Found Deceased WY - Gabby Petito, Grand Teton National Park #88

[Sundog]

I agree wholeheartedly.

I can't see the PD doing anything else in the circumstances.

Even Gabby's mom, who was talking to her on the phone during the Moab stop, didn't sense any real danger or call the Moab PD and insist her daughter was in trouble.

No one sensed she was in that sort of danger. And, at the time of the stop, she wasn't. Something happened quite a bit later that triggered the final attack.

The Moab PD could be more sensitive in their statements, but I don't think anyone can legitimately fault them for their actions that day.

MOO

Also, IIRC, early on after the Moab incident, Gabby's mother played down the seriousness of the situation saying that it was the result of the small living quarters in the van and spending all that time in those close quarters while travelling. If this case ever goes to trial in civil court, that statement will be part of the evidence, I would think.

 

[Megnut]

Had they arrested Gabby (or Brian), sure, it may have changed the course of events. But, there's no guarantee it would have. And they couldn't hold either one of them for more than just one night.

The Moab PD recognized domestic abuse, but the circumstances (and injuries) didn't rise to the level of arrests.

Maybe if Gabby would have said she was scared of Brian, but she didn't. Instead, she took responsibility, and her story matched Brian's story.

I get the feeling that van life was so stressful, as long as they pursued it, they were at risk.

But that trip was Gabby's dream, and it seems as though she was determined to see it through even though their relationship was souring.

If Gabby couldn't forsee Brian's growing tendency to violence, and neither of their parents picked up on it during the visit home or phone calls, I can't imagine LE could have foreseen it, especially because the Moab stop was so long before the murder.

I think a lot of departments deal with mild cases of domestic abuse and have to make judgment calls as to whether they should take stronger steps to intercede. On the one hand, they want to prevent injury, but on the other hand, they don't want to punish the participants if it's a one-off event.

Just MOO

I think the Moab PD could be more tactful in their statements, but I don't think the Petitos have a case they can win.

GP's family doesn't have to 'win' the lawsuit to effect change. Increased awareness, targeted trained, heightened accountability, forced change.

Five years from now, in a city that adopts whatever new policy and advanced training comes out of this, LE will encounter a domestic situation, maybe on the side of the road, a car a or truck or camper, a new Gabby and a new Brian, and that tact LE takes may save lives. We don't know how or what that will look like because we aren't there yet.

But that is the hope and IMO the is what GP's family is fighting for.

JMO

 

[housewife]

Moab PD didn't follow their own Lethality Assessment Protocol they had volunteered to use back in 2018.
They didn't follow their own policy.
That is the failure here.

"Moab police should have already been following the lethality assessment protocol, or LAP that Petito's family has since successfully lobbied to become mandatory in Utah and Florida.
"Moab had ostensibly adopted a LAP known as the Maryland Model, designed to "reduce risks and save lives" voluntarily back in 2018. It involves asking the victim a series of questions in search of specific red flags. A similar protocol is now required under a 2023 law for domestic violence calls across Utah.

From Joseph Petito:
"The official investigative report concludes the officers made serious mistakes. The Moab officers themselves googled the law, acknowledged they had no discretion, and that failing to follow the statute could cause victims to get killed. It’s all on video and in the transcript. Then they just chose to not obey the statute, and that’s exactly what happened. Gabby was killed."
"Moab still doesn’t get it," her father said. "This case has never been about money. It has always been about seeking accountability and fighting for change that will save lives. When law enforcement fails to follow the law, fails to protect, and refuses to learn from its mistakes, like the Moab police department, it puts us all at risk."

(Emphasis in bold is mine)
Edited: formatting

 

[nao]

Moo...if the police had asked more questions.... how would that of changed the outcome.? Neither G or B wanted to lay charges, nor G want to separate. The police cannot tell a person who they are allowed to date. Couples stay in violent relationships for years. Sure I do think there should be more safe houses and support. But even those things would not of made a difference in this case....moo

 

[housewife]

Also, IIRC, early on after the Moab incident, Gabby's mother played down the seriousness of the situation saying that it was the result of the small living quarters in the van and spending all that time in those close quarters while travelling. If this case ever goes to trial in civil court, that statement will be part of the evidence, I would think.

IMO I wouldn't blame the victim's mother for Brian's actions.

Gabby and her mother believed whatever the police told them. The police thought Gabby's injuries (and being locked out of her own mobile home) were not problematic! Gabby knew the police did not consider her to be in a dangerous situation, and she believed it.

Gabby and her mom had no idea the police were:
-Abusers themselves (Pratt)
-Not following their own policy
-Completely wrong in assessing the situation

We are told to believe and obey whatever the police tell us. And that's what Gabby did.

 

[GRT]

GP's family doesn't have to 'win' the lawsuit to effect change. Increased awareness, targeted trained, heightened accountability, forced change.

Five years from now, in a city that adopts whatever new policy and advanced training comes out of this, LE will encounter a domestic situation, maybe on the side of the road, a car a or truck or camper, a new Gabby and a new Brian, and that tact LE takes may save lives. We don't know how or what that will look like because we aren't there yet.

But that is the hope and IMO the is what GP's family is fighting for.

JMO

Like you, I think they want change.

I just don't think the Moab PD's actions in that situation were inappropriate, so I'm not sure what sort of change could happen.

 

[GRT]

IMO I wouldn't blame the victim's mother for Brian's actions.

Gabby and her mother believed whatever the police told them. The police thought Gabby's injuries (and being locked out of her own mobile home) were not problematic! Gabby knew the police did not consider her to be in a dangerous situation, and she believed it.

Gabby and her mom had no idea the police were:
-Abusers themselves (Pratt)
-Not following their own policy
-Completely wrong in assessing the situation

We are told to believe and obey whatever the police tell us. And that's what Gabby did.

How would following that volunteer policy have kept Gabby from being murdered more than two weeks later?

From the videos of the encounter, it appears the PD asked most, if not all, of the LAP questions and separated the couple. But, I can't find anything in the policy that would have changed the outcome that day.

Here are the 11 questions:

According to the Domestic Violence Lethality Screen for First Responders, the 11 specially-designed questions are:

1. Has your partner ever used a weapon against you or threatened you with a weapon?
2. Has he or she ever threatened to kill you or your children?
3. Do you think he or she may try to kill you?
4. Does your partner have a gun, or can he or she get one easily?
5. Has he or she ever choked (strangled) you?
6. Is your partner violently or constantly jealous, or does he or she control most of your daily activities?
7. Have you left your partner or separated from them after living together or being married?
8. Is he or she employed?
9. Has your partner ever tried to kill him or herself?
10. Do you have a child that he or she knows is not theirs?
11. Does your partner follow or spy on you, or leavethreatening messages?

 

[LinasK]

Had they arrested Gabby (or Brian), sure, it may have changed the course of events. But, there's no guarantee it would have. And they couldn't hold either one of them for more than just one night.

The Moab PD recognized domestic abuse, but the circumstances (and injuries) didn't rise to the level of arrests.

Maybe if Gabby would have said she was scared of Brian, but she didn't. Instead, she took responsibility, and her story matched Brian's story.

I get the feeling that van life was so stressful, as long as they pursued it, they were at risk.

But that trip was Gabby's dream, and it seems as though she was determined to see it through even though their relationship was souring.

If Gabby couldn't forsee Brian's growing tendency to violence, and neither of their parents picked up on it during the visit home or phone calls, I can't imagine LE could have foreseen it, especially because the Moab stop was so long before the murder.

I think a lot of departments deal with mild cases of domestic abuse and have to make judgment calls as to whether they should take stronger steps to intercede. On the one hand, they want to prevent injury, but on the other hand, they don't want to punish the participants if it's a one-off event.

Just MOO

I think the Moab PD could be more tactful in their statements, but I don't think the Petitos have a case they can win.

It wasn't taking responsibility, It was blaming herself, which is what DV victims tend to do. Brian was the instigator of the incident by grabbing her phone away. I hope that they win their suit.

 

[LinasK]

How would following that volunteer policy have kept Gabby from being murdered more than two weeks later?

From the videos of the encounter, it appears the PD asked most, if not all, of the LAP questions and separated the couple. But, I can't find anything in the policy that would have changed the outcome that day.

Here are the 11 questions:

If they could have convinced Gabby that she was in a DV relationship, maybe she would have left him and still been alive today.