Famous Domestic Violence Cases That Ended in Homicide

The Killing of Gabby Petito has shown how dismissing domestic violence can lead to spousal homicide, but the Gabby Petito case is far from the only one. Too many domestic abuse cases go unnoticed every year. How many women die from domestic violence? The statistics are shocking. About half (46%) of the women murdered died at the hands of their partner in the past decade. 

Intimate partner statistics show domestic violence makes up 15 percent of all violent crime. And with COVID-19 lockdown confining families, domestic violence rates in the US spiked in 2020.

Famous Cases of Husbands Killing Wives and Familicide

We’ve all seen local headlines “wife killed by husband”, “husband shoots wife”, “man shoots wife then himself”, “man kills family then himself”, and seen enough famous cases to know spousal murder is too common.  It’s so common that, according to the Emory University School of Medicine, more than 3 women die by their intimate partners each day. The homicide of Gabby Petito and the Watt familicide remind us just how important it is to take these matters seriously.

Watts Family Homicide (2018)

A crude oil tank, similar to where Chris Watts dumped his daughters bodies. It’s thought he buried his wife because she was unable to be compressed into the tank.

Nearly three years before Gabby’s disappearance, on August 13, 2018, a pregnant Shanann Watts and her two daughters were reported missing by close friend Nikole Atkinson. Shanann had missed a business meeting, an OBGYN appointment, and failed to return anyone’s texts. The Frederick police department were called to the house after Atkinson visited the Frederick, Colorado house but were not answered by Shanann or her husband Christopher.

Furthering the investigation, Christopher had been brought into questioning but failed a lie detector test, subsequently confessing to strangling Shanann in a fit of rage after being denied divorce. He admitted to smothering his daughters with a blanket after loading them and Shannan’s body into the back of his work truck. He also admitted that he had left his daughter’s bodies in a remote oil storage of his employer Anadarko Petroleum. His wife’s body was buried in a shallow grave 100 feet away.

In later interviews, Watts explained that there had been marital problems between the two for some time.

The Gabby Petito Case (2021)

Gabrielle Petito, 22, and Brian Laundrie, 23, attended high school in Blue Point, Long Island, NY together. After dating for about two years, the couple moved into Laundries parent’s home in North Port, Florida. He proposed to her some time in 2020 and they jointly decided to quit their jobs, converted a Ford Transit into a tiny home, and vlogged their travel adventures in the US on Instagram and Youtube. But, her adventures became an international focus in all media outlets when Brian returned home without her.

The Grand Teton is a large national park in Wyoming, featuring a large mountain range and desolate areas.

At the end of August, while traveling in Grand Teton National Park, a campsite near Jackson, Wyoming, Gabby Petito stopped answering text messages and phone calls in a similar way Shanann Watts did. She subsequently missed a planned meet up in Yellowstone with one of their friends. Without responding to Petito’s family, Brian Laundrie drove the van back to his Florida home without her. Petito’s family subsequently reported her missing September 11th.

During the investigation, it was found that a police report had been filed about a domestic violence situation while driving through Moab, UT. The initial 911 call was by a third party that saw Laundrie hit Petito. When the cops arrived, the body cam footage showed the couple downplayed the fight, but Gabby would not stop sobbing and was afraid to be separated from Brian. In the end, they detained her to the back of the cop car and ruled that they should be separated. Brian stayed in a hotel that night and Gabby took the van.

After reuniting, the events leading up to her disappearance and Brian’s return to Florida on Sept 1st are not clear. Her body was found on September 19th in the park close by where a Youtuber had spotted their van on his dashcam footage, almost a month after she was reported missing. It was determined that she was murdered as a result of “manual strangulation” on October 12, 2021.

Brian Laundrie’s partial remains were identified and found in the Carlton Reserve on October 21, 2021. On November 23rd, Laundrie’s family attorney confirmed that Brian had died from a suicidal gunshot wound to the head. Later, on January 21, 2022, the FBI released a statement confirming that they had discovered a confession in Laundrie’s notebook to killing Gabby Petito. 

For a more detailed analysis (as well as updates) on the murder of Gabby Petito, please see the complete timeline of the Petito investigation.

Why don’t they leave? How do things like this happen? Why isn’t law enforcement more responsive to these issues? It’s a difficult subject to talk about, but it’s a conversation that needs to be held. Better community awareness and proper training in our law enforcement is needed to address these issues and stop the misinformation together. Domestic violence laws are overdue for reform.

Why Does Domestic Homicide Happen?

Part of the problem is that there are many myths about domestic homicides. It’s a common assumption to believe they occur from like minor events like flirting or cheating. In reality, those situations make up less than 5% of all cases. Most perpetrators have a history of mental health issues and domestic abuse. When law enforcement intervenes, favoritism towards the male perpetrator dilutes the seriousness of the matter. 

On the flip side, when the perpetrator is female, men rarely report it. Even if they were to reach out for help, the resources available are skewed more for women, which pushes the stereotype further.

What’s even more disturbing is that cases that do get reported lead to restraining orders that don’t help the victim. If anything, it makes their situation worse. The perpetrator gets a slap on the wrist, which sends the message there’s nothing wrong. Sometimes, they’re even separated from their spouse. This is a problem because murderers seek control over their victim and lose it when law enforcement steps in to separate them. Gabby Petito’s case may have very well been escalated by their separation, which also explains why she didn’t want to be separated from him.

Protection and support is needed, not separation.

Protecting Our Loved Ones

The signs of a potential domestic homicide aren’t easy to detect, mainly because of how hidden abuse is in fear of worsening the situation. This is especially true for other vulnerable women, especially when other crimes are involved. 

The best thing that we can do is be supportive of our loved ones by staying connected to them. A major red flag to look for is when they are isolating, pulling away, or refusing to talk about what’s going on in their relationship. But, you don’t want to come across investigative or concerned, either. 

Expert Jane Monckton Smith advises piecing together potential cases on a long term strategy. “The best thing you can do is to simply remain present and create a supportive environment––so that when they are ready to leave, you are there waiting for them,” she said.

For those going through these issues right now, help is available.

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