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BREAKS COVER
BRIAN Laundrie's dad was today seen for the first time in public since Gabby Petito's bloodied face was pictured in a shocking selfie released last week.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been sued by the Petito family as they claim the parents knew their son Brian had murdered Gabby and chose not to act.
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The Petito family attorney has since claimed Roberta Laundrie sent a letter to her fugitive son marked “burn after you read” in the weeks before his death.
And in an update today, the attorney demanded the letter written by Roberta to Brian be released.
It comes a week after a selfie taken by Gabby, 22, was released, showing the injuries she allegedly suffered at the hands of Brian, 23, minutes before a traffic stop in Utah during the couple's cross-country road trip.
Gabby reportedly took the photo of her bloodied and scratched face two minutes before a bystander called 911 to report a domestic violence incident between the pair.
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Today, exclusive photos obtained by The U.S. Sun show Brian Laundrie's dad Chris for the first time since the selfie was released.
He can be seen in North Port, Florida - where he and Roberta live - wearing a green T-shirt and blue shorts with a tan baseball cap.
Chris showed little expression as he collected the mail outside his house before running errands and stopping at Tire Choice & Total Car Care in North Port.
HAND OVER THE LETTER
Gabby's parents, Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt, have sued Brian's parents for “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” after their daughter was found strangled to death at a campsite near Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park on September 21, 2021.
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The Petito family lawyer, Patrick Reilly, is now asking for a letter that was recovered from Brain's backpack when his body was found in Florida's Carlton Reserve on October 20, 2021, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In this letter written by Brian's mother, she expressed things “including helping him get out of prison, getting a shovel and some other things," Reilly claimed during a remote hearing in Sarasota County Circuit Court in Florida.
The words "burn after reading" were written on the envelope containing the letter, Reilly claimed.
While a defense lawyer for the Laundrie family did admit that the letter exists and that another family attorney has it in their possession, they said it isn't relevant to the lawsuit and that they shouldn't have to produce it.
It's unclear when the letter was written. Reilly claims it is not dated, while the defense claims the letter pre-dates Brian and Gabby's road trip.
Nonetheless, Reilly said a jury should decide if it's relevant or not.
The Petito family attorney wants to ask Roberts about the letter in a deposition, Reilly added.
To which Judge Danielle Brewer said: “I don’t see how it wouldn’t be relevant to the action."
Neama Rahmani, a former assistant US Attorney and the current president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, exclusively told The U.S. Sun: "The ‘burn after reading’ letter is important because it shows the Laundrie family’s [alleged] knowledge.
"They haven't said anything publicly, all statements they’ve made have gone through their lawyer.
"This letter helps the Petitos show what the Laundries knew and when they knew it, and as they were putting statements out about looking for Gabby when they allegedly knew she was already dead.
"If the letter helps show that Brian's parents knew he murdered Gabby that's a very strong case."
TRAFFIC STOP
According to the Petito family attorney Brian Stewart, at the law firm of Parker & McConkie, police pulled the young couple over at around 4.55pm on August 12, 2021, about 15 minutes after Gabby snapped the bloodied selfie.
The attorney said that the photo demonstrates cuts to Gabby's left cheek, blood smeared on her forehead, across her left eye, cheek, and nose.
The 911 caller who witnessed the incident reportedly told police that he saw Brian slapping and punching Gabby in a parking lot in Moab, Utah.
"Gabby pointed out the injury to Officer [Eric] Pratt, but he ignored her and did nothing more to investigate or document the injury," the attorney said.
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The Petitos' legal team claims Gabby was likely "strangled and/or suffocated" by Brian before their traffic stop, adding that the 22-year-old was not the "predominant aggressor."
Stewart told The U.S Sun exclusively: “Seeing Gabby like this is heartbreaking. Gabby clearly told the Moab Police how Brian had grabbed her face and cut her, but they ignored her and the serious danger she was in.”
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