It has been revealed that Brian Landry called his girlfriend Gabby Pettit's parents up to 20 times in the two days after he murdered her.
The panicked phone calls were a marked change from Landry's regular communication with her parents. Daily Mail reported.
In the two months before Petito's death, he appears to have called his father, Christopher, only once and his mother, Roberta, five times.
In a November 2023 court filing, Landry, 23, eventually told her parents that Petite, a blonde from Long Island, was born in the city two days after she was last seen alive. It was revealed that the 22-year-old man had told him that he had “disappeared” and that he needed a lawyer.
Now, additional details indicate that the first time Landry called his parents was around 4:00 pm on Sunday, August 29, 2021, days after Petito last spoke to his mother, Nicole. The Daily Mail reported.
Citing phone records, the outlet said the call with Landry lasted 55 minutes and continued for another 22 minutes around 9:20 p.m.
The first two calls were followed by several more between Sunday and Monday, Aug. 30, most of them between Landry and her mother, Pat Riley, the Pettit family's attorney, told the Daily Mail. Ta.
Landry allegedly made the comment to his mother on the phone that his father was “gone.”
“Brian said to Christopher, 'Gabby's gone. I need a lawyer.' And he was frantic over Christopher's words,” the lawyer told the Daily Mail.
“They refused to admit that it meant Gabby's death, which defies logic. If your son calls and says he's distraught and she's gone, you need a lawyer.” What other explanation could there be for “gone''?'' he argued.
Christopher dismissed Riley's interpretation, saying his son was saying something to the effect of, “Well, sometimes Gabby would leave the house for a few days to meet friends, or just go on a trip.'' I think so,” he said. She was there for a few hours when she lived with us. ”
“This explained why it was not accepted that his 'gone' meant her death. During those two days, I was flooded with calls. “Prior to that, my calls with Brian and his parents were very sporadic, about five calls,” Riley said.
Gabby Pettit's father, Joseph, was in court to hear the deposition.
When the grieving father received the phone call telling him that he had passed away, he said, “I just held my head in my hands.''
During the phone call from their son, Roberta and Christopher Landry also contacted family attorney Steve Bertolino.
Bertolino, who is based on Long Island, was taken into custody on September 2 and was told by his parents to remain silent.
After a nationwide search, Petito's body was discovered on September 19th at a campground in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Forest.
Landry is believed to have strangled her fiancée to death and then fled to her parents' home in Northport, Florida, on September 1 in her 2012 white Ford Transit van.
His skeletal remains were discovered in October at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. An autopsy revealed that he took his own life by shooting himself in the head.
Petito's parents are now suing Landry and Bertolino for pain and suffering, alleging that the couple intentionally withheld information about their daughter's death.
The lawsuit hinges on Landry's September 14, 2021 statement. In it, they said, “On behalf of the family, we hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that she is reunited with her family,” Riley explained. .
“The important thing is that they knew Gabby was dead at the time of the statement,” he says.
He added that Roberta Landry is “a cold, very cold woman.”
“She's not emotional, she's defensive. [during her deposition]” said the lawyer.
“Christopher is a different personality, less assertive, polite and fact-oriented. He wasn't as stoic as Roberta, but I don't mean that in a good way,” he said. Ta.
Riley condemned Roberta and Christopher's actions.
“They are parents themselves and Gabby was going to be their daughter-in-law. How could they stay silent knowing she was no longer alive?” he said.
“They know Gabby's parents are searching desperately, and they know that letting them know the whereabouts of her body can help alleviate some of their suffering,” he continued.
“And instead they left the body out in the wilderness to be attacked by animals and everything else. That's completely unconscionable,” Riley concluded.
Petito's parents say they have “compassion and sympathy” for the Landrys because they too have lost a child, but “I don't think they get that from Roberta and Christopher. ” the lawyer pointed out.
Riley also took issue with Roberta's infamous “burn if you read it” letter that Roberta wrote while her son was on the run.
“What kind of parent would write such a letter to someone else, much less their own child?'' he said.
“But it's up to the jury to decide when it was written. We don't know exactly when. Roberta said it was written earlier, but there's no date. So… “It is a terrible coincidence that before Gabby was actually murdered, she would have written to him discussing burying his body and sending him to prison,” he claimed.
Riley said Landry's own statement that Petite's death was a “mercy” killing was “ridiculous.”
Reilly explained that Petito's parents now simply “want to know what Christopher and Roberta knew, what they knew, and what they were withholding.”
“And this may sound simple, but they want justice. They want the cleaners to pay for what they've done,” he added. .
“They've been strong since this lawsuit was filed in 2022. But there were moments where they cried, there were moments where they were angry. They've been through everything. But their resolve is to keep going.”
