petito case? (Breaking)

Post by Gunnar »

Res Ipsa wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 5:42 pm
Gunnar wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 11:21 am

They probably don't feel justice has been done. :(

On the other hand, though, as Jersey Girl pointed out, if her death was particularly gruesome, it might have been a blessing to be spared having to hear the details of how she died, if they were brought out in a trial.
I don’t know whether it would be best for the parents to hear the details or confront the killer. It’s taking away the choice that I think is the loss.
Can't argue with that!
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Re: Anyone following the Gabby Petito case? (Breaking)

Post by Jersey Girl »

Gunnar wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 11:21 am
Res Ipsa wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:36 pm


Yeah, but he took from her parents something that only he could give them: how her life ended and the chance to tell him what her death means to their lives. I wonder if they feel that justice has been done.
They probably don't feel justice has been done. :(

On the other hand, though, as Jersey Girl pointed out, if her death was particularly gruesome, it might have been a blessing to be spared having to hear the details of how she died, if they were brought out in a trial.
A trial usually includes viewing autopsy photos. They might have had to view those and listen to various experts testify about the details of manual strangulation. When trials have been available for public viewing, my observation is that at least one family member (if not all) will stay in the courtroom during those presentations. I've viewed tons of autopsy and crime scene photos over the years. I'm not sure what I would do were it a loved one of mine. I tend to think I would stay and bear witness.

I think RI's point about facing the killer and saying whatever they need to say to him/her is a critical piece towards whatever closure a family can achieve. These procedures and processes are a type of ritual of their own. I do think it matters to the mental health of the survivors.
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Re: Anyone following the Gabby Petito case? (Breaking)

Post by Jersey Girl »

Res Ipsa wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:36 pm
Gunnar wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 5:43 am
There's probably no way of knowing how this whole episode might have played out, had Gabi's body never been found. If Brian Laundrie did murder her, and he therefore decided to commit suicide, at least he spared society of the legal costs of indicting, prosecuting, trying, convicting and incarcerating him.
Yeah, but he took from her parents something that only he could give them: how her life ended and the chance to tell him what her death means to their lives. I wonder if they feel that justice has been done.
For the record, I don't believe that in a case like this, that justice is ever fully achievable. Had the perpetrator lived and been incarcerated, his parents would have still had a living child to visit and maintain a relationship with. Second degree murder in the state of Wyoming carries with it a penalty of incarceration for up to 20 years. I don't know about the penalty for the federal charges. So if I understand the law correctly (which I may not), he would have been imprisoned for a maximum of 20 years and add on to that the penalty for the federal charges.

He would have been released from prison at some point and gone on to live his life unless prosecutors could prove premeditation which seems impossible based on what we know about the case so far.

I know something about living through a case similar to this where the perpetrator of assault and attempted murder took their own life. Even with a living survivor of the event, I went through daily life doing whatever needed to be done, acting as 'the rock' as someone close to me described me. The rock functioned, advocated, extended grace to the family of the deceased while protecting the survivor, and kept putting one foot in front of the other dealing with whatever I was faced with.

But when I was alone, I raged and I continued to rage for several years. I raged at the deceased, the unanswered questions, I raged at God and continued to rage until I found a place to accept all that had taken place. I will say that my faith carried me through but there were times when I took my faith and threw it right in the face of my God. I do think faith mattered during those years because I had something, a centering place, to come back to.

I don't know where the Petito/Schmidt stand with regard to faith. I believe without question that they are grieving and raging, and we won't hear from them until they have themselves somewhat under control at least enough to go on camera or perhaps just release a statement. I am sure there are pieces of information yet to come to them from the investigations. The investigations aren't over yet. It's just that now there is one investigation lobbed onto the first one, mainly, who killed Gabby Petito and how did Brian Laundrie die?

I wish...I wish for all the world that Gabby could have taken advantage of two spaces of time where she could have left Brian Laundrie. I am sure her parents are feeling that regret far more deeply than we can imagine. The first time (that we know of) would have been after the traffic stop in Moab. The second would have been when Brian Laundrie flew home to Florida to help empty the storage unit.

There is no question in my mind, that her parents are playing out those scenarios over and over and over again in their minds. If only...and I know something about the if only piece, too. There is no question in my mind that the Petito/Schmidt family will grow something positive from all of this. I don't rage any more and I pray that they reach a place in their lives, where they don't rage any more either.
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Re: Anyone following the Gabby Petito case? (Breaking)

Post by Jersey Girl »

More thoughts for the record here...I don't know what to think about the Laundrie family. I do feel a mixture of compassion and contempt for them, simply because we haven't heard their side yet and we may never hear their side. I keep looking at the timeline (yes, I made one) and trying to answer questions that I know I can't answer. Probably a fool's errand, no doubt, but if thinking critically and intuitively is how I profit, then I guess the time isn't wasted entirely.

There is that stuck place in the case having to do with the Laundrie parents. Not Gabby, not their son, but them. The stuck place is between the time Brian Laundrie returned to Florida and the Petito's were texting and/or calling the Laundrie parents for information on their daughter's whereabouts. And...the parents never respond.

What is up with that radio silence on their part? According to what I've read, the last message from the Petito's was to inform the Laundries that they were going to contact the police and that was on September 11th. Prior to that, there was no hint of police involvement so why didn't the Laundries respond? Did they feel it wasn't their place to respond and that the responsibility belonged to their son? Even if the response were something like "We don't know." or "Please contact Brian at this number." He had the new AT&T phone on September 4th. It seems to me that they could have said something. Did they worry about incriminating statements on their side when up until the 11th no police involvement was evident?

Did they think the whole situation was sketchy from the get go and so they just refused to engage to protect themselves?

That is the part that I and others keep returning to. Their lack of response seems heartless. Hopefully, with more information, we'll be able to better understand their position.

But we can't over look the fact that their son has died and they are grieving. As much contempt that the public (and I) tend to level at them, I think it's important to reach for empathy as we consider their side of the story.
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Re: Anyone following the Gabby Petito case? (Breaking)

Post by Gunnar »

Jersey Girl wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 7:58 pm

I think RI's point about facing the killer and saying whatever they need to say to him/her is a critical piece towards whatever closure a family can achieve. These procedures and processes are a type of ritual of their own. I do think it matters to the mental health of the survivors.
Yes, I understand RI's point, and as I already indicated, I don't disagree with it.
No precept or claim is more suspect or more likely to be false than one that can only be supported by invoking the claim of Divine authority for it--no matter who or what claims such authority.
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