A judge has passed a ruling that will allow Gabby Petito to sue Brian Luandrie's family. According to Ms. Petito's family, the Laundrie family knew about their son's crime and how he killed their daughter but they acted otherwise and their action of releasing a statement of hoping Ms. Petito is found alive was a callous and cruel action.
advertisement
A judge has stated that Gabby Petito's family can sue Brian Laundrie's parents.
Ms. Petito was murdered by Laundrie during a cross country trip the pair took last year, with her body found in Bridger–Teton National Forest in Wyoming last September.
The Youtuber was strangled to death by her boyfriend, Laundrie, who later killed himself near his family home in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, Florida.
Youtube
Ms. Petito's family has since filed a lawsuit against Laundrie's parents, stating that Laundries knew their son had murdered their daughter at the time of the 22-year-old's disappearance.
Their daughter's body was found almost a week later and at the time Laundrie's parents released a statement, saying: "It is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family."
Twitter
advertisement
However, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt have accused Christopher and Roberta Laundrie of knowing about their son's crime.
And Judge Hunter W. Carroll has denied the Laundries’ motion to have the case thrown out of court.
A ruling was obtained by the New York Post, in which Judge Carroll said: "As alleged by the Plaintiffs, the Laundries made their statement knowing that Gabby was dead, knowing the location of her body, and knowing that her parents were frantically looking for her.
Youtube
"If this is true, then the Laundries’ statement was particularly callous and cruel, and it is sufficiently outrageous to state claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress."
This statement comes after Laundrie's family released a note that their son left behind, in which he confessed to killing Ms Petito.
Laundrie claims in his hand-written confession that the killing was ‘merciful’ after Petito was allegedly injured and in extreme pain.
Alamy
advertisement
The note reads: "I found her breathing heavily, gasping my name, she was freezing cold.
"The temperature had dropped to freezing and she was soaking wet. I carried her as far as I could down the stream towards the car, stumbling exhausted in shock, when my knees buckled and knew I couldn’t safely carry her.
"I don’t know the extent of Gabby’s injuries. Only that she was in extreme pain.
"I ended her life, I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked, I was in shock. But from the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn’t go on without her."
Alamy
advertisement
He concluded: "I have killed myself by this creek in the hopes that animals may tear me apart. That it may make some of her family happy.
"Please pick up all of my things. Gabby hated people who litter."
Patrick Reilly, an attorney for Petito’s family, told People that Laundrie’s note was ‘nonsense’.
He said: "He is writing a letter as though he wants people to feel sorry for him."
Youtube