CNN
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Gabby Petito’s parents now have a copy of the letter Brian Laundrie’s mother wrote to her son, which includes references to getting a shovel and burying the body.
Attorneys on both sides argued in court in Sarasota County, Florida, on Wednesday whether the letter was related to a lawsuit brought by Gabby Petito’s parents against Laundrie’s parents and Laundrie’s former attorney.
The envelope containing the letter – which was undated – was said to have been “burnt after being read” and was recovered from Brian Laundrie’s backpack when his remains were found in October 2021.
“As we all know the letter references burying a body carrying a shovel and burying a body,” Petito family attorney Patrick Reilly said in court Wednesday. “These are the criminal acts, in fact, that Roberta Laundrie said she would do.”
The Petitos are suing the Laundries for emotional distress in connection with the death of Gabby Petito while traveling in the Western United States with Brian Laundrie, her fiance. Laundrie returned home from the trip without Petito and disappeared a few weeks later.
Gabby Petito’s body was found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming in September 2021 and her death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation. Before killing himself, Brian Laundrie wrote in a notebook that he was responsible for her death, according to the FBI. Her remains were found the following month in a preserve not far from her parents’ home in North Port, Florida.
Attorneys for Brian Laundrie’s parents are fighting not to return the letter, arguing that it is unrelated to the civil lawsuit brought by Petito’s parents.
In the affidavit filed before the hearing, Roberta Laundrie wrote that she did not know the exact date of the letter but that she wrote it before Brian left with Gabby Petito for their trip in the hope that it would help to make amends. in his relationship with his son.
After lengthy back-and-forth in court on Wednesday, both parties agreed that a confidentiality order was not necessary to keep the letter sealed once Judge Danielle Brewer of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court ruled that the letter could have relevant to the case and the plaintiff’s lawyers should. at least get a copy.
“Your Honor, I think at this point, we may not be in favor of a confidentiality agreement on this issue just because Mr. , that’s where — we’ll deal with that throughout the litigation,” Laundries attorney P. Matthew Luka said Wednesday.
It is unclear, however, whether the letter will be made public.
Reilly told CNN he would consult with Petito’s parents and make a decision on whether to share it with the press.
CNN also contacted Luka but did not immediately hear back.
The lawsuit alleges heinous behavior intentionally inflicted emotional distress on Roberta and Christopher Laundrie at the time Gabby went missing. The couple refused to answer the Petito family’s calls or texts because they were desperately looking for their daughter, it said.
The Laundries have argued in court filings that they have no duty to Petito’s family.
Earlier in the hour-long hearing, attorneys for the Laundries and their former attorney Steven Bertolino, who is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, argued motions to dismiss the civil suit. The judge said he would rule on the motions to dismiss in a written order placed on the docket.
