Brian Laundrie’s parents expressed hope his fiancee would be found despite call from him saying Petito was ‘gone’, lawsuit claims

The fiance and killer of the domestic violence murder victim Gabby Petito desperately called his parents and told them that she was “gone” weeks before she was discovered dead – yet they later shared messages expressing hope that search efforts for her would end in success, her family has alleged.

Petito’s parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, made the claim in a lawsuit that they are pursuing against Brian Laundrie’s family and their attorney in the latest chapter to a case that has generated international news headlines.

The Petitos, who amended the lawsuit with the new allegations on 30 November, have accused Laundrie’s parents as well as their lawyer of intentionally withholding information about their daughter’s murder, inflicting on them pain and emotional distress.

  • I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world
    41·
    10 months ago

    “Gone” alone wouldn’t make me suspicious. I would assume she left and didn’t plant to come back. It’s the “she’s gone and I need a lawyer” part that would make me at least ask what kind of “gone” did you mean, son? It could have just been that he hit her and then she left and he expected legal repercussions. Parents don’t usually jump to suspecting their kid of murder and I don’t think there is a way to know without violating attorney client privilege.

    The Petitos allege that Christopher and Roberta Laundrie received “a frantic telephone call” from their son on 29 August 2021 in which he said his betrothed Gabby was “gone” and that he “needed a lawyer”.

    That same day, the Petitos allege, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie spoke with a lawyer, Steven Bertolino. The Laundries, from Florida, are accused of telling Bertolino that Petito was “gone” and their son needed an attorney.

    Four days later, on 2 September 2021, the Laundries had paid Bertolino to retain his services, and he in turn entered into a fee agreement with a criminal defense law firm in Wyoming, the state where Petito would later be found dead.