A final decision released Thursday ends part of the Petito-Schmidt family’s legal battle against Chris and Roberta Laundrie, whose son, Brian, 23, killed himself at a Florida environmental park in 2021. Patrick Reilly, an attorney for the Petito family, wrote in a prepared statement that the $3 million figure is an “arbitrary number” but “whatever money they receive will help Gabby’s family in their efforts with the Gabby Petito Foundation.” GABBY PETITO AND BRIAN LAUNDRIE: BOMB VIDEO SURFACES SHOWING HOURS BEFORE MURDER The statement added: “The Gabby Petito Foundation will continue to address the needs of organizations that support locating missing persons and provide assistance to organizations that assist victims of domestic violence situations through education, awareness and prevention strategies. Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt want to turn their personal tragedy into something positive. They hope Gabby’s foundation will bring these important issues to the fore for the benefit of all our communities.” GABBY PETITO HOMICIDE: TIMELINE OF EXPAPEARANCE WITH BRIAN LAUNDRIE “The Petito family lost their daughter and were also denied the opportunity to confront her killer,” the statement further read. “No amount of money is sufficient to compensate the Petito family for the loss of their daughter, Gabby, at the hands of Brian Lundry.” GABBY PETITO’S PARENTS, BRIAN LAUNDRIE’S ATTORNEY APPEAR IN FLORIDA COURT FOR CIVIL ACTION HEARING Gabby Petito is believed to have been killed around August 28, 2021. An investigation conducted by the FBI discovered her remains in the Bridger-Teton National Forest on September 19. Investigators ruled her dead homicide by manual strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head and neck. READ THE FINAL JUDGMENT: Brian Lundry is back home to his parents in North Port, Fla., on Sept. 1, police said, citing a recording from the truck’s license plate reader in the city. According to the FBI, he also sent fake text messages from Petito’s phone in an attempt to cover up the crime and stole her debit card. The Laundries went camping on the beach at Fort De Soto Parksouth of St. Petersburg, and said nothing about Petito’s disappearance in public.’ Finally, on September 11, Petito’s mother Nichole Schmidt reported her missing to her hometown police. in Long Island, New York. On September 13, Brian Laundrie sneaked out into the swamp, despite hidden surveillance cameras set up around his home. This was the last time he was seen alive. BRIAN LAUNDRIE FOUND: PARENTS MAY HAVE BEEN FORCED TO REVEAL STILL THEMSELVES His disappearance prompted a sweeping search by local and federal law enforcement. Fox News Digital took Laundrie’s parents to the park on the morning of October 20, 2021, when they met a North Port detective and a member of the FBI and set off into the swamp to see where they thought their son had disappeared. weeks earlier. They eventually discovered items, including a notebook, which was determined to be Brian Laundrie’s. JUSTICE FOR GABBY PETITO’S FAMILY REMAINS UNBELIEVABLE ONE YEAR AFTER ‘AMERICA’S DAUGHTER’ WAS MURDERED Investigators soon discovered remains nearby and eventually identified them as those of Brian, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In a notebook confession apparently written shortly before his death, Lundry wrote that he “ended her life.” “I thought it was merciful, that it was what he wanted, but now I see all the mistakes I made. I panicked. I was in shock,” she continued. Laundrie wrote that he killed Petito after claiming she injured herself when she fell in Wyoming. He also wrote: “Once I decided, I took her pain away, I knew I couldn’t go on without her.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Petito families are still in the midst of separate lawsuits against the Ludry family and the Moab, Utah Police Department. Stephanie Pagones is a Digital Reporter for FOX Business and Fox News. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @steph_pagones.
