There has been much speculation since the beginning of this case involving Gabby Petito that the Laundrie parents were helping their son escape.
While that might be true on some level at a later point in time, perhaps 11 September, they certainly did not know or suspect that Brian had killed Gabby when Brian returned on 1 September. They also did not know or suspect on 6 September.
Had they known or suspected that their son had killed Gabby Petito on 6 September, they never would have permitted Cassie, Brian’s sister, and her husband, and their kids, to meet with them or Brian that weekend.
Cassie, their daughter would have detected that something was wrong based upon her parents behavior. Their body language would have given them away.
That Cassie did not detect anything out of the ordinary, that Cassie was invited to the gathering at Fort De Soto on 6 September indicates that the parents did not know that Brian had killed Gabby.
If we now suspect the parents of crafty, diabolical behavior, then we would also have to conclude that they began planning Brian’s escape far before the Petito family reported Gabby as missing.
Ergo, the Laundries would have removed Brian from the house long before 13 September. We can’t have our cake and eat it too. We can’t assume that they are diabolical one moment and not diabolical the next.
Now, of course we can argue that people are not diabolical until they need to be. Assuming then, that the Laundries are diabolical, then what does it say that they did not move Brian away from the house immediately on 1 or 6 September. It tells me that they did not suspect that Brian had killed Gabby or that anything was amiss.
It suggests that Brian was telling them a story. We have to conclude that they would naturally have asked where Gabby was. A mother is pretty good at picking up when her son is lying. If Brian was of sane mind and was intentionally lying, his mother would have picked up on that. That she did not, indicates that Brian was delusional. Brian truly believed that Gabby was still alive.
So when did the Laundries first suspect that something was amiss. Probably when the police came to the door on 11 September. When the police showed up to report Gabby as missing, his parents most likely asked Brian again what was going on. Brian in his delusional state probably told them what he believed to be true, that Gabby was visiting a friend and that Gabby was okay. He probably reassured his parents. Since Brian appeared so believable to them, they probably believed him. After all, their son had never killed anyone before that they knew of. Plus, this was their son.
Most likely the Laundries trusted their son. This would be the natural inclination of any parent.
When Brian told his parents that he was going to hike through the Carlton Reserve a few days later, they probably didn’t think anything of it. What would cause them to believe that their son was going to run away.
Additionally, Brian’s parents had invested 23 years in their sons life. Their minds were not going to permit them to throw that away on a lark.
Now, Dog the Bounty Hunter has stated that he thinks that Brian called his parents the night he killed Gabby.
This does not seem logical. If this were the case, one would have to believe that a more logical plan would have developed. Certainly, his father would have given him better advice than to drive the van back to Florida without Gabby.
Certainly his father would have told him to at least bury the body.
Likewise, had his parents known that he was guilty of killing Gabby, they certainly wouldn’t have invited his sister, Cassie, to a family outing at Fort De Soto. When pulling off a crime successfully, you want to involve as few people as possible. You don’t want anyone suspecting anything.
If that is the case, then why were the Laundries ready with a lawyer on September 11?
I suspect because Chris (or Roberta) Laundrie had known this lawyer before, or they were referred to Mr. Bertolino by a friend or by another lawyer they had used. Additionally, Chris and Roberta Laundrie were older and more experienced than your average bear. It is true that anything you say can and will be used against you. Defense attorneys will generally tell their clients to say nothing to the police. The problem isn’t that Chris Laundrie and his wife chose a defense attorney. The problem is that they chose a defense attorney who is tone deaf.
That they haven’t fired Mr. Bertolino by now is indicative of their stunned confusion by the events that have transpired over the past month. They can’t see what the rest of us can.
Of course, there is always the option that the entire Laundrie family is diabolical and clever and that they are feigning a front of cluelessness all the while hiding Brian in a secret location. In other words, we would be concluding that the whole family is a Manson gang of murderers who have killed before and will kill again. This option seems not viable.
The remaining option is that Brian confessed to his parents that he killed Gabby after the police showed up on 11 September. This does not seem logical as it would indicate that Brian was a person of sane mind who had accidentally killed out of passion. Had he been of that mindset, he never would have been able to fool his parents or his sister (and her husband) on 6 September.
Had he been that type of killer, his parents would have instructed him to confess the crime to the police as this would not be a crime that would warrant the death penalty. Of course, his parents could have given him bad advice under stress. It is possible they could have enabled him to escape. But this is predicated upon Brian being of sane mind which the evidence does not support.
Additionally, the fact that that Brian did not bury the body is indicative of a delusional state. Brian did not bury the body because he believes that Gabby is alive.
The argument that moving the body constitutes concealment is rejected. Sane people move and hide the body. People of unhealthy mind do not. Why would you bury someone who is alive?
Sincerely,
Archer Crosley
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