American Murder: Gabby Petito

This documentary perfectly depicts the phenomenon of coercive control that Gabby Petito endured during her relationship with the narcissistic abuser Brian Laundrie, and her tragic fate. The police body cam footage reveals the authorities' inability to recognize the grim reality when faced with a victim of domestic violence who, mentally manipulated by her partner, feels so guilty that she presents herself as the one responsible for the abuse she is suffering. The police's incompetence in handling the statements of this beautiful, tearful young woman-who visibly bore bruises-ultimately led to her demise.

I must admit, I wonder what Gabby ever saw in Brian-this ugly, bald man with an unappealing face, chimp-like long arms, and duck-like feet. His manipulative skills must have been extraordinary! I was shocked by his overly large, knotted fingers and had no trouble imagining them, with horror, tightening around Gabby's neck. I hope this murderer's parents will face justice for covering up their son's actions and refusing to cooperate with the police.

This story is heartbreaking. Let's hope this documentary helps people recognize the victim status of women who fall under the control of such manipulators.

Emotionally heavy exploration of a heartbreaking case. It raises awareness about domestic violence while honoring the victim, rather than exploiting her story. The three-episode format is well-paced, providing a thorough but respectful retelling.

One of the most striking aspects is the contrast between Gabby's adventurous spirit and her tragic fate. The documentary bravely acknowledges the media's focus on her due to race and includes voices from those close to her, adding depth to the story. Seeing such a recent crime in HD footage makes it feel disturbingly real.

A particularly powerful moment is when Gabby's friend explains how abusers manipulate their victims-alternating cruelty with kindness to make them blame themselves. Women worldwide experience this cycle, and in Gabby's case, it cost her life.

As a society, we need to raise our daughters with love and self-worth so they don't seek validation from abusive men. But we also need to focus on raising boys differently-too many entitled, narcissistic men grow up without accountability. The documentary also highlights Brian's unsettling relationship with his mother, which adds another layer to his behavior.

Overall, this documentary is informative, heartbreaking, and necessary. DV is no joke, and more people need to see that.

I have been following Gabby's case since I first heard about it. I was intrigued to watch this documentary to put all the pieces together and watch the clips. This documentary is as fascinating as it is sad. To see such a beautiful vibrant young lady like Gabby have her life snatched away by an insecure cretin is heartbreaking. The fact that the Laundries who knew what was going on were not prosecuted in any way is shocking too. There are so many if only in this story. If you like watching true crime documentaries then this one is definitely worth the watch. It helps build awareness and makes you want to keep your children a little closer.

Most of the true crime shows are cases that are from decades ago. This one is from 2021, so it's pretty fresh for this kind of documentary. This is a case I never heard about, so I found it quite interesting.

The production quality is good and there is a lot of original footage shot by the couple that this is about. The producers do throw in some short reenactments, but they work well with the overall flow of the narrative.

If you like true crime, this is definitely worth watching, because it's not an old story where DNA testing hadn't been invented, or some cold case. This is modern times, with a young, attractive couple.

As Episode 1 of "American Murder: Gabby Petito" (2025 release; 3 episodes ranging 39 to 48 min) opens, it is "August 12, 2021, Moab, Utah", and based on an anonymous tip, Utah police pulls over a van to question a couple. Turns out to be Brian and Gabby, a young couple on a cross-country road trip. When Gabby is questioned outside the van and away from Brian, she crumbles. We then go back to "March 19,1999, Long Island, NY", when Gabby is born, and we get to know her background an upbringing. At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: I was vaguely familiar with these events, but to now see it laid out as clearly and as detailed as this documentary mini-series does, only brought a sense of immense sadness and a disgust of the cruelty with which one person murders another, and for what? The mini-series is helped immensely by the fact that so much footage was filmed by Gabby in particular (she was prepping to start a vlog about their cross-country travels). This mini-series also focuses on the role of Brian's parents in all of this. How these people sleep at night, I have no clue.

"American Murder: Gabby Petito" has just started streaming on Netflix. Not sure why this is presented in 3 short episodes, as opposed to a feature-length documentary. I watched this in a single setting, and I suspect I will not be the only one. If you are interested in true crime documentaries, I readily recommend you check this out and draw your own conclusion.