What should they have done? Have you seen the body cam footage of their entire interaction? The women called 911, police pulled them over, separated and questioned them both. Minor tussle and arguing was the impetus for the 911 call. They asked her if she feels safe, she did. She didn't want to proceed with further action against her boyfriend, and wanted the both of them to be on their way. The police doubly, triply made sure that was her wishes.
What sort of extra-authority do you think they have? They cannot kidnap her, arrest her, have any grounds to arrest him. Even if they did, either would be released immediately for having not committed any serious crime. After release, they would've likely reunited, as they were far from home and traveling together.
The police don't know what the boyfriend would do in the future, and are under no expectation to have that crystal ball. They can only act on circumstances in front of them. That interaction was minor. There is nothing further the police could have done that was within their purview or lawful authority.
Gonna respectfully disagree while asking permission to contradict myself here...
I have no insider involvement like
@RichieFromBoston might have. I know only news reports of the time and the recent documentary Riche talks about.
1) he murdered her, and nothing can change that. He did the worst of wrongs, so there that is
2) having said that, the documentary did absolutely nothing to show that he was any kind of monster. Of all the video footage they had, and chose to show, none of it shows him freaking out, flying off the handle, chicken snapping, going postal or anything. That doesnt mean he didnt kill her. He did. But they kept talking about how obviously bad or ominous he was, and failed to present that. Although they were given every opportunity.
3) she DOES freak out. On video. She admits having anxiety and I think neither of them was equipped to handle that anxiety very well.
And being on the road 24/7 like that can be a pressure cooker if two people dont understand each other and how to manage themselves or a situation.
4) caller to police state HE is hitting HER. While police followed van, SHE was hitting him. Causing erratic driving. She admits hitting and scratching him. And he is marked up from it. For his part, he says he wasn't hitting her as much as pushing her away.
That's when he locked the car and actually dis the right thing by walking away. He could have done better by grabbing his backpack while he was at it. And kept right on walking home.
5) he is calm during Terry Stop. She is a hot mess and admits it. But yes. She does not want to be separated as she says that would make matters worse.
6) when police re-interview witness they said it was clear she was the aggressor, yet the only audio they provide is when the caller says he hit her
7) police gave HER the keys to the van. I saw her mom complain that he got to keep in a hotel and she "had to" sleep in the van. What I think mom missed is that the van literally IS freedom to get away from a bad situation if she wanted to.
8) he has marks on him and she admits hitting and scratching him. That is ALL the police need to arrest her on domestic assault. Not only does she spend the night "indoors" but there would be an arraignment the next business day and a hearing.
Now you are in the system. That's heavy. You think twice after that. Even still, during the hearing they could have both refused to testify against each other and in a matter of days, they would have been on their way together.
8) at the start of police video. It appears Gabby had a mark on her cheek. I cant make it out whether he hit her or that's skin reaction from being flustered. He admitted to pushing her. So he did put his hands on her. And here are the police discussing a concern that Brian could return to a battered boyfriend scenario. That's a bit comical given what we know now. That would have been enough, though, for a night in the pokie for him, and a hearing the next business day.
Again, they probably would have reunited.
9) Gabby' ex-boyfriend and possible female companion just saying every conversation was ominous, all well after the fact, is, unfortunately not proof of anything.
10) given that the police actually could have arrested either one of them or both, and held them for days or over a weekend until a hearing, they could have decided to hold one of them as a danger to the other. Sometimes bail is revoked. Again, they could have reunited days later.
11) Brian flew HOME to Florida to take care of some unspecified business. Again, Gabby was alone with the keys to the van and could have driven directly home if she wanted to
I am absolutely NOT blaming Gabby. Merely pointing out in terms of criminology the multiple opportunities she had to leave a bad situation.
12) after the New York (Jersey?) police reached out to Fla. police, stating they have a missing person and could you check boyfriend's house...theres the damn van. It is in her name and her name only. What's it doing there (we know he drove it home). You have a missing person complaint, coupled with a boyfriend who has custody of a vehicle not registered in his name, but in the name of the missing girl, and you dont get the desk officer to call a judge out of a sound sleep to give you a warrant to search that van and enter the house? By that time a warrant for phone records would have shown what the FBI attested to -the lack of movement of her phone at first, then hom texting back and forth with instantaneous results
I mean, you get that warrant! You get backup down to the Laundrie residence. You get a supervisor's supervisor and get an affidavit emailed to a judge who can send a warrant back, and you get in that house and get the van sequestered as a evidence. And arrest Brian. The last known person to see her alive. Are police in Florida so afraid of lawyers that they wont even follow basic police procedures and common sense just because someone says "I have a lawyer."? Up here, they would say "OK, then you better call them and see if they show up tonight, because a missing woman's van is in your driveway and your son was the last to see her alive way across the continent. Good luck with that."
13) and SOMEONE was asleep at the switch for Brian to be able to escape the house. A LOT of someones. Police should have been on him like white on rice. It was NATIONAL news by then. And Lord Almighty with all those reporters, and he just slipped away? Wow.
14) even at the end that stupid story brian made up of her falling in the water and being so cold and them struggling, so he ended her life. W T H?
It's a man's job to do everything he can to help her or die trying, not to end her life without at least a burial and going to the authorities to report, instead of driving 3,000 miles home and saying nothing
My guess is she was having a tough day, maybe freaking out and he couldn't handle the situation...or he found out she was in contact with her ex...and either way things got out of hand in a flash and he did kill her in that horrible way and left her like that hoping wildlife would scatter her remains. Coward. Then, and when he hid behind his mothers apron.
Sorry for the wall of text. I was taken aback by both the lack of video showing Brian as a monster (although he obviously killed her) and taken aback again by so many police in at least 2 states, almost trying to pretend not to see the elephant in the room. "Well, maybe the elephant WONT crush the mouse...?" And just giving up.
