Hey everyone!
Long-time lurker here. I’m a DV survivor so probably quite biased in some of my views here, but the first thing that struck me about BL was how much I DIDN’T think he’d done anything nefarious to GP at first… which, in my experience, probably means that he DID. I’m a sucker for an abusive man, apparently. My sad dating history contains red flag after red flag that I failed to spot. It was only after other people pointed it out that I recognised the ‘signs’ that GP+ BL could have been in an abusive/toxic relationship.
With regards to BL’s parents, I have a little theory based on my own sorry abusive marriage.
Disclaimer: Gabby is the victim here 100%. I’m not suggesting otherwise.
What if BL simply told his parents what we’ve seen in the body cam LE video? GP was the self-confessed “aggressor”, the police put HIM in a DV-associated hotel (from what I can make out) and not HER. I don’t have children so I can’t speak personally, but if my theoretical son were to come to me and tell me that his girlfriend had been violent to him, he had been left with physical marks (?) on his body (that could’ve been photographed & sent/shown to them as evidence), and LE were on HIS side, putting HIM in a safe place while she stayed in the van — I’d be inclined to believe him. Wouldn’t there also be some kind of paperwork showing that LE supported that version of events?
So, BL’s parents pay for him to get to safety — back to them in Florida. (The flights where BL was supposedly clearing something out of storage?) Time apart works wonders and all that. Perhaps they were worried that violence would escalate even further on one or both sides if BL + GP continued the trip together in that kind of mind frame, so separated them in the same way that the police did. Maybe they’ve even seen “scuffles” between GP + BL before with their own eyes and know that separating them for a while is the best option. Maybe they even paid for GP to have the hotel room she stayed in, that they were seen coming out of.
GP + BL reconcile via phone, have some chats, decide to give things another go. He flies back to Utah, meets up with GP, and carries on with the trip. A couple of days later, a big fight erupts again.
*Something bad happens + GP ends up, sadly, deceased*
BL tells his parents that violence has happened again from GP so their first thought is to get him to safety. They won’t automatically assume that BL has done something unpleasant to GP because of what they already think they know. Maybe he tells them that the police were involved a second time and GP was the “aggressor” again.
It doesn’t excuse or properly explain their behaviour OF COURSE, but it could explain why they initially didn’t want to speak out. Maybe they only know *that* particular LE stop part of the story — which, by the paperwork and outcome, appears to be true to then. And possibly why they might have called a lawyer (and not the right kind of lawyer?) right off the bat. Advice? Should BL press charges against GP? Recouping vacation costs? *shrugs*
I think I also read that GP’s family may not have known about BL’s trip back. (Apologies if I’m wrong.) That, again, makes sense to me — GP wouldn’t have wanted to tell her family about his solo part of the trip back to Florida because it would mean admitting that she was the aggressor and was violent towards BL and they took HIM away for his safety.
I’m genuinely leaning towards BL’s parents not knowing the whole story to begin with. He potentially manipulated LE… Would it really be a stretch to think he could manipulate his parents too? Maybe they just thought he was heartbroken until GP’s family started asking questions and then BL did a runner? He could even have told them that she made her way back to her mum/dad’s place.
I don’t know what to think about BL. I see both sides — snapped and potentially killed by accident vs. stone cold abusive SOAB. I think he’s guilty of something. Why would he run otherwise? I think it’s very likely he’s no longer with us.
I do have a question for the legally minded of you: Would the investigation still be a “murder” investigation if the police thought it genuinely was an accidental death/manslaughter-type situation? I haven’t noticed anyone mentioning the actual word despite a body being found.
