The second day of depositions with Brian Laundrie’s parents was more tense and revealed more about what happened after Gabby Petito’s de*ath.
Lawyer Pat Reilly said, “We learned a lot in the last two days that we didn’t know before.”
At Reilly’s office in Venice, Florida, on Wednesday, Brian’s mother, Roberta Laundrie, was questioned before the civil trial in May. Christopher, Brian’s dad, was fired Tuesday.
People had concerns about the well-known “burn after reading” letter she sent to Brian. Roberta wrote in the letter that she would give her son a shovel and trash bags if he had to get rid of a body.
Nicole Schmidt, Gabby’s mother, said, “There is pure evil in this world,” after hearing Roberta’s deposition over Zoom. “I have seen it for myself.”
Dad of Gabby, Joe Petito, said that the Laundries wouldn’t look at him at all during the two-day deposition.
“Not once,” Petito said “I’ve never such seen emotionless answers regarding a deceased child.”
Reilly questioned Roberta Laundrie for more than three hours, but she wouldn’t talk about the new information they had learned about why the Laundries didn’t answer Gabby’s family’s messages after she went missing in August 2021.
Just two times, Petito and Schmidt have had the chance to meet in person. The depositions will likely be a very important part of the civil trial between the two families.
Steven Bertolino, a longtime Laundrie lawyer who is also a co-defendant in the case, says that both Christopher’s and Roberta’s depositions went as planned.
The boss told WFLA.com, “Once again, there were no surprises on our side.”
Along with Bertolino’s response, Reilly told WFLA.com that Bertolino was being insensitive.
In response to Bertolino’s claim that they were not surprised, Reilly wrote, “of course not!” “For two years, they have been hiding the truth and not giving Joe and Nichole the answers they needed so badly.” Bertolino talks about it as if it were just another day for him and the linens. But for Joe and Nichole, it was a day that broke their hearts and opened their eyes. The Laundries and Bertolino told them everything they knew about Gabby while they were looking for information about her. Mr. Bertolino’s lack of sensitivity never ends.”
It is planned to have more depositions, one of which will be with Brian Laundrie’s sister Cassie. Petito’s parents are suing the Laundries and Bertolino for causing him or her to suffer emotional harm on purpose. The Laundries are being sued because they say they knew about Petito’s m*urder soon after the 22-year-old died in August 2021 but did nothing to help.
