On June 22, filings for the civil suit Gabby Petito’s parents are bringing against Brian Laundrie’s parents were revealed. As News4Jax reports, Petito’s parents claim that Brian Laundrie told his parents that he had killed her before he returned back to their home in Florida.
In the lawsuit filed, it claims that Laundrie told his parents that he killed Petito on August 28. Laundrie then returned home to Florida on September 1. During their investigation, the FBI—who discovered Laundrie’s personal journal—concluded that Laundrie strangled Petito.
Gabby Petito’s Parents File Civil Suit Against Brian Laundrie’s Parents, Claiming the Laundrie’s Knew Brian Killed Gabby
According to News4Jax, Petito’s parents say Christopher and Roberta Laundrie hid the knowledge that their son confessed to the murder of Petito from them and investigators working on the case. It was documented that Petito’s parents had called Brian and his parents multiple times looking for answers while Gabby was missing.
“In doing so, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie acted with malice or great indifference to the rights of (Gabby’s parents) Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt,” the lawsuit reads, calling the Laundrie’s alleged conduct “shocking, atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community.”
The lawsuit further claims that Christopher and Roberta were reportedly “making arrangements for him (Brian) to leave the country.” But there is no public evidence that backs up this particular claim.
Under the guise of their own lawyer, Laundrie’s parents have not addressed the public personally and have only talked through their attorney Steven Bertolino. Bertolino denied the claims in the lawsuit via a text message to News4Jax.
“This lawsuit does not change the fact that the Laundries had no obligation to speak to law enforcement or any third party including the Petito family. This fundamental legal principle renders the Petitos’ claims to be baseless under the law,” the message read.
As Mamas Uncut extensively reported back in 2021, Gabby Petito was engaged to Laundrie when the couple set out on a camping trip in a white Ford van they converted into a mobile home. The couple drove the van west where they explored states like Wyoming and Utah.
Gabby, an aspiring travel blogger, documented most of their travels on her Instagram page. The couple even started getting their blog and YouTube page up and running while they were on the road.
However, several instances occurred during their trip that proved their trip wasn’t as joyous as their social media posts portrayed. As Mamas Uncut reported, Petito and Laundrie had a run-in with police after they received a 911 call about a domestic disturbance.
On August 12, Petito and Laundrie were pulled over in Moab, Utah after a 911 caller said he saw a man “slapping” a woman before getting into their white Ford van with Florida license plates.
After being pulled over, the couple called their dispute an “emotion or mental health break” rather than a domestic disturbance. Body cam footage showed Gabby Petito extremely emotional over the ordeal.
The body cam footage further revealed that both Gabby and Brian agreed that after a verbal argument it was Gabby who got physical with Brian. The couple agreed to separate for the night before they met up again and continued on with their trip.
Less than two weeks later, Petito would stop contacting her parents and Laundrie would return to Florida in their van without his fianceé with him. Nineteen days after arriving home, Petito was found dead in a Wyoming national park on September 19.
Shortly after being questioned by police, Laundrie also went missing after leaving his home in Florida, his body was found in a flooded park in Florida, just over a month later. Gabby Petito’s cause of death was listed as manual strangulation, and Laundrie’s is listed as suicide by way of a gunshot.
As the FBI revealed in their findings, the notebook owned by Laundrie offered “written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito’s death.” It is with Petito’s family’s permission that his admission be revealed.