Last week Gable Tostee was acquitted of the murder and manslaughter of New Zealand tourist Warriena Wright, and now a social media post written by the 30-year-old four months after her death has surfaced.
In the lengthy post titled “regarding the balcony tragedy” written on a body building forum, he gives his version of events, protesting his innocence and slamming the media scrutiny he was facing.
The post went strictly against the advice of his lawyers at the time.
RELATED: New Details Emerge Following Gable Tostee’s Murder Acquittal
According to News.com.au, the contents of the two-year-old post were unable to be reported until after the jury returned its verdict.
“So far I’ve been silent about the whole thing which has left my hands tied while so many misconceptions and untruths are being circulated in the media and in the public,” he wrote.
“First off let me say that the death of Warriena was the most tragic and distressing event I have ever experienced.
“Knowing I was the last person to be with her, it has left me permanently scarred and not a day passes that I don’t wish I could go back in time and prevent it.
“For at least a week after it happened I was so overwhelmed I was unable to laugh or even crack a smile.
“I broke down in tears several times a day, or whenever I saw her picture in the news.”
Tostee then went on to detail how the events of the night unfolded, recalling how they initially got along “great”, before she became “increasingly aggressive”.
“I’m not sure whether she found it amusing but it was getting out of hand,” he said. “She kept hitting me, taunting me, throwing my stuff around and trashing my apartment.
“For the last couple of hours with her most of my efforts were spent trying to placate her in the hope that she would calm down.
“I tried to make her leave but instead of leaving she grabbed a nearby metal object and tried to swing it at me.
“This is where the alleged ‘choking’ sounds began. I never deliberately choked her or put my hands around her neck, all I did was try to remove the weapon from her.
“If I wanted to choke her out then it probably wouldn’t have been hard, but I did not do that as I did not want to hurt her.
“A less forgiving man could have quite conceivably exercised less restraint and retaliated violently.
“I did what I did to prevent further physical conflict and de-escalate the situation as best as I could.”
In the recordings of the pair’s evening, seconds before being locked on the balcony, Wright can be heard pleading with Tostee to let her leave, and he can be heard saying “no” and telling her “you’ve been a bad girl”.
Tostee addressed this in his post.
“The ‘bad girl’ comment was me frustratingly trying to tell her that I already tried to make her leave in response to her claiming she wanted to go home,” he continued.
“In the heat of the moment and given the fact that I had been drinking all night, eloquence was not my first priority.
“The struggle took place about 2-3 metres away from the rear glass doors that lead to my balcony.
“My front door was about 10m away, and has an automatic closer and lock which I would have had to flick then hold open while trying to force her out.
“This would have been much more difficult and wasn’t really an option.
“Putting her outdoors would have meant I could separate her from me and keep an eye on her through the glass doors until she either calmed down or I called someone like security or police to take her away.
“Never in my wildest imagination did I expect what happened next.
Tostee then addresses his actions after the fall, leaving the building via the basement, calling his lawyer, ordering pizza and his calm demeanor all being heavily criticised by the public and the media.
“Trying to keep my composure as much as possible I quickly realised that it would be extremely foolish to go back out on the balcony in case she had indeed fallen and someone saw me standing near the edge,” he said.
“The only sensible thing I could think to do at the time was call my lawyer, who would know what to do. Of course, the call didn’t go through.
“I did not “flee” the scene as it has been claimed.
“I went downstairs to see if I could find out what happened.
“When I reached the lobby I saw flashing emergency lights coming from outside. At this point it dawned on me that something serious had happened.
“I was terrified, exhausted, intoxicated, and quite disorientated and all I wanted to do was get advice.
“I knew if I walked into police I could have been held under suspicion without legal representation, a situation nobody would want to be in.
“I resorted to leaving the building and calling my Dad.
“It’s easy for readers to say what they would have done given hindsight, but it is impossible to know how you would react if you weren’t there.”
“While I was waiting to meet my Dad I bought a slice of pizza to curb my hunger and anxiety. It was the most convenient thing I could find at that hour,” he wrote.
“The suggestion that I casually or leisurely indulged in a meal is absolutely outrageous.
“I was anything but casual. I had to eat because I was hungry, anxious, and intoxicated, and a slice of pizza was the easiest meal I could find.
“As soon as I was able to obtain legal advice and representation I presented myself to the police who examined me later that day.
“I didn’t go home, I didn’t sleep, I didn’t even shower until that evening when I was released. “That night, the police seized my phone and my parents’ phones, where they found the recording. While I did not expect them to seize it, it is completely untrue that I tried to delete it, as it proved what happened.”
To read more of Gable Tostee’s post, click here.
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