A new law in memory of New York native Gabby Petito is changing how Florida law enforcement officials respond to domestic violence cases.
In 2021, 22-year-old Petito was murdered by her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, in Wyoming. Laundrie later died by suicide near his parents’ home in Florida.
Body camera footage showed Utah officials responding to an incident of domestic violence involving the couple weeks before Petito’s death during their cross-country road trip the duo was documenting on social media. Officers determined that Petito was the aggressor and let them go.
The couple lived together in Florida before embarking on the cross-country trip.
The Gabby Petito Act went into effect on Monday, after being signed by Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in April. The legislation requires officers to administer a lethality assessment protocol for reported incidents of domestic violence.
The assessment contains 12 yes-or-no questions to help officials determine if a domestic violence victim is at risk of death or injury. The questions are:
- Did the aggressor ever use a weapon against you or threaten you with a weapon?
- Did the aggressor ever threaten to kill you or your children?
- Do you believe the aggressor will try to kill you?
- Has the aggressor ever choked you or attempted to choke you?
- Does the aggressor have a gun or could the aggressor easily obtain a gun?
- Is the aggressor violently or constantly jealous, or does the aggressor control most of your daily activities?
- Did you leave or separate from the aggressor after you were living together or married?
- Is the aggressor unemployed?
- To the best of your knowledge, has the aggressor ever attempted suicide?
- Do you have a child whom the aggressor believes is not the aggressor’s biological child?
- Has the aggressor ever followed, spied on, or left threatening messages for you?
- Is there anything else that worries you about your safety and, if so, what worries you?
If the responses show the victim is at risk, officials must refer them to a domestic violence center.
Officials are also required to assist the victim in getting medical treatment if necessary and give the victim a form notifying them of their legal rights and remedies available to them.
Law enforcement officers responding to domestic violence incidents must be trained in how to administer the lethality assessment before they can administer it.
The bill was initially filed in January and received a unanimous vote in the Florida Senate the next month.
Gabby Petito’s father, Joseph Petito, appeared before the Florida Senate Committee on criminal justice to advocate for the legislation in January.
“Most people don’t know where to go when it comes to services and what services they have at their disposal,” Petito said. “Not everybody needs a shelter. Not everybody needs financial guidance or a pro bono lawyer, but they do need to know how to get out of a situation safely.”
Who was Gabby Petito?
Vlogger Gabby Petito, 22, was an aspiring social media star who went missing in August 2021 during a cross-country road trip from New York to Oregon with Laundrie, 23. A body that was later confirmed to be Petito’s was found in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
Over a month later, Laundrie’s skeletal remains were discovered inside the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida. Autopsy results showed Petito died from strangulation, while Laundrie died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A notebook alongside Laundrie’s remains contained a message claiming responsibility for the murder.
“I ended her life,” Laundrie wrote in the notebook.
He alleged in his confession that Petito had been hurt after falling in a creek.
“I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made,” Laundrie wrote. “I panicked. I was in shock. But from the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn’t go on without her.”
The Gabby Petito Story, a Lifetime movie which premiered on October 1, “Follows Gabby’s tragic murder,” a synopsis by IMDb reads. “Centering in her complicated relationship with her fiancé Brian Laundrie and what may have gone wrong during their cross-country trip.”
The film, which is part of the network’s “Stop Violence Against Women” campaign, is directed by actress Thora Birch, who also plays Petito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt. Skyler Samuels portrays Petito, while Evan Hall stars as Brain Laundrie.
The Gabby Petito Story follows the release of the 2021 documentary The Murder of Gabby Petito: Truth, Lies and Social Media.
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