Found Deceased WY - Gabby Petito, Grand Teton National Park #86

[Warwick7]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1547044563801587713

 

[NCWatcher]

I think it should be the parents' responsibility to send in a tip if they find out that their son committed a murder, but I'm not a lawyer. What are the parameters for an impeding an investigation charge?

No one has to be a police informant in the US. Unlike in some other countries, we do not have to inform on our family, our friends, and our neighbors. Being a parent doesn't change that. However, people can't legally lie to LE. Its fine to refuse to talk to LE but lying can be considered obstruction. And under various laws giving a fugitive certain kinds of help can be illegal. But again, choosing not to tip off LE isn't illegal. Personally I'm glad we don't live in that kind of repressive police state.

We don't know what the L's knew and if they knew anything, when they knew it. But I'm pretty sure the FBI knew lots of stuff about the L's activities when the case was actively under investigation. It's hard for me to believe the current civil case is going to uncover new information that incriminates the L's. And even in the civil case, the judge said in his order if the L's had remained silent he would have dismissed the IIED case. So SB's blurb about hoping GP was found was the problem, not the L's silence.
JMO

 

[Warwick7]

No one has to be a police informant in the US. Unlike in some other countries, we do not have to inform on our family, our friends, and our neighbors. Being a parent doesn't change that. However, people can't legally lie to LE. Its fine to refuse to talk to LE but lying can be considered obstruction. And under various laws giving a fugitive certain kinds of help can be illegal. But again, choosing not to tip off LE isn't illegal. Personally I'm glad we don't live in that kind of repressive police state.

We don't know what the L's knew and if they knew anything, when they knew it. But I'm pretty sure the FBI knew lots of stuff about the L's activities when the case was actively under investigation. It's hard for me to believe the current civil case is going to uncover new information that incriminates the L's. And even in the civil case, the judge said in his order if the L's had remained silent he would have dismissed the IIED case. So SB's blurb about hoping GP was found was the problem, not the L's silence.
JMO

But they didn't remain silent...

Judge Hunter Carroll repeatedly pointed out, that the Laundries had spoken publicly, through their attorney Bertolino. "On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that she is reunited with her family."
It's a statement not a blurb.

Judge Cites Johnny Depp in Court Feud Over Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie

The judge invoked Johnny Depp's defamation verdict while looking at a statement from Brian Laundrie's parents.

www.newsweek.com

 

[NCWatcher]

But they didn't remain silent...

Judge Hunter Carroll repeatedly pointed out, that the Laundries had spoken publicly, through their attorney Bertolino. "On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that she is reunited with her family."
It's a statement not a blurb.

Judge Cites Johnny Depp in Court Feud Over Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie

The judge invoked Johnny Depp's defamation verdict while looking at a statement from Brian Laundrie's parents.

www.newsweek.com

As I said in my quoted post, the judge said the problem was not the L's silence, it was when they allowed SB to speak for them. In contrast, the Complaint from the P's seemed to argue the L's silence was the primary problem. But the judge disagreed.

I called what SB released a blurb and am not sure why my word choice is considered problematic. But whatever one calls it-- a blurb, an announcement, a declaration, a memo, a bulletin, or a statement-- it's those 26 words that kept the IIED case from being dismissed according to the judge's order.

Judge allows lawsuit filed by Gabby Petito's parents against Brian Laundrie's parents to proceed
JMO

 

[HawthorneJuniper]

On a related note, I briefly dated an alcoholic before I realized it and that it wasn't going to work. He used the excuse of bad service at a restaurant that we went to-to immediately go have a beer and get drunk. I think that everything you surmised about their encounter at Merrry Piglets leading up to her murder is dead on. He couldn't stand for her to be apologizing for his bad behavior.

And I think, at her age, Gabby just lacked the life experience to recognize abuse as opposed to thinking she was simply "helping" her easily upset and very sensitive boyfriend. I truly don't think she understood the situation she was in or that it was going to get worse, much worse.

 

[LinasK]

No one has to be a police informant in the US. Unlike in some other countries, we do not have to inform on our family, our friends, and our neighbors. Being a parent doesn't change that. However, people can't legally lie to LE. Its fine to refuse to talk to LE but lying can be considered obstruction. And under various laws giving a fugitive certain kinds of help can be illegal. But again, choosing not to tip off LE isn't illegal. Personally I'm glad we don't live in that kind of repressive police state.

We don't know what the L's knew and if they knew anything, when they knew it. But I'm pretty sure the FBI knew lots of stuff about the L's activities when the case was actively under investigation. It's hard for me to believe the current civil case is going to uncover new information that incriminates the L's. And even in the civil case, the judge said in his order if the L's had remained silent he would have dismissed the IIED case. So SB's blurb about hoping GP was found was the problem, not the L's silence.
JMO

There's a major range between being a police informant and obstructing an investigation. I don't believe in unconditional love. If my child murders someone, I'll turn her in myself! She'd better be prepared to face consequences. I think that the Laundries helped their son evade capture.

 

[NCWatcher]

There's a major range between being a police informant and obstructing an investigation. I don't believe in unconditional love. If my child murders someone, I'll turn her in myself! She'd better be prepared to face consequences. I think that the Laundries helped their son evade capture.

Of course, people are free to choose to turn in family members. But it's not required by law that people do that in the US. And failing to volunteer information to LE isn't obstruction.

Personally I've not seen anything that tells me the L's helped BL evade anything. No one was trying to "capture" him before he went into the swamp. And based on the autopsy findings, BL very likely was dead days before LE was interested in arresting him. The warrant for the bank charge was issued on Sept 22. And the autopsy estimated he'd been dead at least 47 days when his remains were found on Oct 20. Since he was last seen on Sept 13, that estimate is obviously off but it does mean he was dead very soon after entering the swamp.

Federal arrest warrant issued for Brian Laundrie in Gabby Petito investigation

Read Brian Laundrie's full autopsy, medical examiner report

On Monday, the District 12 medical examiner released the full autopsy and forensic reports for Brian Laundrie.

www.wesh.com

JMO

 

[RANCH]

Of course, people are free to choose to turn in family members. But it's not required by law that people do that in the US. And failing to volunteer information to LE isn't obstruction.

Personally I've not seen anything that tells me the L's helped BL evade anything. No one was trying to "capture" him before he went into the swamp. And based on the autopsy findings, BL very likely was dead days before LE was interested in arresting him. The warrant for the bank charge was issued on Sept 22. And the autopsy estimated he'd been dead at least 47 days when his remains were found on Oct 20. Since he was last seen on Sept 13, that estimate is obviously off but it does mean he was dead very soon after entering the swamp.

Federal arrest warrant issued for Brian Laundrie in Gabby Petito investigation

Read Brian Laundrie's full autopsy, medical examiner report

On Monday, the District 12 medical examiner released the full autopsy and forensic reports for Brian Laundrie.

www.wesh.com

JMO

Yes. I haven't seen any evidence that the Laundrie's did a poor job in raising BL when he was a kid or that they broke any laws in this case.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I base my opinions on what's known and not on pure speculation. JMO.

 

[Laura456]

There's a major range between being a police informant and obstructing an investigation. I don't believe in unconditional love. If my child murders someone, I'll turn her in myself! She'd better be prepared to face consequences. I think that the Laundries helped their son evade capture.

What happened *might* have been kinder than a trial for the Petitos, then again they're wanting a trial anyway, so maybe it's a closure thing.

MOO: it seemed like the L's knew and after Brian evaded police, they were mourning. They knew he wouldn't be found alive most likely, they had said their goodbyes.

 

[LinasK]

What happened *might* have been kinder than a trial for the Petitos, then again they're wanting a trial anyway, so maybe it's a closure thing.

MOO: it seemed like the L's knew and after Brian evaded police, they were mourning. They knew he wouldn't be found alive most likely, they had said their goodbyes.

The Petitos aren't the ones on trial, so yes it's a closure thing. I'd be doing the same thing. In no way can I condone the actions of the Laundries.

 

[ktm44]

The Petitos aren't the ones on trial, so yes it's a closure thing. I'd be doing the same thing. In no way can I condone the actions of the Laundries.

Unfortunately, trials aren’t one sided and victims are subject to scrutiny as well.

I’m uncertain what the Laundies did that you don’t condone. We don’t know what their son told them or if he told them anything truthful. His journal suggests that truth and culpability are not his strengths.

I have a feeling they knew a bit about Moab and nothing about her death until about the time he left the house.

 

[NCWatcher]

Unfortunately, trials aren’t one sided and victims are subject to scrutiny as well.

I’m uncertain what the Laundies did that you don’t condone. We don’t know what their son told them or if he told them anything truthful. His journal suggests that truth and culpability are not his strengths.

I have a feeling they knew a bit about Moab and nothing about her death until about the time he left the house.

I do think too often victims' families aren't prepared for what criminal trials can be like and that may apply to civil trials as well. I'm following another case where the accused murderer is going to trial (eventually.) At a recent motions hearing the mother of the victim said something to a reporter along the lines of "This should be about X [the victim] not about Y [the accused]." But trials aren't about honoring or memorializing victims, defendants do have rights, and trials aren't always victim-friendly or survivor-friendly.

I still don't agree that BL "evaded" LE with the L's help. It seems to me that word implies a contemporaneous escape and IMO it's not possible to escape from something that hasn't happened. And the warrant for his arrest wasn't issued until he'd been gone from the house for 9 days. And that was 5 days after the L's reported him missing and told LE he went to the swamp, the same swamp where his remains were eventually found. We also don't know what the L's knew when. You could be right they knew something about Moab from BL's perspective and they might have even known something from him about the official view of that incident (the official view prior to the results of the later departmental examination released in Jan 2022.) And they may have known about that from his earlier trip home too. If so, that could have primed them to later believe say, a break up story.
JMO

 

[Warwick7]

The Petitos aren't the ones on trial, so yes it's a closure thing. I'd be doing the same thing. In no way can I condone the actions of the Laundries.

BBM
I agree with you.
The judge wrote that Laundrie's "statement" alone was not outrageous, but that threshold was surpassed when juxtaposed or compared with the other conduct in the case.

Bottom line, the judge denied the motion from Laundries to dismiss the intentional infliction of emotional distress lawsuit filed by Gabby's parents.

 

[Warwick7]

As the judge brought out: "If this is true, then the Laundries' statement was particularly callous and cruel, and it is sufficiently outrageous to state claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress..."

I have no doubt that at trial it will be brought out that it was true. It will be proven that Laundrie's words were particularly callous and cruel.

That is unless they settle before this goes to trial...

 

[ktm44]

I do think too often victims' families aren't prepared for what criminal trials can be like and that may apply to civil trials as well. I'm following another case where the accused murderer is going to trial (eventually.) At a recent motions hearing the mother of the victim said something to a reporter along the lines of "This should be about X [the victim] not about Y [the accused]." But trials aren't about honoring or memorializing victims, defendants do have rights, and trials aren't always victim-friendly or survivor-friendly.

I still don't agree that BL "evaded" LE with the L's help. It seems to me that word implies a contemporaneous escape and IMO it's not possible to escape from something that hasn't happened. And the warrant for his arrest wasn't issued until he'd been gone from the house for 9 days. And that was 5 days after the L's reported him missing and told LE he went to the swamp, the same swamp where his remains were eventually found. We also don't know what the L's knew when. You could be right they knew something about Moab from BL's perspective and they might have even known something from him about the official view of that incident (the official view prior to the results of the later departmental examination released in Jan 2022.) And they may have known about that from his earlier trip home too. If so, that could have primed them to later believe say, a break up story.
JMO

I believe they were originally presented with a breakup story and perhaps our own life experiences affect our opinions.

My son broke off an engagement and my phone literally blew up with dozens of phone calls, voicemails and texts, strictly intended to solicit my assistance in getting them back together. My response after each call was the same. I told my son he should call person A, B, or C so I could turn on my phone again.

Obviously, my son never killed anyone but it may explain the Laundries lack of response in the beginning.

 

[Sundog]

As the judge brought out: "If this is true, then the Laundries' statement was particularly callous and cruel, and it is sufficiently outrageous to state claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress..."

I have no doubt that at trial it will be brought out that it was true. It will be proven that Laundrie's words were particularly callous and cruel.

That is unless they settle before this goes to trial...

I hope they do settle outside of a trial, and hope that a judge requires them to try to settle the case through mediation. If they can do it in such a way that neither side admits defeat and the lawyers are barred from making any kind of gloating statements after the fact, that would be best. No public statements, confidential agreement, and case closed.

But I don't think the Ps will agree to this, for some reason I think they want a public trial. At least if the judge orders mediation, it will be clear to the court who is against this process.

 

[BeachSky]

What happened *might* have been kinder than a trial for the Petitos, then again they're wanting a trial anyway, so maybe it's a closure thing.

MOO: it seemed like the L's knew and after Brian evaded police, they were mourning. They knew he wouldn't be found alive most likely, they had said their goodbyes.

Even Mark Geragos thought it odd that the day the Ls said they were going to search…the next day they found his backpack & tablet… by his remains.
That’s not kinder IMO.
That’s involvement … IMO.
Seriously, Geragos is “pausing” even .

Brian Laundrie's parents face potential legal consequences: Mark Geragos | Fox News

Brian Laundrie's family could face legal consequences under certain circumstances now that authorities have discovered the deceased 23-year-old's remains, famed criminal defense lawyer Mark Geragos said.

www.foxnews.com

He added that what gives him "pause," however, is Bertolino's statement saying the Laundries informed law enforcement on Tuesday night — a day before law enforcement discovered their son's remains discovered — of their intentions to search the park on Wednesday. Bertolino confirmed at the time that while searching areas that Brian frequented, "some articles belonging to Brian were found."

Geragos questioned the timeline of events between Laundrie’s parents telling law enforcement they were going to search for Brian and the discovery of his belongings.

 

[LinasK]

I hope they do settle outside of a trial, and hope that a judge requires them to try to settle the case through mediation. If they can do it in such a way that neither side admits defeat and the lawyers are barred from making any kind of gloating statements after the fact, that would be best. No public statements, confidential agreement, and case closed.

But I don't think the Ps will agree to this, for some reason I think they want a public trial. At least if the judge orders mediation, it will be clear to the court who is against this process.

What's the goal of mediation? A financial settlement? This isn't like a civil trial for a defective product. It isn't about "defeat", nor gloating. The Petitos lost a child due to the actions of the Laundries son, and they want a trial to force answers regarding his and his parents accountability.

 

[NCWatcher]

What's the goal of mediation? A financial settlement? This isn't like a civil trial for a defective product. It isn't about "defeat", nor gloating. The Petitos lost a child due to the actions of the Laundries son, and they want a trial to force answers regarding his and his parents accountability.

You could be right about what the P's want. But the civil claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress isn't really about anyone's accountability for GP's death. And the claim against BL's estate for wrongful death only involves BL. And that suit can't involve more than a financial award since BL is dead. (No "answers" can come from that suit so far as I can see.)
JMO

 

[ktm44]

What's the goal of mediation? A financial settlement? This isn't like a civil trial for a defective product. It isn't about "defeat", nor gloating. The Petitos lost a child due to the actions of the Laundries son, and they want a trial to force answers regarding his and his parents accountability.

What if his parents don’t have the answers?