Photo: Instagram / Reddit
Their comments are repulsive.
By Alice Kelly — Written on Sep 29, 2021
The eyes of the world have been following the homicide of Gabby Petito and the disappearance of her boyfriend, and person of interest in her death, Brian Laundrie.
And while the outpouring of support for Petito and her family has dominated the case, some cruel online trolls have taken the opposite stance — by showcasing their support for Laundrie.
Trolls are defending Brian Laundrie on Reddit.
A subreddit titled “Friends Of Brian Laundrie” has amassed over 1,000 members and is filled with gross posts criticizing Petito and painting Laundrie as a victim of so-called anti-male bias.
Another, titled "Justice For Brian Laundrie" has over 2,000 members.
One of the top posts labels the Friends Of Brian Laundrie subreddit the “new BLM movement you need to get behind,” making a twisted comparison between defending a man wanted on federal charges and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Other posts make depraved comments on Petito’s appearance, sexualizing her and accusing her of trying to “manipulate men.”
Brian Laundrie has become a symbol for the male rights movement.
Many are labelling Laundrie as a victim of domestic abuse and arguing that this may be a justifiable explanation for his alleged involvement in Petito’s death.
One user theorizes that Petito framed "Brian for her murder and commit[ed] suicide in a last sadistic act of domestic violence.”
Authorities labelled her death a homicide and presumably have substantial evidence to suggest she did not take her own life.
The insistence on accusing Petito of domestic abuse also contradicts an August 12 911 call in which a witness claimed to have seen Laundrie slapping Petito.
Echoing language used in incel forums, users on the subreddit also called those seeking justice for Petito “vengeful feminists” who are conspiring against Laundrie.
In what appears to be a cruel and unusual branch form of sarcasm, the posts have also claimed Laundrie is being victimized for his baldness.
The Brian Laundrie support groups are rife with conspiracy theories.
Some posts have echoed a QAnon theory that Petito is a “false flag” being used to distract from President Biden’s failures.
Others claim she is part of a white supremacist plot to distract from the killing of Black people.
Another user suggested that, despite police finding Petito’s body, there was no homicide at all.
“I have a theory that Gabby is still alive and Brian is with her. Have we ever seen Gabby at the funeral?” they wrote.
“No she was ‘cremated’ Why I think this is all a publicity stunt is because she wanted to get famous.”
This is factually incorrect as Petito’s body has not yet been released to her family and remains with a coroner as part of the ongoing investigation into her death.
Her family held her funeral without being able to bring her body home.
Whether the posts in subreddit are intended to be taken seriously remains unclear but what is evident is that people in the forum have lost sight of the human life lost in this tragic case.
Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.