At CrimeCon, Gabby Petito's mother expressed forgiveness toward Brian Laundrie.
Brian Laundrie and his fiancé, Gabby Petito, set off on a trip together in June 2021. Petito's family reported her missing in September, 10 days after Laundrie had returned to his Florida home on his own. Later on in the month, Petito's body was found in Wyoming, and strangulation was the cause of death. Laundrie himself went missing, and his remains were discovered in October 2021.
At CrimeCon, a true crime convention in Nashville, Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, addressed the crowd. She expressed forgiveness towards the actions of Laundrie, saying "Brian, I forgive you." Schmidt stated that she had to release herself from the chains of anger and bitterness over what happened. She declared that his actions had kindled a fire inside her, pushing her to protect the innocent from similar dangers in the future.
Referring to Laundrie's mother, Roberta Laundrie, Schmidt remarked, "I see no empathy in your eyes, no remorse in your heart and no willingness to take responsibility for your actions." She also accused Roberta of being "pure evil." Schmidt labelled Laundrie's parents as "complicit in his cowardly flight from justice" and they "have added salt to our wounds," she added.
In her speech, Schmidt mentioned that they were deprived of the chance to confront their daughter's murderer and that his actions resulted in both her daughter's absence and lack of justice.
CNN sought the family's comments following this statement.
Petito's parents filed a lawsuit against Laundrie's parents for emotional distress in September 2021. The claim was that they knew their son had killed Petito and they had information about the location of her body, but negligently chose not to reveal the information. A settlement was reached between the two families in February. Court documents showed that Laundrie's parents acknowledged during depositions, their son told them Petito was "gone," and he would need a lawyer in an anxious phone call on August 29, 2021. Three weeks prior to the discovery of Petito's body in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest.
During the depositions for the emotional distress lawsuit, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie denied being told by their son that he killed his fiancé. However, Roberta Laundrie later said, "It probably went through my mind."
When Laundrie returned to Florida, his mother didn't question him about Petito's whereabouts, following her attorney's advice not to mention anything that may have happened. After asking him, Roberta Laundrie stated, "I was told not to ask and so I just kept Brian close, kept him home, and didn't talk to him about anything and hoped for the best."
Asked about Laundrie's "gone" comment, Roberta Laundrie mentioned several potential scenarios, including Petito leaving or possibly facing charges.
Brian Laundrie's remains were discovered in a nature reserve in Florida after a lengthy search. The medical examiner determined that the 23-year-old man died by suicide. The FBI confirmed that no one other than Brian Laundrie was directly involved in Petito's death.
During her speech, Schmidt described her daughter, an aspiring travel influencer, as a "bright light" and "talented artist." She was "full of love, compassion, and boundless potential."
Petito had a "tenacious and free-spirited" personality.
Schmidt mentioned that they will keep remembering her daughter, cherishing the time they spent together, and advocating for justice in her name.
Finally, referring to her daughter's sentiments, Schmidt concluded by saying, "I implore you all, live by these simple words directly from Gabby: 'Just be a nicer person.'"
In 2022, a Florida judge sided with Petito's family in a wrongful death lawsuit against Brian Laundrie's estate, awarding $3 million to Petito's mother as the head of her daughter's estate.
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The Petito family, being US residents, felt deeply affected by the events that transpired. Despite her words towards Laundrie's actions, Schmidt expressed her hope to protect other families from similar dangers, acting as an advocate for justice in the US.
The Petito family, residing in the US, sought justice for their daughter's death by filing a lawsuit against Laundrie's parents in September 2021.
