Roberta Laundrie’s letter to son Brian contains 'explosive revelations’ about Gabby Petito's death, says lawyer
NORTH PORT, FLORIDA: A lawyer has claimed that the "burn after reading" letter written by Brian Laundrie's mother, Roberta Laundrie, contains "explosive revelations" about the death of Gabby Petito. Since Gabby's death in August 2021, the note has been a source of conflict in the ongoing legal battle between the Petito family and the Laundries.
The Petitos filed a lawsuit against Chris and Roberta Laundrie for allegedly causing them intentional emotional distress by not returning their calls when they tried to contact them. According to the lawsuit filed by Gabby's parents in March 2022, Chris and Roberta Laundrie knew their son had killed his girlfriend but did nothing about it.
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Gabby Petito disappeared in August 2021 while on a road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. Brian is believed to have killed himself shortly after her remains were discovered in Grand Teton National Park in September 2021. He also left his journal in the Florida swamp, where he died by suicide, reports Fox News.
Who is Duncan Levin?
Duncan Levin is the managing partner of Levin & Associates, PLLC, and a well-known criminal defense lawyer. He specializes in criminal law, anti-money laundering, internal investigations and fraud prosecution and is a highly regarded expert in these areas. Prior to joining the US Attorney's Office, Levin served as an Assistant US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where he handled financial investigations, money laundering and asset forfeiture for a variety of complex federal crimes. Ben Campbell and Loretta Lynch, who subsequently held the position of US Attorney General, were the people he reported to while in that position, as per Levin & Associates, PLLC.
Levin is a Yale Law School and Yale College graduate who was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He began his law career as a line prosecutor under the legendary Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, specializing in financial crime. He served as a law clerk for the Hon. Nicholas G Garaufis in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Levin was in charge of all criminal and civil asset forfeiture and money laundering cases involving international corruption, white-collar fraud, identity theft, organized crime, terrorist financing, and narcotics cases.
What is Duncan Levin's take on the letter?
According to reports, the letter had "burn after reading" written across it asking to bring a shovel to assist Brian in burying the body. In his analysis of the letter and what it could mean for the ongoing lawsuit, Levin—who isn't representing any of the parties involved—said that the shocking letter reveals disclosures about Gabby's death and how they may affect the case. 'It’s a highly relevant issue because it gets to this issue of knowledge of where Gabby’s body was … and I think it gets to the issue of knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Gabby’s death," Levin told The Sun. He further added, "It speaks for itself. I don’t really see how they could try to explain it away. This is a letter that is clearly something that is going to be considered as part of the case."
What did Roberta Laundrie previously say about the note?
Roberta insists that the letter she wrote to her son, in which she used the words "shovel" and "burying a body," was written with the intention of mending her relationship with Brian. Roberta stated that the letter was written "to reach out to Brian while he and I were experiencing a difficult period in our relationship" in court papers filed earlier this month, as per CNN. "I had hoped this letter would remind him how much I loved him," the mother wrote.
'It’s an extremely explosive letter'
Despite Roberta's assertions, Levin stated that both parties would have the opportunity to articulate their respective interpretations of the message to a jury. "In the letter, she’s [Roberta] allegedly saying that she’s going to bring a shovel to help bury the body and is saying, I think at the core of it, that her words have been taken out of context," he stated. "But I don’t really know how you can take those words out of context. It speaks for itself pretty loudly when you write something like that. I don’t really see how they could try to explain it away," Levin went on. "I think juries are very smart, and, for the most part, have deep common sense. At the end of the day, I think it goes to show — I mean it’s an extremely explosive letter."
What is the current status of the trial?
The legal team for the Petito family is currently advocating for the jury to see the letter. Both legal teams dispute when the letter was penned, and it is undated. It was allegedly "written after Gabby was killed and before Brian took his life," according to Petito's legal team. Roberta, however, asserted that it was written prior to the couple's road journey. The case is set to go on trial in May 2024.