Gabby Petito’s Parents Get ‘Burned After Reading’ Letter From Brian Laundrie’s Parents in Civil Lawsuit

CNN
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Gabby Petito’s parents now have a copy of a letter Brian Laundrie’s mother wrote to her son, which referred to getting a shovel and burying a body.

Lawyers for both sides argued in a courtroom in Sarasota County, Florida on Wednesday over whether the letter was relevant to the lawsuit filed by Gabby Petito’s parents against Laundrie’s parents and the former attorney. of the Laundries.

The envelope containing the letter – which is undated – said ‘burn after reading’ and was recovered from Brian Laundrie’s backpack when his remains were found in October 2021.

“As we all know, the letter refers to burying a body, bringing in a shovel and burying a body,” said Petito family attorney Patrick Reilly, in court on Wednesday. “These are criminal acts, by the way, that Roberta Laundrie said she would commit.”

The Petitos sued the Laundries for emotional distress related to the death of Gabby Petito while traveling in the western United States with Brian Laundrie, her fiancé. Laundrie returned from the trip without Petito and disappeared several weeks later.

Gabby Petito’s remains were found in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest in September 2021 and her death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation. Before committing suicide, Brian Laundrie wrote in a notebook that he was responsible for his death, according to the FBI. His remains were found the following month on a reservation not far from his parents’ home in North Port, Florida.

Lawyers for Brian Laundrie’s parents fought not to deliver the letter, arguing that it was irrelevant to the civil lawsuit filed by Petito’s parents.

In an affidavit filed before the hearing, Roberta Laundrie wrote that she did not know the exact date of the letter but that she had written it before Brian left with Gabby Petito on their trip in the hope that it would help mend his relationship with his son.

After lengthy back and forth in court on Wednesday, both sides agreed that a confidentiality order was not needed to keep the letter sealed after Twelfth Judicial Circuit Judge Danielle Brewer determined that the letter could be relevant to the case and plaintiffs’ attorneys should at least get a copy.

“Your Honor, I think at this point we probably wouldn’t be in favor of a confidentiality agreement on this matter either simply because Mr. Reilly probably just put the two worst parts of the letter on file in open court, so I mean, that’s where we would deal with this throughout the litigation,” Laundries attorney P. Matthew Luka said Wednesday.

It is however unclear if the letter will be made public.

Reilly told CNN he would consult with Petito’s parents and decide if they would share it with the press.

CNN also contacted Luka but did not immediately respond.

The lawsuit alleges outrageous behavior of intentional infliction of emotional distress by Roberta and Christopher Laundrie during Gabby’s disappearance. The couple refused to return calls or texts to the Petito family as they frantically tried to find their daughter, he said.

The laundries argued in court filings that they owed no duty to Petito’s family.

Earlier in the hours-long hearing, attorneys for the laundries and their former attorney Steven Bertolino, who is also a named defendant in the lawsuit, argued motions to dismiss the civil case. The judge said she would rule on the motions to dismiss in a written order posted on the docket.