Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie’s parents meet face-to-face for first time since her murder: ‘no remorse’
Gabby Petito’s seething parents came face-to-face with Brian Laundrie’s mother and father in a tense courtroom showdown Tuesday.
It was the first time they’ve met since Petito’s 2021 slaying and her boyfriend’s admission he was responsible.
Attorneys for the murdered 22-year-old blogger’s parents deposed Christopher Laundrie, Brian’s father, as part of their ongoing civil suit against the couple and their attorney Steven Bertolino.
The accused killer’s father showed “no remorse” on the stand — and listening to his testimony was “gut wrenching”.
“It was extremely hurtful to listen to someone that has no remorse and no compassion for the girl they would call their daughter-in-law,” Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt told WFLA after the proceeding in Venice, Florida.
Schmidt watched Laundrie’s deposition live over Zoom, while Gabby’s father, Joe Petito, was in court. Brian’s mother, Roberta Laundrie, was also on hand.
“It was difficult to be in the room with Joe and Nichole on Zoom asking these questions knowing how difficult it would be for them to relive it all,” said Pat Reily, an attorney for Petito’s parents.
The suit against the Laundries alleges they were aware of Gabby’s killing but refused to divulge information as the case proceeded.
Their purposeful inaction, the case asserts, caused them severe emotional distress deserving of compensation.
Petito, 22, was traveling cross country with Laundrie, 23, when she vanished in August 2021.
Laundrie returned to his Florida home without her on September 1, eventually leading police to name him as a suspect in a case which gripped the nation.
Petito’s strangled corpse was discovered in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park on September 19.
The Laundries reported their son missing two days eariler. Brian’s remains were not found until almost a month later in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida.
Authorities determined he had killed himself and found a written confession to his girlfriend’s murder in a letter in his backpack. His parents have never been criminally charged in realtion to the case.
Petito’s parents also sued the Moab City Police Department in Utah, arguing they “deprived Gabby of her safety and ultimately her life.”
Moab officers had pulled the couple over for speeding and found Petito bloodied and distraught. The cops separated them for the night, but made no arrests.
Petito was killed days later.
Her parents’ jury trial case against the Laundries is slated to begin in May 2024.
