Gabby Petito’s mom is not buying what Brian Laundrie was trying to sell in his personal journal last year.
Referring to a case that made national headlines at the time, Laundrie admitted in this notebook to murdering Petito in the summer of 2021, writing many months ago:
“I ended her life.”
He penned these words in a diary of sorts… which was discovered in October 2021 after Laundrie’s death by suicide.
In June, an attorney for the late 22-year old released eight pages from Laundrie’s journal, unveiling to the public for the first time an entry in which Laundrie confessed to the aforementioned crime.
As a quick refresher, all these months later:
In September 2021, the body of Petito was found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming; a medical examiner determined she was killed by strangulation.
Laundrie, who had been dating Petito at the time, vanished almost immediately afterward… amid ongoing calls for his arrest.
He was then found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the Florida wilderness in October of last year.
In his recently-released journal, Laundrie alleged that during the couple’s van road trip, Petito was injured while the two tried to cross a stream and was “begging for an end to her pain.”
He wrote:
“I ended her life. I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted.”
But Nichole Schmidt appeared this week on The Today Show and made it clear that she thinks this explanation is total nonsense.
When asked if she thought Laundrie’s words were “blatantly untrue,” Petito’s mother replied “100 percent.”
On June 27, two days after the notebook’s contents were made public, Schmidt tweeted, “Fed up” and shared a viral quote that read as follows:
“Narcissists rewrite history to escape accountability. You are not crazy.”
She elaborated on Today.
“That was his character, even in his last moments, he wanted to make sure he looked like the good guy. Right?” Schmidt said on air.
“That’s ridiculous. We know how she died.”
The disappearance and murder of Petito, 22, rattled the country last fall.
Petito was found dead on September 19, just over a week after her family reported her missing.
Steven P. Bertolino, the lawyer for Laundries’ parents, said in a June 25 statement that he was given Brian’s notebook after he met with the attorney for Petito’s family and the FBI in Tampa to “sort through and take possession of the personal items that belonged to Gabby and Brian.
“This was a previously agreed upon exchange to enable both the Petitos and the Laundries to receive what belonged to their respective children.”
Bertolino continued:
“Although I have chosen to release the letter as a matter of transparency I will not be commenting further as there are still proceedings pending in Court. These are Brian’s words.”
In March, Schmidt and Petito’s father, Joseph Petito, filed a civil lawsuit against Laundrie’s dad, Christopher Laundrie, and mom, Roberta Laundrie.
They said in this paperwork that the parents knew their son killed Petito … and kept his whereabouts hidden after reporting him missing, while also were “making arrangements for him to leave the country.”
In June, a judge denied a motion from the Laundries to dismiss the lawsuit.
Their attorney for the Laundries later said in a statement to that they “are disappointed” with the decision and “will continue to use all available legal means to preserve their rights.”
