On Thursday, the family of Gabby Petito was awarded a $3 million judgment against her deceased boyfriend’s estate for her wrongful death last year.
According to WFLA, Circuit Judge Hunter W. Carroll found Laundrie’s estate liable for Petitio’s death and the money will be paid to her estate. Nichole Schmidt and Joseph Petito also had a civil lawsuit against Laundrie’s parents which accused them of knowing their son killed their daughter but a jury trial scheduled for December has been canceled in light of the recent settlement.
WFLA reported that Laundrie’s estate is apparently in the five-figure range.
Last year, Laundrie, 23, is believed to have strangled Petito, 22, at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming before traveling back home to North Port, Florida. He reportedly left his parents’ home on September 13 or 14 — days before his parents reported him missing on September 17. They reportedly also informed law enforcement of a missing gun.
Petito was found strangled in Wyoming on September 19. In late October, Brian Laundrie’s partial skull was discovered at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida. The following month, the medical examiner in Sarasota County determined he died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
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Petito was found to have died from manual strangulation. Laundrie reportedly confessed to killing Petito in a notebook found near his partial remains. Its contents were released to the public in June of this year.
“I ended her life,” he reportedly wrote in October 2021. “I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made.”
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[Featured image: Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito/Instagram]
