MIAMI, FLORIDA: In a dramatic turn of events, it has been revealed that the family of Brian Laundrie, accused in the tragic murder of Gabby Petito, has reportedly extended a confidential settlement proposal to Gabby's parents Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt as they prepare for a civil trial scheduled for May 2024.
According to court documents, Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundrie family, sent what is described as a "proposal of settlement" to Gabby's parents. The exact terms of this settlement have not been disclosed to the public, leaving the details shrouded in secrecy.
Attorney Steven Bertolino told WFLA, "Settlement, discussions, and proposals are part of the process with every civil litigation. This case is no different." However, the attorney representing Gabby's parents declined to comment on the "confidential" offer.
What happened to Gabby Petito?
The case revolves around the disappearance and subsequent murder of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman who vanished while on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie in August 2021.
Laundrie returned to his home in Florida without Gabby and was identified by law enforcement as a person of interest in her disappearance.
Tragically, Gabby's lifeless body was discovered in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, approximately one month after her disappearance. Brian Laundrie was later found dead in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida and had confessed to Gabby's murder in a letter.
The case took an even more unsettling turn when it was revealed that Brian Laundrie's mother Roberta had written a letter to her son offering assistance in burying a body and escaping from jail.
In the undated letter, Roberta expressed her unwavering love for her son, even under the most disturbing circumstances.
"I just want you to remember I will always Love you and I know you will always Love me. You are my boy. Nothing can make me stop loving you, nothing will or could ever divide us," Roberta wrote in the letter.
"No matter what we do, or where we go, or what we say- we will always Love each other. If you’re in jail I will bake a cake with a file in it. If you need to dispose of a body I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags," she added.
The civil lawsuit brought on by Gabby's parents, which names Bertolino as a defendant, alleges that the Laundrie family was aware of Gabby's murder and chose to remain silent, causing immeasurable emotional harm to her parents.
Depositions for the civil case began last month, and the jury trial is scheduled for May 2024.
In addition to this civil action, Gabby Petito's parents have filed a separate $50 million lawsuit against the Moab City Police Department for failing to arrest Brian Laundrie after they had found Gabby bloodied and distressed following a fight days before her death.
The lawsuit against the police department centers on transcripts of an interview with a Moab police officer who had pulled over the couple after receiving a call from Gabby, reporting that she was being attacked by Laundrie.
Brian Laundrie was an 'emotional threat' to Gabby Petito
The lawsuit names Officer Eric Pratt as a defendant, alleging that he and the department did not fulfill their duties as peace officers by failing to make an arrest despite red flags raised by the situation.
The lawsuit further reveals that Pratt viewed Laundrie as a threat to Gabby's well-being at the time, and he conveyed this concern during an independent review of the incident.
The case also highlights alleged failures in adhering to proper police policy and procedures during the encounter with Gabby and Laundrie.
"I thought he was an emotional threat to her," Pratt allegedly conveyed to a Price police captain. "I thought he was a mental threat to her," he added.
"I took my 16 years of experience, and said I believed Gabby based on the totality of circumstances and based on what she appears physically capable of and based off what I saw him doing and acting the way he was acting, I don't think she assaulted him," Pratt stated, according to the amended lawsuit.
Captain Brandon Ratcliffe further emphasized the complexity of the situation, remarking, "Just because Gabby was determined to be the predominant aggressor as it related to this incident, doesn’t mean she was the long-term predominant aggressor in this relationship."
The lawsuit against the police department names the department itself, two officers who responded to the call, and two former leaders.
