Gabby Petito's Family Lawyer Makes Bold Claim About Brian Laundrie's Mother
On June 24, the attorney for Brian Laundrie's family released his eight-page notebook confession, in which he detailed murdering fiancée Gabby Petito. Laundrie and Petito had been the subjects of a highly-publicized missing person investigation, one centered around Petito's disappearance during the couple's cross-country trip in the summer of 2021, per CNN. Following Petito's disappearance, Laundrie returned home and did not speak with law enforcement about her whereabouts. Petito's body was eventually found in September 2021 in Grand Teton National Park, with her death ruled as a homicide by strangulation. Laundrie would die by suicide a few weeks later, with his remains found in October 2021 alongside a notebook, which the FBI later confirmed contained Laundrie's murder confession.
Among the legible portions of the notebook read a description of Petito's last moments, per WFLA. "I ended her life," Laundrie wrote, explaining that Petito had suffered a painful accident "rushing back to our car." "She would wake in pain... furious that I was the one waking her," Laundrie continued, adding that he thought it "merciful" at the time. Later describing that he regretted his decision, Laundrie wrote, "From the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn't go on without her."
As morbid as Laundrie's confession was to read, it appears his notebook wasn't the only chilling piece of evidence unearthed during the investigation.
Brian Laundrie's mom allegedly offered him help after Gabby Petito's murder
The dark details surrounding Gabby Petito's August 2021 murder just developed a haunting new layer. Patrick Riley, an attorney for Petito's family, alleged in a June 24 interview with Newsnation that Brian Laundrie received a "pretty odd" letter from mother Roberta Laundrie shortly after his fiancée's death. The undated letter, found in the Laundrie home following a police search, allegedly offered Brian help. "There are scenarios presented by Roberta in that letter. For example, 'if you go to jail, I'll bake a cake and put a knife in it or saw in it,'" Riley described, adding that the envelope read, "Burn after you read this."
Riley also claimed that Roberta made Brian an offer "that had to do with Gabby" after her murder. The lawyer didn't elaborate further, as he didn't "want to paraphrase something that serious." Newsnation also reported that, besides his notebook, Brian also left further confessions to Petito's murder on a digital device as well as another written confession.
In March, Petito's family filed a civil suit against the Laundries, accusing them of obstructing the search for their daughter, per NBC News. As their lawsuit stated, "It is believed ... that on or about August 28, 2021, Brian Laundrie advised his parents, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie, that he had murdered Gabrielle Petito." With the belief that the Laundries withheld this information, the suit alleges that they "acted with malice or great indifference."
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.