BRIAN Laundrie's dad has taken a swipe at the media – as a former prosecutor warned the embattled father and his wife could face criminal charges and up 30 years in jail over the death of Gabby Petito.
Christopher Laundrie, 62, told The US Sun "This isn't right … we're being tried by media" as he was spotted hiking in the same Florida park where his son's skeletal remains were found last October.
The sighting came just one day after a judge denied Christopher and his wife Roberta Laundrie's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Gabby's parents, claiming they knew Brian had killed their daughter before she was found dead.
When offered the chance to address the Petito family on Friday morning, Christopher told The US Sun: "If I wanted to say something to them I would have.
"Don't talk to me anymore," Christopher then angrily instructed, swatting his hand as he ventured further into North Port's Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.
Thursday's court ruling means the Petito family's civil case against the Laundries will now proceed to trial where it will be heard in front of a jury.
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The Petitos allege that Christopher and Roberta deliberately withheld information that their son had killed Gabby during a cross-country road trip and helped him flee justice.
'OUTRAGEOUS REMARKS'
At the center of the case is a statement released by the Laundrie family lawyer Steve Bertolino on Sept. 16, as investigators searched the Grand Teton National Park for traces of Petito.
“On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Ms. Petito is successful and that Ms. Petito is reunited with her family,” the statement in question read.
The family's statement – while allegedly knowing Gabby was dead – provided false hope and invoked emotional distress, Petito's lawyer, Patrick Reilly, argued in court.
Judge Hunter W Carroll denied a motion by the Laundries to dismiss the case in a ruling issued on Thursday morning, calling Berolino's statement "objectively outrageous."
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“Because the Laundries’ statement by their attorney in the context of the unique facts of this case is objectively outrageous, the Court concludes that Plaintiffs have stated causes of action for intentional infliction of emotional distress against the Laundries,” Carroll ruled.
The judge further added that he would have ruled in the Laundrie's favor had they stayed silent during the search for Gabby.
“But they did not stay silent," Carroll said.
'COULD & SHOULD BE PROSECUTED'
Neama Rahmani, a former assistant U.S. Attorney and the current president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, claimed in an interview with The US Sun that the Laundrie family's legal woes could worsen still.
According to Rahmani, should the Laundrie family opt to defend themselves against the substantive claims made in the Petitos' lawsuit, then any evidence shared in that civil trial could be used to launch a criminal case against them.
"If it does turn out that the Laundries knew their son killed Gabby, and they withheld that information to help him flee, giving him a head-start on law enforcement, then that would make them accessories after the fact to murder," Rahmani explained.
"And that's a crime that can carry up to 30 years in prison.
"There's certainly evidence that gives rise to the inference that they knew their son killed Gabby, and then gave them a head start – and that's the basis for prosecution," added Rahmani.
"So now they're caught in this sort of really bad situation."
When asked how likely a criminal case may be, Rahmani said he was unsure, as Florida law makes it more difficult to charge parents as accessories to crimes than in other states.
However, if he was a prosecutor in Florida, Rahmani said he would "absolutely" pursue criminal charges against the Laundries.
"The Laundrie family’s actions really angered and outraged a lot of people by remaining silent, which was their right, but they were doing nothing to help find Gabby," the lawyer said.
"And if evidence turns out that they were not only doing anything to help Gabby but also helping Brian to escape … I think prosecutors will pick up the case.
"I would … I would definitely prosecute the case.
"That's a felony and anyone who does such a thing belongs in state prison."
Bertolino declined to comment about any potential criminal charges being filed against the Laundries.
But speaking more generally about Judge Carroll's ruling, he said: "Chris and Roberta Laundrie, and myself, are disappointed with Judge Carroll’s decision to deny the motion and allow this lawsuit to proceed.
"Judge Carroll points out that the September 14, 2021 statement, standing alone, does not suggest outrage, but within the context of the other allegations in the case, the plaintiffs have met the threshold to go forward to the next phase.
"The Laundries will continue to use all available legal means to preserve their rights."
BRIAN'S CHILLING CONFESSION
Brian Laundrie made a series of shocking admissions about Petito's death in a notebook found near his remains back in October, pictures of which were released by Bertolino last week.
Laundrie insisted in the journal that he took his girlfriend Gabby Petito's life because she had an injury and refused to let him get help, which has been questioned by those following the case.
Gabby's remains were discovered in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 21, 2021, several weeks after she was reported missing.
Reilly, an attorney who represents Gabby's parents, Joe and Nichole, issued a statement condemning the release of the notebook, which Bertolini claimed was done in the interests of "full transparency."
The attorney further alleged that Bertolino omitted certain, more damning evidence against the Laundries, as part of the release.
Reilly told WFLA: "I find it ironic that Mr. Bertolino says he was, in full transparency, releasing this.
"Well, someone should ask him why he doesn't release the entire notebook – but more importantly, ask him why he doesn't release Roberta Laundrie's letter to her son."
In his statement, Reilly claims there is a copy of a letter that features some "extreme details" of Petito's murder, allegedly written by Roberta after Gabby's death and before Brian's suicide.
Riley would not go into detail about the letter, but described it as “odd”.
He also claimed that Roberta instructed Brian to burn the letter "after you read this."
Rahmani said the alleged note, purportedly found in Laundrie's van, is important because it "shows the Laundrie family’s [alleged] knowledge" of Gabby's death.
"They haven't said anything publicly, all statements they’ve made have gone through their lawyer.
"This letter helps the Petito's show what the Laundrie's 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."
ILL-FATED ROAD TRIP
Brian and Gabby had been on a cross-country road trip touring the US national parks when Gabby vanished in late August, two weeks after the couple was involved in a domestic violence dispute in Moab, Utah.
Petito's family last heard from her on August 27, receiving a text they characterized as "strange" before Gabby's phone was switched off for good.
Her body was then found at a dispersed campsite near Grand Teton National Park, in Wyoming, on September 19.
A coroner determined that she had been strangled to death by a "human force" some three to four weeks before she was found, with Laundrie later identified as the culprit.
Three days before Gabby's remains were found, Laundrie vanished from his family's North Port home.
A several-week search for him ensued before his skeletal remains were recovered from Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20.
Investigators determined he'd died from a single gunshot wound to the head weeks prior.
In a notebook found near his remains, Laundrie claimed that Petito's murder was "merciful" and carried out after she suffered an unspecified injury after falling in a creek.
"I don't know the extent of Gabby's injuries, only that she was in extreme pain," scrawled the 23-year-old.
"I ended her life. I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked. I was in shock
"From the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn't go on without her," Brian added.
He also alluded to seeing his family after killing the young vlogger, and asked the public not to "make life harder for his family."
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"I am sorry to my family. This is a shock to them as well as a terrible grief. They loved [Gabby] as much, if not more than me.
"A new daughter to my mother, an aunt to my nephews (sic).
Please do not make this harder for them. This occurred as an unexpected tragedy," Brian wrote.
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