Of the many pieces of evidence involved in the murder of Gabby Petito and suicide of Brian Laundrie, the one that seems to be receiving a majority of the attention is a letter written by Brian’s mother, Roberta Laundrie. The handwritten letter, addressed to Brian, was in an envelope that read ‘burn after reading.’
The letter isn’t timestamped and authorities currently have no way of knowing when it was written by Roberta or opened by Brian. With that said, the letter was found in a closet in the Laundrie’s home and was inside a shoebox that contained several items from the van Gabby and Brian drove cross-country.
A court ruled that the controversial “burn after reading” letter, written by Roberta Laundrie to her son Brian, can be considered evidence in the civil trial between the parents of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie.
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) May 25, 2023
MORE: https://t.co/BDSUYqcetv pic.twitter.com/jo4HbJd3fY
Ever since the letter was found, the Petito family has been fighting for the letter – which was in the possession of the Laundrie family – to be released and entered as evidence in their jury trial (set for May 2024). After several attempts, the Petito family is finally seeing their persistence and patience pay off.
On Wednesday (May 24), the Petito family was finally awarded a copy of the letter after a judge denied a request by the Laundrie family to have the letter withheld from the trial. On Thursday (May 25), Patrick Reilly – an attorney for the Petito family – finally released the letter to the public for everyone to see.
I’m sorry but Roberta Laundrie’s “Burn After Reading Letter” kinda gives me Norma Bates vibes. pic.twitter.com/v2HV6ygn2l
— Cinema Shogun (@CinemaShogun) May 25, 2023
“I just want you to remember I will always love you, and I know you will always love me. You are my boy. Nothing can make me stop loving you, nothing will or could ever divide us no matter what we do, or where we go or what we say — we will always love each other,” Roberta wrote in the beginning of the letter.
She went on to imply that she would ‘bake a cake with a file in it’ if he were to go to jail and ‘show up with a shovel and garbage bags’ if he needed to dispose of a body. “Remember that love is a verb, not a noun. It’s not a thing, it’s not words, it is actions. Watch people’s actions to know if they love you,” she added.
Gabby Petito's parents' attorney claims that Roberta Laundrie offered to lend son Brian a shovel after killing https://t.co/P3zCFFlF2G pic.twitter.com/dPrs31nMQz
— New York Post (@nypost) January 1, 2023
“Nothing can separate us: not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not threats, not even sin, not the thinkable or unthinkable can get between us. Not time. Not miles and miles and miles,” she concluded in her letter – also adding a Bible verse from Romans 8:38. The letter certainly raises a lot of questions.
Roberta Laundrie Claims Letter Wasn’t About Brian Laundrie Murdering Gabby Petito
While the wording used by Roberta Laundrie can certainly be connected to the events that unfolded in 2021 – more specifically, Brian Laundrie murdering Gabby Petito – the 57-year-old mother is claiming the letter actually has nothing to do with the murder. In fact, it was written months before the murder occurred.
“I was trying to connect with Brian and repair our relationship as he was planning to leave home — and I had hoped this letter would remind him how much I loved him,” she explained – adding that she handed Brian the letter before he set out on his trip with Gabby. The couple left for that trip in early July 2021.
As for the ‘burn after reading’ note that was written on the envelope, Roberta is claiming that it was nothing more than a reference to a book titled Burn After Writing, which was given to Brian by Gabby – according to Roberta, the couple often joked about the book, which is why she added the note.
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“While I used words that seem to have a connection with Brian’s actions and his taking of Gabby’s life, I never would have fathomed the events that unfolded months later between Brian and Gabby would reflect the words in my letter,” Roberta continued. The letter will be a topic of discussion at their jury trial in 2024.