Roberta Laundrie says bombshell 'burn after reading' letter to Brian written before Gabby Petito's murder
MOAB, UTAH: Brian Laundrie's mother broke her silence on the controversial 'burn after reading' letter she wrote to her son. Roberta Laundrie claimed that the letter had nothing to do with the murder of Gabby Petito. According to her, the letter was penned months before the 2021 road trip by her son and Petito, which ended in Laundrie killing himself after he killed Petito.
To prevent Petito's parents from submitting the 'burn after reading' letter as evidence in their civil lawsuit filed, Roberta Laundrie's sworn affidavit sought the prevention stating that the letter was written to her son to reach out to him as the mother and son's relationship was "experiencing a difficult period". She also claimed that for public consumption, certain phrases from the infamous letter were sensationalized and took it out of context, reported Law and Crime.
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Lawsuit against Roberta and Christopher Laundrie
In March 2022, a lawsuit was filed by Petito's parents against Roberta and Christopher Laundrie. The lawsuit alleged that the couple knew their son murdered Petito yet they remained silent. They allegedly helped him flee authorities after they helped him get rid of her body. The lawsuit sought monetary damages for their suffering and pain.
In a court filing in December 2022, Patrick Reilly, attorney for the Petito's revealed the details of the letter. Claiming that the 'burn after reading' letter is relevant to the case, he sought to have a copy of the letter discovered. The attorney also claimed that in the letter, Roberta "offered to bring a shovel to help bury the body."
However, Laundrie's attorney Steven Bertolino sought an order of protection from the letter being produced. The family and the attorney argued that "its origin has no relation to this case, but its publishing is embarrassing and most prejudicial to Roberta Laundrie."
In the affidavit, Roberta stated that the letter was given to Brian before her son and Gabby went to New York. "The purpose of the letter was to reach out to Brian while he and I were experiencing a difficult period in our relationship," she wrote, according to the news outlet.
"Brian and I always had a very open and communicative relationship and in the months prior to the trip, our relationship had become strained. Brian and I shared a love of stories and some of the language in the letter was using similar phrases to describe the depth of a mother’s love," Roberta added.
Roberta claims Petito gave Brian a book
Brian's mother also wrote that Petito gave her son a book named 'Burn After Writing which talks about the therapeutic impact of writing down feelings without sharing them with others. She claimed that the three of them mostly joked about the book. Roberta stated that some of the words used "seem to have a connection with Brian’s actions and his taking of Petito's life. Roberta also shared that she was not able to foresee the tragic events.
She wrote, "The words in the letter could never have been a comment on that tragic situation as they were written so many months before. My words to Brian were meant to convey my love and support for my son through a light-hearted and quirky reminder that my love for him was not diminished and could not be shaken by the miles of separation we would soon be faced with.” In August 2023, the civil case against the Laundries is set to begin, reported Law and Crime.