‘Emotionless answers’: Parents of Gabby Petito react to the Laundries’ depositions
VENICE, Fla. (WFLA) — The second day of depositions with Brian Laundrie’s parents was filled with more tension and more revelations about the aftermath of Gabby Petito’s death.
“We learned a lot in the last two days that we didn’t know before,” said attorney Pat Reilly.
Roberta Laundrie, Brian’s mother, was questioned by Reilly on Wednesday in Venice, Florida, ahead of the civil trial slated for May. Brian’s father, Christopher Laundrie, was deposed Tuesday.
‘Gut-wrenching’: Parents of Gabby Petito, Brian Laundrie meet for first time since Petito’s murder
Questions were said to surround the infamous “burn after reading” letter that Roberta purportedly wrote Brian. In the letter, she allegedly offered her son a shovel and garbage bags if he needed to dispose of a body.
“There is pure evil in this world,” said Nichole Schmidt, Gabby’s mother, after listening to Roberta’s deposition over Zoom. “I have witnessed it firsthand.”
Joe Petito, Gabby’s father, said the Laundries refused to look his way at all during the two-day deposition.
“Not once,” Joe Petito told Nexstar’s WFLA. “I’ve never such seen emotionless answers regarding a deceased child.”
Reilly questioned Roberta Laundrie for more than three hours but declined to discuss the new information they received about why the Laundries refused to respond to Gabby’s family after her disappearance in August 2021.
The depositions are expected to play a major role in the civil trial between the two families.
READ: Brian Laundrie’s notebook confession, message to Gabby Petito
Steven Bertolino, the longtime Laundrie attorney who is a co-defendant in the case, said Roberta’s deposition went as anticipated.
“Once again, there were no surprises on our side,” Bertolino told WFLA.
Reilly, in response to Bertolino, issued a statement to WFLA accusing Bertolino of being insensitive.
“Bertolino makes it sound like it is just another day in his and the Laundries life. But it was an emotional, gut wrenching and eye opening day for Joe and Nichole,” the statement read, in part.
More depositions are on the schedule, including with Brian Laundrie’s sister, Cassie. Petito’s parents are suing the Laundries and Bertolino for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Their lawsuit claims the Laundries were aware of Petito’s murder soon after the 22-year-old’s death in August 2021 and chose to do nothing to help.
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