Two years after New Zealand woman Warriena Wright fell to her death from his balcony, and three weeks after he was acquitted of murder and manslaughter, Gable Tostee has broken his silence.
The 30-year-old was paid a reported $150,000 for the highly-publicised tell-all with 60 Minutes, which was met with outrage from users on social media.
Viewers claimed Tostee appeared emotionless throughout the interview, and his explanation for his behavior that night did not seem to add up.
“So, why didn’t you go out on the balcony to check to see if she was OK?” reporter Liam Bartlett asked.
“Instinctively, I knew that if I ran out there and somebody saw me looking over the edge and she had actually fallen all the way, it would look like, you know, it would not look good. It would look like I had forced her over or something,” came the reply.
“So, you were worried about what it would look like for you?”
“Of course I was worried about her. I was absolutely terrified at what had just happened to her. But, you know …”
“You couldn’t have even — you couldn’t even be bothered to go out on the balcony and look over the side and see what had happened to her.
“Well, whatever had happened out there had happened. And, looking over the edge, you know, it doesn’t help anybody. There’s no purpose to it.”
“Are you kidding?”
“Well, no. I mean …
“There’s no purpose to looking over the edge? What, to see if she’s alive, to see if she’s OK?”
“No, no, because that’s just, you know, kneejerk curiosity and, like I said, I was deeply concerned by what had happened to her.”
“You were so deeply concerned, Gable, that from her death scream to the next event, which was you calling your lawyer, was 35 seconds.”
“I froze on the spot and I thought, ‘I need to do whatever is the most rational thing to do at the moment.’ I needed advice. I needed advice from somebody impartial.
“Nobody is trained for a situation like this. It’s like being hit by lightning. There is no right or wrong way to proceed from there.
During the trial, many questioned why he would go and eat pizza after Ms Wright had just plunged to her death from his balcony.
“By the time I ate, I had been wandering around the streets confused, extremely drunk, and in shock. And I needed to clear my head and sober up. And so I found a place that had some food,” said Tostee.
“There was nothing happy or casual or indulgent about it. That was — that night — that was the most scared I’ve ever been. It’s the most distraught I’ve ever been in my entire life.”
“Can you understand why many people would think you’re a cold, heartless, cruel bastard,” Bartlett asked.
“When you put it that way, when that’s all you say about a person, with no insight or explanation, you know, the media can make people think what the media wants people to think.
“I hate the fact that the last thing Warriena experienced was an argument, an altercation.”
60 Minutes also interview Tostee’s parents, Gray and Helene, who believe in their son’s innocence.
“I didn’t know why it was happening, to be called an accused murderer. My son. Knowing the type of person that he is — caring and considerate and thoughtful of others. Never harmed anyone else,” said his mother.
Warriena Wright’s family declined to be interviewed for the show.
