CNN
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Gabby Pettitto’s parents now have a copy of it A letter from Brian Landry’s mother For his son, this includes instructions on getting a shovel and burying the body.
Attorneys for both sides argued Wednesday in Sarasota County, Florida, whether the letter was relevant to the lawsuit filed by Gabby Pettitto’s parents against Landry’s parents. and ex-lawyer of Laundries.
The envelope containing the letter – undated – read “Burn after reading” and was recovered from Brian Landry’s bag when his remains were found in October 2021.
“We all know the letter notes that burying a body is like bringing a shovel and burying a body,” Pettitto family attorney Patrick Reilly told the court Wednesday. “Those are criminal acts that Roberta Landry has said she would do.”
Petidos is suing Landrys for emotional distress over the death of Gabi Petito while traveling with her fiancé Brian Landrys in the western United States. Landry returned home from the trip without Petito and disappeared several weeks later.
Gabby Pettitto’s remains were found in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest in September 2021, and her death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation. Before taking his own life, Brian Landry wrote: A notebook He is responsible for her death, according to the FBI. Her remains were discovered the following month in a safe not far from her parents’ home in North Port, Florida.
Attorneys for Brian Landry’s parents fought not to turn over the letter, arguing it was not relevant to the civil suit brought by Petito’s parents.
In an affidavit filed before the trial, Roberta Landry said she did not know the exact date of the letter, but wrote it before Brian left on their trip with Gabby Petito, hoping it would help mend her relationship with her son.
After a lengthy back-and-forth in court on Wednesday, both sides agreed that the twelfth judicial circuit court did not need a secret order to keep the letter under seal. Judge Daniel Brewer It determined that the letter might be relevant to the case and plaintiff attorneys should receive at least one copy.
“Your Honor, I think, at this point, we’re probably not going to be in favor of a nondisclosure agreement on this issue because Mr. Reilly put the two damning parts of the letter on the record in open court, so I’m just saying, that’s where – we’ll deal with that throughout the case,” Landries’ attorney said. B. Matthew Luca said Wednesday.
However, it is not clear whether the letter will be made public.
Reilly told CNN that he would consult with Petito’s parents and decide whether they would share it with the press.
CNN reached out to Luca, but did not immediately hear back.
The lawsuit alleges that Roberta and Christopher Landry engaged in outrageous conduct that intentionally caused Gabby’s emotional distress at the time of her disappearance. It says the couple refused to return calls or text messages to the Petito family as they frantically tried to find their daughter.
The Laundromats argued in court filings that they had no obligation to Pettitto’s family.
In an earlier hour of hearing, the Landries and their former attorney, Steven Bertolino, who is named as a defendant in the suit, argued motions to dismiss the civil suit. The judge said he would rule on the motions to dismiss in a written order posted on the docket.
