A lawyer for Gabby Petito’s parents alleges that Brian Laundrie’s mother offered him a shovel after he killed Petito in Wyoming, a claim that the mother’s legal counsel disputes, WFLA-TV reports.
In a December 5 letter, Petito family lawyer Pat Reilly wrote to Matt Luka, an attorney for Laundrie’s parents, to discuss records they should produce in discovery as part of a lawsuit filed by Petito’s family.
The letter was attached to a public court filing, which is how the explosive allegation became public.
“This request certainly would also include the note that Roberta Laundrie wrote to Brian Laundrie, [in] which she offered to bring a shovel to help bury the body,” Reilly wrote in the letter, according to the New York Post. “The note was released to the custody of Mr. Bertolino on Friday, June 24, 2022 by the FBI.”
June 24, 2022, is the same day that the lawyer for the Laundrie parents, Steve Bertolino, met with Reilly and the FBI.
At that time, authorities released multiple items to Bertolino that included a confession allegedly written by Brian Laundrie, found in the vicinity of his remains at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20, 2021.
Lawyers for both families told Fox News at the time that other materials were released, including what Reilly said was a note allegedly entitled “burn after reading,” the Post reports.
“I don’t feel comfortable summarizing the letter,” Reilly told Fox News. “The content is very specific and best read when available. If my belief as to the time it was written is accurate, it shows that at least Roberta Laundrie knew of Gabby’s murder before Gabby’s body was located. The rest of the notebook contained letters to his family.”
The note allegedly written by Roberta Laundrie to her son did not have a date on it, but Reilly said “the content of the letter seems to indicate that it was written after Gabby’s death,” according to the Post.
However, Bertolino disputes that contention and argues that Roberta Laundrie wrote the note well before Petito was murdered.
“Attorney Reilly and his clients are entitled to allege what they want in court filings, but their allegations are not based on fact but on conjecture only,” Bertolino told WFLA-TV. “The letter in question was written prior to Brian and Gabby leaving Florida and has nothing to do with this case.”
Bertolino accused Reilly of trying to “further sensationalize” the tragedy and that Reilly was “taking unrelated comments out of context,” according to the television station.
A hearing on the issue is scheduled for March.
Authorities have not charged Laundrie’s parents with any crimes concerning Petito’s murder.
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[Feature Photo: Instagram]
