Roberta Laundrie’s Burn After Reading Letter to Son Brian Finally Revealed
After a Florida judge’s ruling on Wednesday, Roberta Laundrie’s letter to her son Brian has finally been published, where she expressed her love and loyalty to him even “not even sin” could separate them. This ruling was a significant victory for Gabby Petito’s parents, who are suing the Laundries since Brian strangled Petito to death during their ill-fated road trip in 2021.
The Contents of the Burn After Reading Letter
The letter has an image of a bird, possibly a crow, and scrawled the phrase “Remember…” on the other side. Brian’s full name was written on the outside of the letter, with the infamous phrase “burn after reading.”
Inside the note, Roberta wrote that “nothing” would ever make her stop loving her “boy.” The Petitos believed that Roberta wrote the note around the time of their daughter’s disappearance as she makes references to a shovel and burying a body. Still, the Laundries argued that the undated note was written before Brian left home to go on the road trip.
The letter ended with Roberta warning her son Brian to “watch people’s actions to know if they love you – not their words.” She also included a bible verse, writing that nothing could separate her from Brian. “Nothing can separate us: not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not threats, not even sin, not the thinkable or unthinkable can get between us.”
Legal Win and Reactions
On Wednesday, Judge Danielle Brewer denied the defense’s motion for a protective order on the letter, granting the Petito family permission to view its contents. Following the ruling, Laundrie family attorney Matt Luka said, “We’re concerned about how the letter might be used; it can be embarrassing.”
The Petitos and their attorney celebrated the ruling outside the courtroom, saying, “It’s a victory, we’re happy to have it. We’ve fought hard to get it. We’ve been fighting for over a year to get that letter.” The Petito family’s legal team previously claimed that the letter was “written after Gabby was killed and before Brian took his life.” However, Luka said that “the letter was written before Brian and Gabby even took their trip.”
Roberta reiterated attorney Luka’s statements and added in a statement that “the letter was in no way related to Gabby.” Luka has previously claimed that the letter “has no relevance to the cause of action” behind the Petitos’ civil suit.