RELATED VIDEO: Brian Laundrie’s parents reveal what happened after Gabby Petito’s death in new depositions
NORTH PORT, Fla. (WFLA) — An FBI agent had discussed the possibility of Roberta Laundrie being arrested and having to go through a perp walk in the days after Gabby Petito’s body was found, according to Laundrie’s attorney.
In depositions filed Wednesday in Sarasota County Circuit Court, longtime Laundrie attorney Steven Bertolino says he and his clients were planning to face what had become relentless public scrutiny in a press conference scheduled for —per Bertolino’s recollection—Sept. 21, 2021, two days after Petito’s remains were found in Wyoming.
“I spoke to Chris and Roberta about this and I said, we need to set forth what happened at least from their perspective,” said Bertolino in the October 2023 deposition. “And I scheduled a press conference.”
Bertolino says the FBI, upon learning of plans for Bertolino and possibly the Laundries themselves speaking publicly, advised against the press conference and divulged the possibility of Roberta, Brian’s mother, being charged.
“I got a call from the FBI and they indicated to me, and I won’t say no uncertain terms, but they indicated to me in terms that were clear that I should not have the press conference. I had my suspicions as to why and they indicated that if I went forward with the press conference that they were going to arrest Roberta and put her through a full perp walk, including but not limited to, statements in front of the camera and everything else.”
“That came from Bryan Gee, the New York agent I was dealing with.”
Bertolino says the FBI tipped their hand on what Roberta could have been charged with.
“I discussed it with Roberta and we were at a loss as to what they could possibly be charging her with and I had—I don’t want to misspeak but I believe I had back and forth conversations with Bryan Gee as to what, what is here and he could not tell me. All he would tell me was that he believed it was something electronic. It was something they believed Roberta had done with electronics.”
Bertolino adds that his only theory on what electronics-related charge the FBI could use to arrest Roberta was accompanying her son to a cell phone store to purchase a new phone after he had returned from Wyoming without Petito. Bertolino indicated to Gee purchasing a cell phone is something many parents—including himself—routinely do with their children.
“If that’s what you’re charging her with that she went to the store and bought him a cell phone, Roberta will do the perp walk. And Roberta told me in no uncertain terms, I will put my head down and do the perp walk because I have nothing to give them.”
Following Bertolino’s decision to cancel the Laundrie press conference, Roberta was never charged. Christopher Laundrie, Brian’s father, is never mentioned by Bertolino as facing the possibility of being arrested by the FBI.
Bertolino, towards the end of his deposition, theorized on why the FBI allegedly didn’t want the Laundries to hold a press conference. He pointed to perceived dysfunction that had existed between FBI agents and the North Port Police Department after officers mistook Brian Laundrie for Roberta leaving the Laundrie home in September 2021.
“I believe that part of the reason they didn’t want me to speak the following week is that they didn’t want me to talk about all the disarray that they were having,” Bertolino said. “That’s my belief.”
Brian Laundrie’s parents, despite the high-profile investigation into Petito’s murder in 2021 at the hands of her fiancé, were never charged over the course of the FBI’s investigation, which concluded in January 2022. They are now being sued in civil court by Petito’s parents, Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt, for intentional infliction of emotional distress. The claim in the lawsuit is the Laundries were aware of Petito’s murder but chose to do nothing other than release a statement hoping Gabby would be found.
The trial, which has produced more than a thousand pages of new court documents this week alone, is scheduled for May 13, 2024 in Venice, Florida.