On August 8, 2014, 26-year-old Warriena Wright allegedly tried to escape Gable Tostee's 14th-floor apartment by climbing over the balcony and fell to her death. The 30-year-old is now on trial—and pleading not guilty—for her murder, Stuff.co reports.
Wright, originally from New Zealand, was in Australia for a friend's wedding and vacation. According to ABC.net, she and Tostee first spoke via Tinder seven days before her death and arranged to meet. It's unclear what they did before heading back to Tostee's apartment, but the pair began drinking when they got there. Prosecutors also believe they had violent sex (or engaged in some sort of rough physical activity) before Wright ended up on the balcony early on the morning of the 8th.
Recordings of the entire night pulled from Tostee's phone include noises "consistent with her being choked or strangled in some way," though Tostee's defense argued he restrained her as self-defense and that she became increasingly erratic as the night went on. ""Are you going to f*cking untie me because I will f*cking destroy your jaw," Wright reportedly said at one point. "I should have never given you so much to drink," Tostee replied.
The Guardian reports Tostee can be heard saying "You're lucky I haven't chucked you off my balcony you God damn psycho bitch. You're not going to collect any belongings, you're just going to walk out. If you try to pull anything I'll knock you out. I'll knock you the f*ck out—do you understand?" in the recording. Wright also allegedly expressed that she wanted to leave several times before that.
Tostee at some point allegedly locked Wright out on the balcony, though it's unclear if she got there voluntarily. Neighbors testified hearing her scream "No, no, no, please let me go home" before seeing her fall from the balcony just seconds later. Tostee allegedly called his father at that point and told him "I forced her out on to the balcony and I think she might've jumped off."
Tostee was originally granted bail in 2014 under the condition he stay with his parents, according to ABC.net. He was also ordered to stay off online dating sites through trial and be treated for a diagnosed alcohol problem. Trial is expected to go through the end of the week.
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From: Cosmopolitan US
