Found Deceased WY - Gabby Petito, Grand Teton National Park #87

[DFWNF]

Do you still consider them victims knowing what we know now? To be clear, what we know now is that Brian told them that Gabby was gone 13 days before she was reported missing, and that he needed a lawyer. Something seemed very off from the get-go with these people. I don't condone the over-the-top behavior we saw at their house to be sure, but to call them victims seems inappropriate to me.

Bbm, I agree with you. Completely inappropriate imo. I hope Gabby's parents do not read that anywhere.

 

[Trooper]

I understood what you meant. The Laundries have also lost a child in this terrible case and have suffered from that loss.

JMO.

Not in any sane society could the loss of Gabby be equalled with the 'loss' of Brian. She was brutally murdered, she was a fighter, she would have fought him off, god alone knows for how long, he would have been, had to have been , relentless in pursuing her death, at his hands, he used his own hands to kill her, he wanted it personal and he wanted her to know it.
The magnitude of loss suffered by the family and extended family of Gabby stacked up against the loss suffered by the Laundrie's is immeasurable. Immeasurable.

On the other hand, Brian's death, at his own hand, at a time of his own choosing, by his own chosen method, at his own chosen location, having notified his parents where he could be found, ( his own parents found his body, LE didn't , that cannot be a coincidence ) , thus saving them the excrutiating agony he and they loaded the Petito's with, done to avoid the consequences of his own vile and savage actions, is hardly to be considered a loss, in comparison.

 

[LinasK]

Casey Anthony wasn't convicted of murder, was she? Nope.
I'll agree to disagree and move on.

JMO

Juries don't always get it right. OJ's didn't, neither did Michael Jackson's nor Robert Blake's or Kyle Rittenhaus's. Doesn't mean that they are innocent.

 

[RANCH]

Not in any sane society could the loss of Gabby be equalled with the 'loss' of Brian. She was brutally murdered, she was a fighter, she would have fought him off, god alone knows for how long, he would have been, had to have been , relentless in pursuing her death, at his hands, he used his own hands to kill her, he wanted it personal and he wanted her to know it.
The magnitude of loss suffered by the family and extended family of Gabby stacked up against the loss suffered by the Laundrie's is immeasurable. Immeasurable.

On the other hand, Brian's death, at his own hand, at a time of his own choosing, by his own chosen method, at his own chosen location, having notified his parents where he could be found, ( his own parents found his body, LE didn't , that cannot be a coincidence ) , thus saving them the excrutiating agony he and they loaded the Petito's with, done to avoid the consequences of his own vile and savage actions, is hardly to be considered a loss, in comparison.

I think it's obvious when a parent has a child of theirs die that they will feel a great loss.

That's all I'm saying. JMO.

 

[Dhighsmith]

There is no "legal obligation" for Laundrie's parents in Florida to disclose information about a missing person in Wyoming. They weren't present. Their only "information" was hearsay from their son. There is no proof Laundrie's parents knew for certain Gabby was dead or exactly where her body was located.

JMO

Although a moral issue, Brian’s parents were protected by Florida statutes from prosecution of not disclosing details of his criminal acts.

 

[ch_13]

You're right.

Even the recent news reports that say BL told his parents that Gabby was "gone" is vague and certainly not evidence that shows his parents knew she was dead and where her body was located. JMO.

I don't get this claim.

BL was 'frantic' when he called his parents and said he needed a lawyer. Of course they knew what 'gone' meant. Do we really think that nothing further was said, and they hung up thinking that Gabby had gone for a walk to the store, like in some tv sitcom where there's a misunderstanding and hilarity ensues?

IMO, that's just not credible. Immediately afterwards, the Laundries give Bertolino $25,000 to pay the retainer of a Wyoming based attorney. That's an incredibly large sum of money, and I think far more than would be required if it was just a DV situation. (Note that the firm that was retained advertises prominently on their website that they do federal criminal defense. As Gabby was killed in a National Forest, her murder case would have federal jurisdiction.) Bertolino also spoke to a public defender in Teton County. Why there—a county with a population of just 20,000—unless he knew that's where she was killed?

 

[RANCH]

I don't get this claim.

BL was 'frantic' when he called his parents and said he needed a lawyer. Of course they knew what 'gone' meant. Do we really think that nothing further was said, and they hung up thinking that Gabby had gone for a walk to the store, like in some tv sitcom where there's a misunderstanding and hilarity ensues?

IMO, that's just not credible. Immediately afterwards, the Laundries give Bertolino $25,000 to pay the retainer of a Wyoming based attorney. That's an incredibly large sum of money, and I think far more than would be required if it was just a DV situation. (Note that the firm that was retained advertises prominently on their website that they do federal criminal defense. As Gabby was killed in a National Forest, her murder case would have federal jurisdiction.) Bertolino also spoke to a public defender in Teton County. Why there—a county with a population of just 20,000—unless he knew that's where she was killed?

You're making a lot of assumptions that I'm not willing to do at this time.

If this case does go to trial we may find that your assumptions are correct. Or they may be wrong.

JMO.

 

[Trooper]

I don't get this claim.

BL was 'frantic' when he called his parents and said he needed a lawyer. Of course they knew what 'gone' meant. Do we really think that nothing further was said, and they hung up thinking that Gabby had gone for a walk to the store, like in some tv sitcom where there's a misunderstanding and hilarity ensues?

IMO, that's just not credible. Immediately afterwards, the Laundries give Bertolino $25,000 to pay the retainer of a Wyoming based attorney. That's an incredibly large sum of money, and I think far more than would be required if it was just a DV situation. (Note that the firm that was retained advertises prominently on their website that they do federal criminal defense. As Gabby was killed in a National Forest, her murder case would have federal jurisdiction.) Bertolino also spoke to a public defender in Teton County. Why there—a county with a population of just 20,000—unless he knew that's where she was killed?

For sure... I not only don't get that claim , I totally reject it on the basis of common sense. If my kid turned up in someone's van, and I asked , where's the owner, and he said, 'gone'. I'd be calling an attorney, but calling the police as well. This is , as you say, simply not credible, on any scale, in any scenario. Not a reasonable position to take, that the Laundrie's automatically nodded to 'gone' and accepted this as final.

They did not.

They DID retain a Wyoming lawyer, the DID fork out a motza , and did due diligence regarding the criteria , (Federal crime, the National park thing ) to find an appropriate lawyer, they DID understand comprehensively where Gabby''s poor murdered body had been discarded by their son, in what county, in the USA, they knew, that was not a lucky guess. There are 3,143 counties to choose from. And they chose Teton .

So they knew, in their terms, and Brian's terms , what 'GONE' meant. 'Gone' provoked all these immediate actions, that were out of the normal for their everyday Florida life. 'Gone' instigated actions that point to knowledge of serious Federal capital crime, and not some vague DV somewhere else. Or the misty idea of Gabby gifting the van to good ole Brian.

 

[DFWNF]

I think it's obvious when a parent has a child of theirs die that they will feel a great loss.

That's all I'm saying. JMO.

Controversial opinion, and sympathies to other families of tragic suicides, Brian's fate at a few points was in their hands and preventable JMO. Not victims imo. JMO

 

[RANCH]

Controversial opinion, his fate at a few points was in their hands and preventable JMO. Not victims imo. JMO

I'm not sure why my opinion is controversial. I can accept some members not agreeing with me but why is it controversial?

How was BL's fate in his parents hands? Was it before BL and Gabby left in the van? Or are you talking about his suicide?

JMO.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

There is no "legal obligation" for Laundrie's parents in Florida to disclose information about a missing person in Wyoming. They weren't present. Their only "information" was hearsay from their son. There is no proof Laundrie's parents knew for certain Gabby was dead or exactly where her body was located.

JMO

They certainly had a moral obligation to share what they knew with Gabby's parents. Failing to do so renders them pretty low in my opinion.

 

[RANCH]

They certainly had a moral obligation to share what they knew with Gabby's parents. Failing to do so renders them in my opinion.

That I can agree with. It's understandable why people dislike the Laundries.

Is a moral failing by the Laundries going to enough for Gabby's family to win the civil case? I'm not sure.

JMO.

 

[DFWNF]

I'm not sure why my opinion is controversial. I can accept some members not agreeing with me but why is it controversial?

How was BL's fate in his parents hands? Was it before BL and Gabby left in the van? Or are you talking about his suicide?

JMO.

Sorry Ranch my post meant my post was controversial, not yours, my apologies.

 

[DFWNF]

I'm not sure why my opinion is controversial. I can accept some members not agreeing with me but why is it controversial?

How was BL's fate in his parents hands? Was it before BL and Gabby left in the van? Or are you talking about his suicide?

JMO.

I am talking about from the moment of Brian's "frantic call", and going forward from that. Jmo.

 

[RANCH]

I am talking about from Brian's "frantic call", and going forward from that. Jmo.

I'm guessing you feel the Laundries should have acted differently with Brian after his phone call about Gabby being "gone".

I bet they are thinking the same.

JMO.

 

[LinasK]

That I can agree with. It's understandable why people dislike the Laundries.

Is a moral failing by the Laundries going to enough for Gabby's family to win the civil case? I'm not sure.

JMO.

The bar for a civil case is much lower than a criminal case. That's why Nicole Simpson's family and Ron Goldman's prevailed in the Civil suit against OJ.

 

[RANCH]

The bar for a civil case is much lower than a criminal case. That's why Nicole Simpson's family and Ron Goldman's prevailed in the Civil suit against OJ.

Yes. Preponderance of evidence vs beyond a reasonable doubt. So a very low bar to climb.

The OJ case is not a good case to compare with this one because there was overwhelming evidence of his guilt in both the criminal and civil trials.

Preponderance of the evidence is one type of evidentiary standard used in a burden of proof analysis. Under the preponderance standard, the burden of proof is met when the party with the burden convinces the fact finder that there is a greater than 50% chance that the claim is true. This is the burden of proof in a civil trial.

preponderance of the evidence

www.law.cornell.edu

 

[DFWNF]

I'm guessing you feel the Laundries should have acted differently with Brian after his phone call about Gabby being "gone".

I bet they are thinking the same.

JMO.

Yes, how they acted with Brian, and also how they themselves reacted to the call, and acted in a few instances. They had several opportunities. JMO

 

[sassyblue]

I've had my 4 kids call me in total panic over many years. With many different situations involved. Some didn't work out so well for the kid's benefit but they deserved the consequences....minor stuff in the grand scheme of life but they learned and never repeated.

With a 19 year old daughter it was for her arrest for a DUI in a brand new truck I had just bought her and she had been drinking in a bar with a fake ID. We did not bail her out and the truck reverted to family use for a couple of years.

A few years later when her abusive boyfriend put a bullet thru her truck windshield when she was trying to escape him beating her then we were there to see him arrested and put in jail. Then we had long talks about her taste in men and therapists to help.

My kids knew if they did something illegal mom and dad would not rescue them nor lie for them. All are wonderful, very successful adults now amid the hiccups along the way and are raising their children the same way. It is the same way my DH and my parents raised us.

Responsibility combined with much love starts with parents and if you don't teach it then the children can do whatever they want and if you cover your ears and eyes and deny their actions and your children's responsibility for their actions and those actions are life threatening or harmful to others then as a parent I feel you are partly responsible.

I've never had my son come home and say his girlfriend was "gone" many states away. He did come home at the age of 16 and say she jumped out of his car at a stop sign and started walking because she was mad and I pointed my finger at my car and said get in and we found her and took her home which was still many miles away. And they were no longer a couple from that day forward but the point was he never walked away from a mad woman again without making sure she was home safe.

I have no sympathy for Brian's parents at all. Not one lil bit. I would have been on the phone immediately to Gabbie's parents, the state police in Wyoming and anyone else I could think of calling and that would be after an intense grilling of my son.

I'm not a saint either and dont pretend to be after my own mistakes over the years...I just hope I did my very best that I could do for my kids.

And I would like to add when my son discovered his now ex-wife in bed with a stranger after returning from a business trip he called me and my youngest daughter in hysterics and told me and her goodbye....forever he said.

We were many states away and via the telephone we were able to call and by the grace of a higher spirit get the police in that state to find him before his overdose killed him.

He wasn't in a likely spot but they finally pinged his phone and saved his life because I kept SCREAMING in their ears.

He now has better taste in women. Therapy helped with that too. An overdose also has consequences and those were good for him. He came home afterwards for a month to revisit being loved he said.

All children need the most love a parent can give them tempered with the children owning responsibility for their own actions. It's possible for a parent to see to and teach and show both ideals.

And I believe the Laundries fell very short of that goal and they lost their only son too and I feel much sympathy for them for that as I almost lost mine and was completely devastated at the possibility.

ETA: "Actions have consequences." My DH grew up with that phrase and passed it on. Now we hear our kids telling their children that and even a couple of grandkids saying the same to their little ones...our great grandchildren.

 

[RANCH]

I've had my 4 kids call me in total panic over many years. With many different situations involved. Some didn't work out so well for the kid's benefit but they deserved the consequences....minor stuff in the grand scheme of life but they learned and never repeated.

With a 19 year old daughter it was for her arrest for a DUI in a brand new truck I had just bought her and she had been drinking in a bar with a fake ID. We did not bail her out and the truck reverted to family use for a couple of years.

A few years later when her abusive boyfriend put a bullet thru her truck windshield when she was trying to escape him beating her then we were there to see him arrested and put in jail. Then we had long talks about her taste in men and therapists to help.

My kids knew if they did something illegal mom and dad would not rescue them nor lie for them. All are wonderful, very successful adults now amid the hiccups along the way and are raising their children the same way. It is the same way my DH and my parents raised us.

Responsibility combined with much love starts with parents and if you don't teach it then the children can do whatever they want and if you cover your ears and eyes and deny their actions and your children's responsibility for their actions and those actions are life threatening or harmful to others then as a parent I feel you are partly responsible.

I've never had my son come home and say his girlfriend was "gone" many states away. He did come home at the age of 16 and say she jumped out of his car at a stop sign and started walking because she was mad and I pointed my finger at my car and said get in and we found her and took her home which was still many miles away. And they were no longer a couple from that day forward but the point was he never walked away from a mad woman again without making sure she was home safe.

I have no sympathy for Brian's parents at all. Not one lil bit. I would have been on the phone immediately to Gabbie's parents, the state police in Wyoming and anyone else I could think of calling and that would be after an intense grilling of my son.

I'm not a saint either and dont pretend to be after my own mistakes over the years...I just hope I did my very best that I could do for my kids.

And I would like to add when my son discovered his ex-wife in bed with a stranger after returning from a business trip he called me and my youngest daughter in hysterics and told me and her goodbye....forever he said.

We were many states away and via the telephone we were able to call and by the grace of a higher spirit get the police in that state to find him before his overdose killed him.

He wasn't in a likely spot but they finally pinged his phone and saved his life because I kept SCREAMING in their ears.

He now has better taste in women. Therapy helped with that too. An overdose also has consequences and those were good for him. He came home afterwards for a month to revisit being loved he said.

All children need the most love a parent can give them tempered with the children owning responsibility for their own actions. It's possible for a parent to see to and teach and show both ideals.

And I believe the Laundries fell very short of that goal and they lost their only son too and I feel much sympathy for them for that as I almost lost mine and was completely devastated at the possibility.

ETA: "Actions have consequences." My DH grew up with that phrase and passed it on. Now we hear our kids telling their children that and even a couple of grandkids saying the same to their little ones...our great grandchildren.

I'm glad that your children accepted the help and guidance you gave them. Not all kids follow what their parents do to help them.

Did Brian accept help and advice from his parents? Probably not. JMO.