Death on a road trip through the USA
Murder of Gabby Petito: Parents sue Brian Laundrie’s parents
The Americans Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito regularly posted photos of themselves on social media
© North Port Police Department / Picture Alliance
The case of Gabby Petito, killed on a road trip, shook the United States. Her fiancé Brian Laundrie is said to have killed the 22-year-old before committing suicide. Now Petito’s parents are suing his parents.
The body of 22-year-old American Gabby Petito was discovered last summer. Police suspect her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, of the killing. But he committed suicide shortly thereafter. Now his parents are being sued by Petito’s parents, the Associated Press reports.
The parents allege in their lawsuit that Brian Laundrie confessed to his parents’ murder before returning alone from their trip. The lawsuit, filed in Sarasota District Court in Florida, states that Laundrie told his parents on August 28, 2021 that he had killed 22-year-old Petito.
Petito had not returned from a trip across the United States with her 23-year-old fiancé last summer. The case attracted attention both in the United States and internationally – not least because the Florida couple had shared numerous pictures and videos from their trip on social networks. While Laundrie returned without his girlfriend on September 1, Petito’s body was only discovered after an intensive search in mid-September in Grand Teton National Park in western Wyoming.
Brian Laundrie allegedly strangled Gabby Petito
The FBI concluded that Laundrie strangled Petito after arguments and fisticuffs ensued. This was also indicated by an incident in August in the state of Utah, which the police became aware of. A police officer’s body camera footage shows Petito crying, saying she hit her fiancé during an argument and he grabbed her.
When Petito’s parents reported their daughter missing, her fiancé initially refused to testify and eventually disappeared. To this day it is unclear what exactly happened during the trip. Parts of Brian Laundrie’s body were discovered in a Florida wildlife sanctuary in late October. According to the coroner’s office, he died as a result of a self-inflicted shot. In January this year, it was revealed that Laundrie had confessed to the crime in a notebook seized after his suicide.
Laundrie’s parents are said to have known about the murder, according to the lawsuit
As the Associated Press further reports, Petito’s parents in the lawsuit accuse Laundrie’s parents of not telling investigators and Petito’s parents that their son had confessed to the murder while the search for Gabby Petito was still ongoing.
“In doing so, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie acted with malice or gross indifference to the rights of (Gabby’s parents) Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt,” the lawsuit reads. This behavior is “shocking, cruel and totally intolerable in a civilized community”. The lawsuit seeks damages of at least $30,000.
Swell: APDPA