Brian Laundrie manhunt: Could parents face obstruction, accessory charges?
As the manhunt for
Florida fugitive Brian Laundrie enters its third week,
questions are mounting about how he’s been able to elude authorities this long and whether his parents may have helped give him a head start.
Parents Chris and Roberta Laundrie have not been accused of any
wrongdoing, but
critics have taken to scrutinizing their actions in the weeks following the disappearance of their former future daughter-in-law, Gabby Petito, who was found dead in Wyoming at a campsite she shared with their son.
They said nothing about the fact that she was missing and went on a Labor Day camping trip.
"If they provided false information to law enforcement that let Brian Laundrie take off and get a week head start, or if the parents sent law enforcement on a wild goose chase, searching the preserve when he wasn't there, there's certainly a basis to charge them," said Neama Rahmani, a former legal prodigy and federal prosecutor.
Rahmani also said the Laundrie family’s behavior up to this point has been suspicious.
…
"Since he lawyered up right away, I doubt they made any statements," said Pat Diaz, a former Miami-Dade homicide detective with decades of experience. "So it's going to be hard-pressed to prove [wrongdoing] unless they get actual evidence on the parents, which I don't think they're going to have."
…
Lara Yeretsian, another high-powered West Coast defense attorney, said potential charges against the parents hinge on what, if anything, they told the FBI when investigators entered their home last month, and whether they misled or misdirected authorities.
"We don't have enough information," she said. "All of this is conjecture, honestly."
But if any charges are filed against the parents, she said, they might relate to obstructing justice or accessory after the fact.