Inside Edition got a first look at one of the scenes in the movie — a recreation of a Petito’s encounter with police in Moab, Utah, just days before her murder. The foreboding incident was later revealed in police bodycam footage.
Barely a year after 22-year-old travel blogger Gabby Petito was found murdered in Wyoming, a TV movie is coming out about the case.
"The Gabby Petito Story" premieres Saturday on Lifetime and begins streaming on Sunday.
Inside Edition got a first look at one of the scenes in the movie — a recreation of a Petito’s encounter with police in Moab, Utah, just days before her murder.
Cops had pulled over the van that Gabby and her fiance, Brian Laundrie, were driving after a witness reported a domestic dispute. The foreboding incident was later revealed in police bodycam footage.
After a nationwide manhunt, Laundrie was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. Cops say he strangled Petito.
Skylar Samuels plays Petito and Evan Hall was cast as Laundrie.
“It's a huge responsibility for us to portray Brian and Gabby. I think an important distinction we've tried to make is that Brian and Gabby aren't characters, they're people,” Samuels said.
Some are questioning if it's just too soon to make a movie about the tragic case.
“Everyday, I think about Gabby's parents, and I am heartsick everyday that they have to deal with every parent's worst nightmare,” Samuels said.
The actors are wearing purple ribbons to remember Petito, and they say they hope their movie does justice to the young woman gone much too soon.
“My hope is that my portrayal of Gabby reminds them of the fierceness of their daughter, that she was a fighter, she was not a damsel in distress and that she deserved so much better,” Samuels said.
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