Previously, the police had only released clips from the bodycam footage of Gabby Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, when they got pulled over in Utah after a witness called the police about possible domestic violence. Now, a full 45 minute long video has been released.

In the full-length video, we see the police officers talking to Petito and Laundrie separately. We also see the officers talking to each other. It’s sad and interesting how they misinterpreted the situation which looked to them like a domestic violence case with Laundrie being the victim.

Petito admitted to officers that Laundrie hit her, but she added that she hit him first. Witnesses say Petito hit Laundrie who was trying to lock Petito out of her van at the time.

The officers didn’t want to have to arrest Petito or send her to jail. Laundrie, the victim in the case, didn’t want to press charges either. He said, “I’m not going to pursue anything. She’s my fiancé. I love her. It’s just a little squabble. I’m sorry that it had to get so public.”

One of the officers called a supervisor and then reread the statute to make sure he was extra clear on what the law required him to do. Then he spoke to a fellow officer saying, “The reason why they don’t give us discretion in these things is because too many times women who are at risk want to go back to their abuser. They just wanted him to stop. They don’t want to have to be separated. They don’t want him charged. They don’t want to go to jail. And then they end up getting worse and worse treatment, and they end up getting killed.”

In retrospect, we can see that this is exactly what was happening in this situation. Petito was putting the blame on herself not on Laundrie. She wanted to go back to him. She didn’t want to be separated. She ended up getting killed. Unfortunately, to the officers the case looked like Petito was the attacker.

The officer went on to say to the other officer, “In no way, shape or form that I can perceive does what happened here, a little slap fight between fiancés who love each other and want to be together, can I perceive that this is going to digress into a situation where he’s going to be a battered man. Then again, I don’t have a crystal ball.”

No, he didn’t have a crystal ball, but now, he probably wishes he did.

Then the two officers went back to talk to Petito. The officer recording the bodycam footage asked her, “What was it you were attempting to accomplish by slapping him?”

Petito answered, “I was trying to get him to stop telling me to calm down.”

Watch the video below for clips from this newly released body cam footage.