What exactly was said in 'burn after reading' letter given to Brian Laundrie from his mom
Topics: Crime, Florida, Gabby Petito, Netflix, True crime, US News
Liv Bridge
Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Crime, Florida, Gabby Petito, Netflix, True crime, US News
What Brian Laundrie's mom said in a 'burn after reading' letter to her son who murdered his fiancé Gabby Petito has been revealed - and makes for a chilling read.
Brian strangled and murdered his fiancée Gabby, who was also found with 'blunt-force injuries', months after the pair were on a trip-of-a-lifetime across the US almost four years ago in July 2021.
The young couple had departed from Florida in a converted Ford transit van when Gabby's parents raised the alarm that their daughter had vanished just weeks into their trip - and Brian had returned to his parents' home in the van without her.
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A lengthy criminal investigation eventually uncovered the man was responsible for murdering the 22-year-old, as told in the Netflix true crime docu-series on the case, American Murder: Gabby Petito.
Brian managed to escape police capture and was found dead in October with a suicide note that confessed to the crime.
However, the confession wasn't the only item recovered from his backpack by his remains, as he was also carrying a letter with instructions to 'burn after reading' from his mom, Roberta Laundrie, the contents of which have been released by CNN and makes for a chilling read.
Roberta wrote that she would help her son 'dispose of a body' and 'bake a cake with a file in it' if he went to jail in a note that the Petito's legal team claims is potentially incriminating.
Gabby's parents have argued that Brian's parents knew Gabby had been murdered and even the location of her body. The Netflix documentary appears to suggest Roberta and Christopher Laundrie might have known, considering Brian called them for lengthy periods after Gabby's disappearance, after which Christopher contacted an attorney, while the couple ignored desperate calls from Gabby's family.
But Brian's mom has defended the note as simply an ordinary love letter that she claims was given to him prior to his trip with Gabby.
It's also undated, making it unclear when Roberta could have handed him the note.
The letter in full reads: "I just want you to remember I will always Love you and I know you will always Love me. You are my boy. Nothing can make me stop loving you, nothing will or could ever divide us. No matter what we do, or where we go or what we say- we will always Love each other.
"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 bring show up with a shovel and garbage bags,” it says, having crossed out the word 'bring' for 'show'.
"If you fly to the moon, I will be watching the skies for your re-entry. If you say you hate my guts, I'll get new guts," it continues. "Remember that love is a verb, not a noun. It's not a thing, it's not words, it is actions. Watch people's actions to know if they love you -- not their words."
The letter then quotes an 'extended version' of the Bible passage Romans 8.38, which in summary states 'nothing has the power to separate us', not in death or life or any other being.
She adds: "(Nothing can separate us: 'not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not threats, not even sin, not the thinkable or unthinkable can get between us.) ~Not time. Not miles and miles and miles."
The letter was subject to a hearing on Wednesday as the Petito's lawyer claims it references 'criminal acts' that Roberta 'has said she would commit'.
But Roberta's legal team say the letter was not related to Gabby's murder and was full of common phrases that people use to declare their love.
She said: “I truly loved my son, and simply wanted to convey to him how much he meant to me and how much I loved him.
“I am sure people use phrases all the time to express to their loved ones the depths of their love. Although I chose words that I thought would be impactful with Brian given our relationship, the letter was in no way related to Gabby."