Fiance of Gabby Petito in notebook: ‘I killed her because she was in pain after accident’ | Abroad

The sudden disappearance of 22-year-old Gabby caused quite a stir last summer, both inside and outside the United States. The American YouTuber, together with her fiancé Brian Laundrie, reported on their tour of the US on social media, until those messages suddenly stopped. What everyone feared came true: her fiancé had killed Gabby and left it in the wild. Later Laundrie also ended his own life.

There are still many questions for both families about the run-up to the murder. According to them, the couple was deeply in love, and they saw their road trip through the US as the culmination of their engagement. Yet there were also signs of violence and intimidation. A dashcam video of a crying Gabby taken during their vacation went around the world. In the notes, released by Laundrie’s family’s lawyer, Laundrie writes that the murder had nothing to do with the quarrels.

It would all have been the result of a fateful accident in Grand Teton National Park, one of the parks the couple crossed. “An unexpected tragedy,” Laundrie describes it. He writes that Gabby had an unfortunate fall during a walk and was in excruciating pain as a result. “I don’t know how far her pain went. All I know is she was in extreme pain. I ended her life, I thought it was merciful, that’s what she wanted.”

In the notes, written in blue ink, Laundrie emphasizes that he would have done anything to comfort Gabby. But her condition deteriorated rapidly, he writes. She had a big bump on her forehead, wept in pain, shivered from the cold and allegedly begged her partner to stop it. Laundrie couldn’t take his betrothed’s grief any longer and decided to kill her by strangulation. After the murder, he fled, leaving the next of kin for days in the delusion that he had lost Gabby.

According to the FBI, Laundrie had sent text messages in her name after the murder to give the impression that she was still alive. He had also used one of her credit cards. Laundrie writes about this: ,,I now see all the mistakes I’ve made. I panicked, I was in shock. From the moment I decided to take her pain away, I knew I couldn’t go on without her.”

Laundrie’s notebook was found in a backpack near his body last October. He had shot himself in the head. “I will put an end to it,” he writes. Not because I’m afraid of being punished, but because I can’t handle having to go on without her for another day. I wish I was by your side now. I wish I could talk to you now.”

Towards the end of his account, he expresses regret to Gabby’s relatives and his own family. “This is a shock for them but also a terrible sadness. Please don’t make it harder for them, this happened as an unexpected tragedy.” A lawyer for Gabby’s family says he finds the contents of the suicide note ‘nonsense’. “He writes a letter as if he wants people to feel sorry for him.”

Incidentally, the world famous missing person case is still getting a tail. Gabby’s parents are filing a civil lawsuit against Laundrie’s parents for allegedly withholding important information during the search. Laundrie’s parents are unaware, claiming they had no idea what their son had done or what he was up to next.