Wright flew to Australia on July 29, 2014. Three days later she met Gable Tostee on Tinder.
Warriena Wright went on Tinder for the purpose of having a good time, while she was in Australia. She was very attracted to him.
Gable Tostee slept with more than 180 women in the past four years. He was obsessed with recording his nights out. He was keeping a log of names and dates of each encounter. His personality problems were so severe that a psychiatrist once described him as partially disabled.
They met in Cavill Mall Surfers Paradise at 8:45 p.m. and nearly 6 hours, at 2:21 a.m., later she was dead.
He graduated from private school. Together with his friends he made fake identifications for underage schoolies, banned from nightclubs, pocketing $30000, before a police bust. When it went to Court Judge, John Newton, found himself weighing troubling psychological assessments of Tostee. The case is in retrospect the first public hint of trouble, ahead for the young Coast resident. In evidence, psychiatrist Ian Curtis diagnosed Tostee is ill-equipped to deal with people socially with an Autistic spectrum disorder, best described as Asparger’s. After this case, there is a question whether Autistic spectrum disorder is over-diagnosed or even misdiagnosed. Asparger’s can manifest as difficulty with empathy and severe obsessive compulsive disorder. The psychiatrist found that Tostee was ‘hugely disadvantages in the normal social world, a socially distant, emotionally estranged person with whom it is impossible to establish a clear-cut rapport.’
At his apartment he gave her homemade vodka, but it was homemade moonshine, reportedly, although she told him that she didn’t react well, becoming a ‘psycho’. She was a small woman, it overpowered her. We may assume he wanted control over women and something went wrong here. He was the one mentioning balcony before anything happened: “Throw me off the balcony and that is it.” There is an incident that happened prior to this particular crime, where another woman from Tinder was with him on the balcony and he was kissing her on the balcony. He picked her up in his arms. She freaked out. It frightened her because on the 14th floor of a condo which is straight down, it is terrifying.
Wright was only 162cm (5’3”) tall and weighed 57kg (116.8lb) and Tostee is 188 cm (6’1”) tall and 90 kg (198.4lb). She wasn’t any treat to him. He was physically capable to open the door and to get her out, if we assume she didn’t want to leave. And she did want to leave. But without her phone and personal belongings, in the middle of the night, after drinking his homemade moonshine, she couldn’t have gone anywhere. He decided instead to use his force to lock her on the balcony. Why did he do it? The correct questions are – Did he psychologically torture her? Who are the people who torture other people? Why do they make people suffer? In my book those are sadists. Given his psychiatric evaluation and his behavior in the past and that night, we may speculate about psychopathy.
Police transcript of a recording from the evening gives minute-by-minute detail into the hours before her tragic death falling from Unit 1404, the Avalon Apartments, Surfers Paradise.
12.56.21am: Gable Tostee states: ‘f*** me’
12.56.30am: Music begins. It is James Blunt, Nights Like These.
12.57am: Tostee: ‘Don’t go baby, please.’
12.58am: Sound of drinks being poured.
12.59am: Conversation about food
1.02am: Tostee asks Wright to come here and chill and have a drink. Repeats to chill, have a drink. He says that everything on him is good looking. Wright: ‘I am psycho drunk’ and not to test her.
1.03.30am: Tostee: ‘Shut up or I will make you come again. Wright: ‘Shut up or I will beat you up’.
1.05.30am: Tostee: ‘Do you want to come to my work tomorrow?’ Wright: ‘Do you want to come to my family tomorrow?’
Tostee: ‘You can help me lay carpet. You can help me tell my mum I am not a loser …’
1.06am: Wright says she loves people and that ‘she is all good with dying’
1.07am: Wright says ‘I know you want to kill me because you told me so.’ Further reference to dying from smoking.
1.08am: Further conversation about galaxies, travel to Alice Springs, religion and gods.
1.09am: Tostee says that he ‘doesn’t think there is anything after this, you die and that is it’ and says, ‘throw me off the balcony and that is it. This is it, boom.’
1.12am: Tostee : ‘Don’t touch them. You love them rocks.’ Wright asks, ‘Are you a god?’ And Tostee says, yes he is. He is Zeus. He tells her to relax and to ‘come back here’.
1.14am: Wright says she is going to ‘go vampire on his ass’. Tostee says, ‘Stay right there.’
1.14am: Wright: ‘You are dead and I hate you.’
1.15am: Conversation about her dead dog. Tostee says, ‘Don’t hurt me, I am defenceless.’
1.19am: Sounds of laughing and hitting in the background, followed by Wright saying ‘No seriously Bro’ and male saying, ‘Ow’.
1.20.30am: Music still playing and soft sounds of groaning in the background.
1.22: Wright says, ‘this is Australia baby. I am ninja’ and ‘no, no’.
1.26.21am: Tostee says, ‘I should walk you home.’
1.26.51am: Tostee says, ‘Stop that’ and Wright says, ‘Oh my god you are like a Christian.’
1.28.07am: Wright says, ‘Don’t be a d**k to me.’ … Tostee says, ‘I don’t want to like have to muscle you’.
1.29.06am: He says, ‘Just relax.’ … ‘I don’t like getting beaten up’.
1.31am: Tostee states: ‘Just be nice.’ Conversation is calm.
1.32.30: Tostee states he wants another drink
1.33.02: He states: ‘Come here’ and Wright says, ‘have a good night.’
Tostee says, ‘Do you want me to walk you back home?’.
There are sounds of ruffling and the Wright is heard to say ‘have a good night’ and Tostee states ‘no … I’ll take care of you in the morning’.
1.35.31am: The music stops.
1.35.40am: Wright says: ‘Where is my sister’s s***? Where is all my f***ing data? Where is my iPhone?’ Tostee says, ‘do you want me to ring it?’ Wright: ‘Yes, I would love you to f***ing ring it.’
1.36.19am: Tostee: ‘Hey I didn’t say you have to leave. I said that you have to stop beating me up.’ Heated conversation.
1.36am: Wright: ‘Are you going to f***ing untie me because I will f***ing destroy your jaw. It is not f****ing funny … ‘Get it for me’. Tostee: ‘No, you get it.’ Wright: ‘I am going to call the police.’
1.37.21am: Repeats she is going to call the police.
1.38am: Wright: ‘Cmon Cletus.’
1.38am: Wright: ‘I am going to call the police.’ Tostee: ‘What are you looking for? Where is my money? How are you going to call the police without your phone?’
1.39.13am: Tostee: ‘Your phone must be out of battery … it must be out on the balcony.’
Tostee: ‘Please calm down please. You have had too much to drink. I had s*** loads of money.’ Wright states that she f***ing rules in New Zealand but she gets taken advantage of.
1.39am: Tostee: ‘Do you even remember what you were doing to me half an hour ago? You were beating me up for no reason … you thought it was funny or something. Why were you beating me up?’
Wright: ‘I am gone. I will be out of your hair, see you later. I am going.’ Then produces the phone, saying ‘see you later’, to which the Tostee replies: ‘You are such a drama queen’.
1.41am: Tostee asks if ‘we can sit down and discuss this’. Wright states she is a freak.
Tostee says that he is going to get bruises. He asks Wright to stay the night. States he is the most tolerant person he would meet, ‘but you are just a bit violent.’ Offers to cook something and asks again if she wants something to eat.
1.45.16am: Tostee asks how long she is living on the Gold Coast. Wright says: ‘Geez, God didn’t want me here for long. He has kicked me out already.’
1.46:30: Conversation about Greek gods and mythology.
1.48am: Wright asks if she can go over to the window and have a look. Tostee says: ‘Don’t jump off or anything’.
1.49am: Tostee says that people with white coats are going to come in and states that she would jump off the balcony.
1.49.30am: Tostee states: ‘Just come here, I just want to cuddle you. I just want to snuggle you’. Wright says, ‘Being talked to by gods’ The door shuts and possibility that the female is in the toilet.
1.51.am: Tostee whispers into the recording device, ‘God help me, s***’.
1.52am: Wright calls male a ‘social demon’ and male asks if she got the photos he sent, ‘our balcony photos’. He says: ‘You are so much more drunker than me. I need to catch up.’
1.56am: Tostee states that his mum is in Adelaide because his pa died of cancer. Conversation about male finding out about his pop is dying.
1.57.30am: Doesn’t think he has been so sad before. Wright says ‘sorry bra’.
2.02.31am: Wright: ‘UK men are funnier and have bigger d***s.’ Tostee : ‘Not bigger than mine.’ Conversation continues about (male genitalia). Tostee asks if his is ‘the biggest’.
2.03.30am: Tostee: ‘Hey, hey, hey, no violence.’ Then laughs and says: ‘What are you doing Cletus?’ and ‘enjoy that’. Wright then says, ‘Cheers.’
2.05.30am: Tostee tells Cletus to ‘chill out’ and says ‘it is not cool here’ and he will ‘fix that s***’.
Possible pouring, drinking. Tostee asks Wright to promise that she does not beat him up.
2.09am: Tostee states she is a ‘wus’ and offers her food. Says that if she ‘was going to go all kung fu on me then I will kick your a**’. Calm conversation.
2.10am: Sound of a struggle. Wright: ‘That really hurt my vagina.’ Tostee laughing and female replies: ‘You sound like a f*****’.
2.12am: Tostee states she is insane. He says: ‘Alright I give up what do you want’ There is a loud bang and he says, ‘oww’.
2.12.31am: Tostee says: ‘I will do what you want. I will be your sex slave (possibly having rocks thrown)’.
2.13am: Tostee says: ‘Alright, that is enough, That is enough.’ …Wright says, ‘no seriously, I have to have a ****.’
2.14AM: Tostee says, ‘You are not my kind of girl. You have worn out your welcome. You have to leave. Wright says ‘Ok, it is all good.’ She’s out of breath. Tostee states, ‘you have to leave’. She replies ‘OK. It’s all good’. He says, ‘I thought you were a nice girl.’
2.14.51am: Tostee says, you are f***ing insane’.
2.15am: He states I think you are kidding but you are not. Go on right now. He states – I do need a sample of DNA.
2.15.31am: Tostee says, ‘I thought you were kidding and I have taken enough. This is f***ing bull**** … you are lucky I haven’t chucked you off my balcony you god damn psycho little b**** … who the f*** do you think you ..’.
2.16am: ‘What. What – got something to say- say it.’ Wright breathing heavily. She states ‘(unintelligible) sexist’. Tostee replies, ‘yeah right. I am the one who is injured. You don’t have a god damn scratch on you’.
2.16.51am: Tostee states: ‘I thought that you were just playing around but I am f***ing sick of this s***. You’re a god damn psycho. I am going to let you go. I am going to walk you out of this apartment just the way you are.
‘You are not going to collect any of your belongings, you are just going to walk out and I am going to slam the door on you, do you understand. If you try and pull anything. I’ll knock you out, I’ll knock you the f*** out. Do you understand? Do you understand? Do you understand?
2.17.49am: ‘Cmon, get up. Get up’. Wright states, ‘I am so sorry’. Tostee states, ‘ I don’t care’. Struggling. Tostee: ‘you don’t understand do ya. You don’t understand anything at all do you.’
Struggle. Tostee states, ‘let go. You think that you hit me and I was going to fall down like in the movies’. More laboured breathing sounds. He states, ‘let go of it. Let go. Let go.’ More choking sounds.
2.18.46am: Still laboured breathing sounds. Breathing slows. Tostee, ‘Let it go.’
2.19.35am: Sound of something dropping (metallic).
2.19am: Movement and rustling and sounds of Wright calling out. Sound consistent with door unlocking. She states, ‘No’. Possible sound of glass door being hit.
2.20.46am: Tostee: ‘Who the f*** do you think you are? Hey?’ Wright: ‘No, no, no. No! No no no.’
Tostee: ‘You tried to kill me huh? Well, why did you try and hit me with that. Huh? Shut your filthy mouth.’
Wright: ‘No, no, no, no, no. (screaming).’
Tostee: ‘It is all on recording you know. It is all being recorded.
Wright: ‘No no no no no no no no no no no no. Just let me go home.’
Tostee: ‘I would but you have been a bad girl.’ Sound of door sliding shut.
2.20am: Wright: ‘Just let me go home. Just let me go home.’ Last words of ‘just let me go home’. Tostee- heavy breathing. Faint scream detected.
2.21.23am: Very heavy breathing from Tostee.
2.21.50am: Tostee makes call to lawyer Mick Purcell. Call made from handset. ‘(Expletive).’ Call not connected.
2.22am: Tostee: ‘Where the f*** are my keys?’
2.23am: Tostee: ‘F***, f***, f***’
2.23.30am: ‘Oh my god.’ Sounds of getting dressed, pulling jeans up, belt etc.
2.26am: Sound of sirens in the background.
2.26.30am: Sound of lift button.
2.28.41am: Walking noises. Footsteps.
2.39.44am: Walking stops.
2.42am: Walking starts again.
2.47am: Call to Michael Purcell.
2.49am: Screen shot taken of phone with images of deceased. Then, a call to deceased.
Sounds of walking, traffic and traffic light pedestrian button, and then a nightclub in the background.
3.10.21am: Male states, ‘Um, a piece of supreme please.’
3.11.30am: Paper rustling. (Eating pizza).
3.23.13am: Phone call connects his father. Tostee states, ‘Hello dad. I might have a bit of a situation. See um I met up with a girl for a date tonight and she started getting really aggressive.
‘It was all right at first and like we, you know, had sex in bed and she kept drinking. We were both drinking and I think that she thought that it was like a joke or something and she kept like beating me up and whatever.
‘It was cos she was really drunk and whatever and I like forced her out on the balcony and I think that she might have jumped off.’
Dad: ‘Oh no.’
3.23.30am: Tostee: ‘Like I have been walking around and there are a million cops around my building. I’m f***ed. I don’t know what to do.’
Dad: ‘Where are you, at your unit?’
Tostee: ‘I didn’t cause this, like I didn’t push her. There are a million cops around the area.’
Dad: ‘I’ll come and get you ok.’
Tostee: ‘It is really f***ed up. I am like at Dominos. Dad, like this is not my fault … I don’t know, like I tackled her on my floor inside the building and I never forced her over the balcony.’
Dad: ‘I am sure you wouldn’t, mate.’
Tostee: ‘ … I don’t know what the f*** happened, it is crazy. This f***ed up, this is so f***ed up. I swear to god I didn’t push her, I just chucked her out on the balcony and locked the door because she was beating me up.’
Dad: ‘I’ll come over now ok?’
[The call continues for several minutes until the male says,’hang on a sec. What the f***. What the f*** is this … it is her phone in my pocket.’]
Dad: ‘Is it her phone?’
Tostee: ‘It is her phone, yeah … Dad like what happened was we were drinking and we got into bed together then and after that she just kept drinking and she just kept like I don’t know she was just like beating me up.
‘She thought it was funny or something and I was just like tackled her in the middle of my apartment and I said that it wasn’t funny anymore and blah blah blah.
‘Then when I let her go the last thing I remember was she was on the balcony and I don’t know if she jumped or what, I don’t know. It wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t my god damn fault.’
3.46.30am: Call made and connected. ‘Hey dad, are you nearby. I am seriously freezing.
Dad: ‘Not far away at all. Tostee: ‘Can you stay on the line?’ Dad: Yep.’
3.47.30am: Sound of car door opening and seatbelt being placed on.
3.47.46am: Dad: ‘The only thing we can do is ring [his lawyer] Bill Potts up now. You can’t do anything else but that but you need to do it straight away really. Can you find his number?
Tostee: ‘I didn’t do anything. Dad: ‘Yeah mate, I understand. Do you want to go to hospital?’
3.48.30am: Male: ‘f*** it. I wish that I had cameras in my unit. I have audio. I tried calling her phone.’ Dad: ‘Don’t call her phone.’
3.49am: Call is made to phone and goes to message bank. Dad: ‘What are you doing, why did you do that?’ Male: ‘I don’t know.’
3.50.19: Call to the deceased.
3.51am: ‘Why does this sh** always happen to me. I didn’t ask for this. I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I just invited the girl over. The more she drank …’
Dad: ‘Was she jealous or something?’
Tostee: ‘Me and her had sex and it was like the more that she drank she just got violent for some reason.
Dad: ‘Did she want a more serious relationship or something?’
Tostee: ‘No, she was like I know MuyThai blah blah blah and I’ll beat you up for fun rah rah rah and I was like tolerating it for a bit and went ‘yeah stop that’.
Last thing that I remember was that I tried holding her down and she ran out on to my balcony. I hope I just imagined it.’
3.51.30am: Call to deceased.
3.52am: I might have locked her out on my balcony cos there is like a lock. I can’t remember what I did but I absolutely did not throw her off my balcony. I would never do anything like that.’
3.52.30am: Dad: ‘We need to ring up Potts.’
Tostee: ‘I don’t ask for this sh**. Why does this sh** happen to me?’.
After a high-profile, week-long trial, a jury found him not guilty of murder and manslaughter.
Highly controversial decision.
Gable Tostee changed his name.
