Brian Laundrie’s parents seen for the first time after his mom’s burn-after-reading letter made chilling ‘shiv threat’
BRIAN Laundrie's parents were spotted for the first time after his mother's burn-after-reading letter was revealed to have chilling references to a shiv threat if her son went to prison.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie were out walking near their North Port, Florida home on Wednesday after a new court filing shed more light on Roberta's letter to her son.
Both wore hats concealing their face.
Chris opted for a baseball cap while Roberta chose a sun hat and large pair of sunglasses for the outing.
The couple remains embroiled in a legal battle with Gabby Petito's family.
Gabby's parents claim that the Laundries caused them emotional distress and attempted to help Brian escape after he strangled Gabby to death during their ill-fated "van life" road trip.
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The lawsuit claims that Laundrie, his parents, and their lawyer knew that Gabby was already dead when Bertolino released a statement to the media on September 14, 2021.
The statement read: "On behalf of the Laundrie family it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family."
Just days later, on September 19, Gabby's remains were found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming where she was last seen alive.
Laundrie allegedly killed the vlogger around August 28.
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A month later on October 20, Laundrie's remains were found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park near the Laundrie family home in North Port, Florida.
Laundrie died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said the FBI.
A handwritten suicide note was found near his decomposed remains along with a confession preserved in a dry bag and other personal items.
'BURN AFTER READING'
The family's attorney Pat Reilly previously asked the court to force Laundries' parents to turn over the letter in which Roberta allegedly offered to lend her son a shovel to bury something.
"I don't feel comfortable summarizing the letter," he told the outlet at the time.
"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."
According to court documents, the undated letter "references bringing a shovel to help bury a body, and baking a cake with a shiv in it should Brian Laundrie go to prison."
This marked the first time that the "shiv" reference was mentioned in legal proceedings surrounding the letter.
Reilly wrote in the Sarasota, Florida, court filing on Friday, May 5: "A reasonable inference is that the letter was written at a time when Gabrielle Petito was as yet unburied and Brian Laundrie could go to jail for the crime of murder."
In March 2023, Roberta Laundrie broke her silence over the letter.
Roberta said that the bizarre letter was written at a different time than when Petito went missing.
"While I used words that seem to have a connection with Brian's actions and his taking of Gabby's life," she wrote in a court motion to protect the letter from release.
"I never would have fathomed the events that unfolded months later between Brian and Gabby would reflect the words in my letter.
"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."
The Petito family is requesting the letter be fully released, according to court documents.
Reilly called the document "self-serving" and claimed it "draws attention away" from what Roberta originally said, according to WFLA.
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"Who writes a letter to their adult son saying I'll help bury a body? It's no surprise she wanted no one else to see it," he said.
"It's a very self-serving document intending to draw attention away from what it says."
