Gabby Petito's mom has shared a message to her daughter's killer Brian Laundrie.
Petito's disappearance in the summer of 2021 made international headlines after the 22-year-old travel blogger went missing after embarking on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie.
During their trip, Petito regularly kept her parents updated about her whereabouts, according to a suit, per CBS News. Her last communication with them was on August 27.
On August 12, 2021, the couple was stopped by cops while traveling around Utah. It was alleged that onlookers saw Laundrie strike his partner, and this was later confirmed by Petito when she was being questioned by the officers who arrived at the scene.
Even though Petito appeared to be pretty shaken up in the body cam footage released by the department, no further action was taken.
However, just a few weeks later, her body was discovered on the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, according to NBC News. The coroner ruled that she died by "manual strangulation".
Her death sparked a highly publicized murder case where Laundrie became the prime suspect in a nationwide manhunt after he returned solo to the couple's home on September 1.
But approximately two weeks later, he disappeared and his remains were later found in a Florida nature preserve and a medical examiner ruled that he died due to a self-inflicted gunshot.
Notes were also discovered nearby in which Laundrie claimed responsibility for his girlfriend's death.
Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt took the stage at CrimeCon 2024, a true crime convention in Nashville, on Friday (May 31) afternoon, and addressed Laundrie and his mom, Roberta.
"I speak for myself here when I say Brian, I forgive you," Schmidt said, as cited by CNN. "I needed to release myself from the chains of anger and bitterness, that I refuse to let your despicable act define the rest of my life.
"Your atrocious decision to take a life, my daughter’s life, has ignited a fire within me, a fierce determination to protect the innocent from falling victim to monsters like you," she continued.
The grief-stricken mom slammed Roberta, describing her as "pure evil" and saying: "I see no empathy in your eyes, no remorse in your heart, and no willingness to take responsibility for your actions."
Schmidt called Laundrie’s parents “complicit in his cowardly flight from justice,” stating that they “have added salt to our wounds” and “aided and abetted him".
“We were denied the chance to confront our daughter’s killer, to look him in the eye and express the profound pain his actions inflicted upon us,” she said. “The unbearable weight of Gabby’s absence is compounded by the sickening injustice of her murder remaining unpunished.”
“You do not deserve forgiveness,” she said. “You deserve to be forgotten.”
Petito's parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, sued Christopher and Roberta Laundrie and their attorney, Steve Bertolino for inflicting emotional distress.
According to The Mirror, Roberta was suspected of helping her son sneak away while cops had him as a key suspect in Petito’s murder. She was also accused of not cooperating with authorities during the early stages of the investigation.
In addition to this, The Independent reported that Laundrie’s parents told officials during deposition hearings that their son had called them in an erratic state leading them to be worried for Petito’s safety.
However, Petito’s parents allege that the Laundries never contacted them and ignored their efforts of communication. They have also claimed the Laundries knew about their daughter's murder and tried to hide it.
In February, Joseph and Nicole reached a settlement in a civil lawsuit. It is believed that all parties had "reluctantly agreed" to the deal after a "long day of mediation" in order to "avoid further legal expenses and prolonged personal conflict," per BBC.
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