Gabby Petito's parents gain access to Brian Laundrie's "burn after reading" letter as Roberta responds

Sarasota County, Florida - Despite the wishes of Brian Laundrie's parents, the "burn after reading" letter written by Roberta Laundrie was turned over to Gabby Petito's family, and it's on the eerie side.

Gabby Petito's (r.) parents gained access to Roberta Laundrie's "burn after reading" letter amid their ongoing lawsuit, and it's eerie.
Gabby Petito's (r.) parents gained access to Roberta Laundrie's "burn after reading" letter amid their ongoing lawsuit, and it's eerie.  © Collage: IMAGO / USA TODAY Network & ZUMA Wire

Attorneys representing Petito's parents and those representing the Laundries battled it out in a Sarasota County court on Wednesday over whether the seemingly ominous letter is relevant to the Petito family's lawsuit against Brian's parents and their former attorney, per CNN.

The undated letter, which was inside an envelope with Brian's name on it and the phrase "burn after reading", includes references to getting a shovel and burying a body. It was recovered from Brian's backpack, which was located near where his remains were found in October 2021.

The Petito family attorney, Patrick Reilly, told the judge the contents of the letter "are criminal acts, by the way, that Roberta Laundrie has said she would commit."

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After a day-long court battle, Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Danielle Brewer determined the letter may be relevant to the case.

Following their day in court, the Petito family's attorney shared photos of Roberta's letter with reporter Brian Entin, who then tweeted the pictures out to his followers.

The letter itself says, "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," amongst other things.

Not only that, but Entin also shared a screenshot of a text message from Roberta regarding her handwritten letter.

Roberta Laundrie's "burn after reading" letter to Brian Laundrie gets exposed

Gabby Petito's death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation.
Gabby Petito's death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation.  © IMAGO / NurPhoto

Roberta's text to Entin read: "The letter to Brian was written prior to Gabby and Brian leaving my home for their trip.

"Now that the letter has been shared, I ask that you read it in its entirety, and understand that the letter contains other phrases besides those highlighted by Pat Reilly for sensationalism and to bolster his case," she wrote.

"I truly loved my son, and simply want to convey to him how much he meant to me and how much I loved him ... Although I chose words that I thought would be impactful with Brian given our relationship, the letter was in no way related to Gabby."

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The Petito family lawsuit alleges that Roberta and Chris caused emotional distress during the time Gabby was missing, as the couple refused to return Gabby's parents calls or texts while they were searching for their daughter.

Gabby's remains were found at Bridger-Teton National Forest in September 2021, and her death was ruled a homicide by strangulation.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / USA TODAY Network & ZUMA Wire

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