Brian Laundrie confesses to murder of Gabby Petito in chilling letter
WARNING - DISTRESSING DETAILS: A notebook containing a confession written by Brian Laundrie after the death of his fiancée Gabby Petito has been revealed for the first time.
Ms Petito’s death made global headlines last year when she disappeared while travelling around the US with Laundrie.
Laundrie returned to his parent’s home by himself in Florida on September 1 as police searched for his 22-year-old partner, eventually finding her body in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming on September 19.
Investigators believe she had been killed around August 28 as a result of strangulation and blunt-force trauma to her head and neck.
Laundrie was last seen alive on September 13 when he snuck out of his parent’s house and to the swamp where he took his own life.
On October 21, 2021, Laundrie’s remains were found along with a bag, the notepad, a gun, a water bottle owned by Ms Petito and other items belonging to the couple.
The notebook had been underwater for roughly five weeks before it was found, investigators said.
Brian Laundrie claims he took Gabby Petito’s life ‘out of mercy’
In the eight pages of text obtained by Fox News Digital, Laundrie confessed he killed Gabby and shared his grief over her death, calling it an “unexpected tragedy”.
Scroll down to read the letter in full.
Addressed to Gabby, he begins by reminiscing on memories the two of them shared.
“When I close my eyes I will think of laying on the roof of the van, falling asleep to the sight of a meteor shower at the crystal geyser. I will always love you,” he wrote.
He claimed that after visiting the “blazing hot” national parks in Utah, the pair were crossing a stream when Gabby fell and injured herself.
The pair were trying to make it back to their car before it got too dark and cold, he said.
“I hear a splash and a scream. I could barely see, I couldn’t find her for a moment, shouted her name. I found her breathing heavily gasping my name, she was freezing cold.”
Laundrie said he carried her as far as he could before his knees “buckled”, and he decided to make a fire to keep her warm. He claimed from where he lit the fire, he had no idea how far away the car was.
He claimed Gabby was in extreme pain, with a small bump on her forehead “that eventually got larger”.
“Her feet hurt, her wrist hurt but she was freezing, shaking violently, while carrying her she continually made sounds of pain, laying next to her she said little lapsing between violent shakes, gasping in pain, begging for an end to her pain.
“She would fall asleep and I would shake her awake fearing she shouldn’t close her eyes if she had a concussion.”
It was due to this pain, Laundrie wrote, that he decided to end her suffering.
“I ended her life, I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made,” he said.
“I panicked, I was in shock. But from the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn’t go on without her.”
Laundrie said he rushed home to spend the time he had left with his family, before penning the note by the creek.
“I have killed myself by this creek in the hopes that animals may tear me apart. That it may make some of her family happy.
“Please pick up all of my things. Gabby hated people who litter.”
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The Laundrie family’s attorney Steve Bertolino told Fox News Digital he and a representative for the Petito family met with the FBI in Tampa, Florida, on Friday to sort through Gabby and Brian’s possessions.
"As part of this return of property in FBI custody I was given Brian’s notebook and I have turned [the] same over to Chris and Roberta Laundrie,” Mr Bertolino said.
He added he shared the notes "as a matter of transparency."
Read Brian Laundie's full letter:
“Gabby, I wish I was right at your side, I wish I could be talking to you right now. I’d be going through every memory we’ve made, getting even more excited for the future. I can’t live without you. I’ve lost every day we could’ve spent together. Every holiday. I’ll never get to play with [unintelligible] again. Never go hiking with TJ. I Loved you more than anything. I can’t bear to look at our photos, to recall great times because it is why I cannot go on. When I close my eyes I will think of laying on the roof of the van, falling asleep to the sight of a meteor shower at the crystal geyser. I will always love you. If you were reading Gabs journal, looking at the photos from our life together, fliping (sic) through old cards you wouldn’t want to live a day without her. Knowing that everyday you’ll wake up without her, you wouldn’t want to wake up. I’m sorry to everyone this will affect, Gabby was the love of my life, but I know adored by many. I’m so very sorry to her family, because I love them. I’d consider her younger siblings, my best of friends … I am sorry to my family. This is a shock to them as well as a terrible greif (sic). They loved as much, if not more than me. A new daughter to my mother, an aunt to my nei[hews (sic). Please do not make this harder for them. this occurred as an unexpected tragedy. Rushing back to our car trying to cross the streams of spread creek before it got too dark to see, to cold. I hear a splash and a scream. I could barely see, I couldn’t find her for a moment, shouted her name. I found her breathing heavily gasping my name, she was freezing cold. We had just came from the blazing hot National Parks In Utah. The temperature had dropped to freezing and she was soaking wet. I carried her as far as I could down the stream towards the car, stumbling exhausted in shock, when my knees buckled and knew I couldn’t safely carry her. I started a fire and spooned her as close to the heat, she was so thin, had already been freezing too long. I couldn’t at the time realize that I should’ve started a fire first but I wanted her out of the cold back to the car. From where I started the fire I had no idea how far the car might be. Only Knew it was across the creek. When I pulled Gabby out of the water she couldn’t tell me what hurt. She had a small bump on her forehead that eventually got larger. Her feet hurt, her wrist hurt but she was freezing, shaking violently, while carrying her she continually made sounds of pain, laying next to her she said little lapsing between violent shakes, gasping in pain, begging for an end to her pain. She would fall asleep and I would shake her awake fearing she shouldn’t close her eyes if she had a concussion. She would wake in pain start the whole painful cycle again while furious that I was the one waking her. She wouldn’t let me try to cross the creek, thought like me that this fire would go out in her sleep and she’d freeze. I don’t know the extent of Gabby’s injurys (sic). Only that she was in extreme pain. I ended her life, I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked, I was in shock. But from the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn’t go on without her. I rushed home to spend any time I had left with my family. I wanted to drive north and let James or TJ kill me but I wouldn’t want them to spend time in jail over my mistake, even though I’m sure they would have liked to. I am ending my life not because of a fear of punishment but rather because I cant stand to live another day without her. I’ve lost out whole future together, every moment we could have cherished. Im sorry for everyones loss. Please do not make life harder for my family, they lost a son and a daughter. The most wonderful girl in the world. Gabby I'm sorry. I have killed myself by this creek in the hopes that animals may tear me apart. That it may make some of her family happy. Please pick up all of my things. Gabby hated people who litter.”
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