'Hold each other up': Gabby Petito's dad Joseph gives advice to families of slain Idaho students
MOAB, UTAH: The father of Gabby Petito, who was killed at age 22 by her fiance Brian Laundrie, has sent a message to the families of the victims of the Idaho murders. Gabby and her fiance Brian were on a four-month trip together across the United States, but Petito disappeared in late August 2021. Brian later took his own life.
During an appearance on the Banfield show, Petito's father spoke about his campaign to support victims of domestic violence, Newsweek reports. He was also asked about the recent murders in Idaho that shook the nation. Four University of Idaho students - Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 were brutally stabbed to death in November 2022 while sleeping in their rental home in Moscow. A 28-year-old former criminology doctoral student at Washington State University named Bryan Kohberger is held as the prime suspect in the murder case and is expected to stand trial for the studentsdeaths.
RELATED ARTICLES
‘Everyone has just a little bit of fear’: Moscow town remains on edge amid unsolved Idaho murders
What did the host Brian Entin ask Joseph Petito?
Joseph Petito was asked what he would say to parents in Idaho. He mentioned that it was important to have a "great support network" and that it consisted of his wife Tara Petito, Gabby's mother, his former wife Nichole Schmidt and her husband Jim Schmidt. It has already been reported that the two families have moved in together to cope with the loss of the 22-year-old.
Gabby Petito's father, Joe, joins @BrianEntin to discuss Bill 117 in Utah. It introduces a "lethality assessment" for police to use when responding to domestic violence calls. Petito says he would like to see that change implemented across the country.#Banfield pic.twitter.com/j4gZrVYHfm
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) March 7, 2023
“I’ve covered a lot of tragedies lately, including what happened in Idaho, among a bunch of others unfortunately, and I just always think of you guys and what you went through and how you’ve kind of come out of it on the other side" host Brian Entin said. “I know that doesn’t make the pain go away, but [you’re] trying to help others with the work you’re doing. And I know you talk to these other families. What do you say to these other families that go through these sorts of things?”
What did Joseph Petito say in response?
“I’m fortunate, I have a great support system with Tara, Niki, Jim, friends, and family as well. We talk all the time, and that is really important. And we try to stress that to people that we talk to, making sure that they’re not alone and that they have the support and all the stuff that they need to navigate through these waters," Joseph Petito responded. “These are, you know, painful, hard ways to navigate ... So when you have a group of people gather, holding each other up, that helps a tremendous amount."
Police and FBI agents searching a national park in Wyoming for the missing Gabby Petito found a body ‘consistent’ with the 22-year-old woman but said they had not yet made a formal identification of the remains https://t.co/E75Cq9YVmA pic.twitter.com/8LMEOMTT2p
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 20, 2021
Gabby's father also spoke about the Utah state bill 117, which requires police to fill out a “lethality assessment form” when dealing with cases of domestic violence. Many questions have to be asked about the criminal to understand the risk that a victim may die. It includes if the criminal has made any prior death threats to the victim, if weapons have ever been used, if they attempt to control the life of the victim, and if the criminal has ever been suicidal.
Petito's father was asked if he believes that her daughter would have been alive today if such a law existed at that time. “We do feel that way,” he said, adding that he hopes the law may become put in place nationwide.
The Petito family is suing the Moab Police Department for their handling of the incident as well as the parents of Laundrie as they claimed that Brian's parents were well aware of the fact where her body had been buried and that they didn’t share that information.