SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (Court TV) — Brian Laundrie’s mother offered to bake a cake with a shiv inside it if her son were to go to prison for Gabby Petito‘s murder, according to newly released court filings by the attorney for Gabby’s parents.
That new detail was contained in the so-called “burn after reading” letter Roberta Laundrie wrote to Brian.
FILE – In this image taken from police body camera video provided by The Moab Police Department, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito talks to a police officer after police pulled over the van she was traveling in with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, near the entrance to Arches National Park on Aug. 12, 2021. (The Moab Police Department via AP, File)
Court TV reported on that letter earlier this year, but that particular detail had not been made public. Although the full letter has not been released, a judge is expected to rule on the letter’s release in a hearing scheduled for May 24.
Shiv is a slang term that refers to a crude knife whose blade is fashioned out of whatever materials an inmate can find, such as a sharpened toothbrush. Shivs are typically used for self-protection or to stab or shiv a guard or fellow inmate.
Attorney Pat Reilly, who represents Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt in a lawsuit against the Laundries, is petitioning for the letter’s release, arguing it proves Roberta knew Gabby had been killed and sat back while her family desperately searched for her in August 2021.
Roberta has insisted that the letter, which is undated, was written before Brian and Gabby embarked on their summer 2021 cross-country road trip and that its contents were unrelated to Gabby’s death and disappearance.
According to Reilly, the letter was collected by the FBI as evidence earlier this year and the words “burn after reading” were written on the envelope.
The Petitos are suing the Laundries for emotional distress in relation to Gabby’s death at the hands of Brian, who was her fiancé. Gabby and Brian were 22 and 23, respectively, at the time of their deaths.
Gabby’s family had reported her missing on September 11, 2021. Meanwhile, Brian had returned to his family’s Florida home without Gabby on September 1. He left his family’s house about two weeks later and disappeared, sparking a search.
FILE- In this image taken from police body camera video provided by The Moab Police Department, Brian Laundrie talks to a police officer after police pulled over the van he was traveling in with his girlfriend, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito, near the entrance to Arches National Park in Utah on Aug. 12, 2021. (The Moab Police Department via AP, File)
Petito’s body was discovered at Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park on September 19. She had been strangled. Laundrie’s body was found October 20 at a site connected to Florida’s Carlton Reserve. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and left behind a note in which he admitted killing Gabby.
Steve Bertolino, a former attorney for the Petito family, has also been named as a defendant in the case. Gabby’s parents say statements made by Bertolino on behalf of the Laundries caused them mental suffering and anguish when they were looking for their daughter. In a statement issued in September 2021, Bertolino issued a statement hoping Gabby would be found alive.
Attorneys for Bertolino plan to ask that the case against him be dismissed at the May 24 hearing.
In a separate case, the Petitos were awarded $3 million in a wrongful death suit in November 2022.
