Gabby Petito murder case: Lawsuit reveals Brian Laundrie retained high-powered defense team 9 days before fiancee was reported missing
TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA: In the latest development in Gabby Petito's murder case, it has been revealed in a lawsuit that her fiance, Brian Laundrie, retained a high-profile defense team with his parents’ money nine days before his fiancee was reported missing.
Gabby's death in August 2021 made national headlines because of the unusual nature of the case.
In the latest amended lawsuit filed by Gabby’s parents against Laundrie’s parents and their attorney, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt alleged that Brian's parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, and their attorney, Steve Bertolino, knew about their daughter's death along with the location of the crime.
Moreover, Gabby’s parents alleged that Chris and Roberta chose to give false hope to them that their daughter would be found while trying to protect their son, per Fox News.
Steve Bertolino says Brian Laundrie's parents were unaware of Gabby Petito's death
In the lawsuit filed on Thursday, November 30, Pat Reilly, the lawyer for Gabby Petito’s parents claimed that in a “frantic” phone call on August 29, 2021, Brian Laundrie informed his parents about her death.
Reilly claimed that Brian allegedly called his parents and said, "Gabby was ‘gone’ and he needed a lawyer."
On September 2, 2021, it is alleged that his parents shared the information with Steve Bertolino, and on the same day "Bertolino entered into a fee agreement with Fleener Peterson LLC."
It has been reported that Bertolino entered into an agreement with the firm’s partner, Tom Fleener, an Army veteran who became a JAG lawyer. Fleener was also profiled in GQ in 2017 for representing Guantanamo Bay detainee Ali al Bahlul.
Bertolino shared with Fox on Friday, December 1, that he collected a $25,000 retainer from the Laundries, which he used to pay Fleener’s firm. However, he also said that he has not collected any fee for his involvement.
The lawsuit also highlighted the fact that during a press meeting on September 14, Bertolino told the reporters on Laundries' behalf that they hoped Gabby was found and reunited with her family.
During his conversation with Fox, Bertolino shared that the family felt pressured to say something about the case, though they had the right to remain silent.
Talking about Brian's phone call to his parents, Bertolino added, "Brian was incoherent, beside himself, and couldn’t communicate," before continuing that he reportedly cut the call short.
He opined that, as a result, his parents did not know about Gabby's murder.
Internet reacts to recently released lawsuit about Brian Laundrie
The internet is not happy with the development as they opined that Brian Laundrie's family should be held accountable for their son's actions.
One of the social media users wrote, "Hope her parents till sue his parents to get money they deserve to have their life destroyed as they aided and abetted their son's actions. Despite people’s laughs civil suits can still go forward even after the person has died."
Another remarked, "At least he is where he belongs and cannot hurt anyone else. Too bad she had to be his victim and pay the ultimate price.
His parents knew. I hope her parents find some justice. "
"Him and his family - definitely weird!! But, it came back around on him even after death. Good riddance!" said a netizen.
"That’s disgusting do Brian knew what to do before killing his fiancee. He was a red flag person day they got pulled over in Colorado," observed another disgruntled person.
Someone else declared, "Pure evil."
What happened to Gabby Petito?
In August 2021, Gabby Petito went on a cross-country trip with her fiance, Brian Laundrie, and was last seen alive on August 27, 2021, in Jackson, Wyoming.
Per the lawsuit, on August 29, Brian allegedly made the frantic phone call to his parents, telling them Gabby "is gone" and he needed a lawyer.
However, he continued to send fake text messages to Nichole Schmidt from Gabby’s number on August 30 before arriving at his parents' house in Florida and driving Gabby’s van on September 1.
On September 2, it was alleged in the lawsuit that Steve Bertolino was retained by Brian’s parents, and on the same day, Bertolino reportedly entered a fee agreement with Tom Fleener’s firm.
The Petito family went camping at Fort DeSoto Park on September 6 and 7, and Roberta Laundrie subsequently blocked Nichole’s phone and blocked her on Facebook.
On September 11, Gabby was reported missing by her mother, and on September 13, Brian apparently ran away and died by suicide, leaving behind a confession in his notebook.
A statement was released by Bertolino on September 14, which later became the point of contention for the lawsuit. In it, he said on behalf of the Laundries that they hoped Gabby would be found and "reunited with her family."
'Gabby Petito Act' filed in Florida Senate
Gabby Petito's father and the vice president of the Gabby Petito Foundation, Joseph Petito, filed an act named after her daughter in the Florida Senate on Wednesday, November 29, to help people who have been subjected to domestic abuse.
Joseph said that he worked with Florida Senator Lauren Book to come up with the Gabby Petito Act or Senate Bill 610 that proposed a new statewide mandate for all law enforcement to do lethality assessment while investigating domestic violence incidents, per Fox News.
Senator Book was found saying, "We know in different places throughout the country where lethality assessments are used. Even here in our great state, where they're used in pockets, we know that it reduces the incidence of a lethal situation."
She added, "In Maryland, where we've kind of seen a lot of this work being done, it reduces the lethality by 35 to 45 percent."