Crime

'Narcissists Rewrite History': Gabby Petito's Mom Responds to Brian Laundrie's Notebook Confession

In a tweet Monday, Nichole Schmidt wrote: "The truth will be revealed"

By

Published on June 28, 2022 11:25 AM

The mother of Gabby Petito has reacted to the recent release of Brian Laundrie's notebook, and his handwritten confession claiming he thought death was "what she wanted."

In a Twitter post Monday morning, Nichole Schmidt called her daughter's murderer a "narcissist."

Her tweet features the words "Fed up," accompanied by a graphic that reads "Narcissists rewrite history to escape accountability." It also includes several hashtags, including "The truth will be revealed" and "Justice for Gabby."

On Friday, Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing Brian Laundrie's parents, released images of pages from the 23-year-old killer's notebook.

"I ended her life," Laundrie wrote in the notebook, which was found in October 2021, after his death by suicide. "I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made," Laundrie wrote. "I panicked. I was in shock. But from the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn't go on without her."

In September 2021, the remains of Petito, 22, were located in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. A medical examiner determined she died by homicidal strangulation.

Laundrie, who vanished around the same time amid nationwide calls for his arrest, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the Florida wilderness last October.

In the notebook, Laundrie referred to Petito's death as an "unexpected tragedy."

He claimed Petito was injured as the couple crossed a stream in the dark. Laundrie claimed Petito had a "small bump on her forehead that eventually got larger" as well as other injuries, and that she was "begging for an end to her pain."

Nichole Schmidt, mother of Gabby Petito, whose death on a cross-country trip has sparked a manhunt for her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, speaks alongside, from left, Tara Petito, stepmother, Jim Schmidt, stepfather, and Joseph Petito, father, during a news conference, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Bohemia, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — Gabby Petito's parents and stepparents at a press conference in September 2021. AP Photo/John Minchillo

Last week, a lawyer for the Petito family, Patrick Reilly, told PEOPLE that Laundrie's assertion that the killing was merciful and stemmed from a "tragic accident" is "nonsense."

"He is writing a letter as though he wants people to feel sorry for him," Reilly said.

Petito's family filed a civil suit against Laundrie's family, alleging Christopher and Roberta Laundrie knew the whereabouts of Petito's body during the time in which authorities were pouring resources into a massive missing persons investigation.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Petito's parents, Schmidt and Joseph Petito, are seeking more than $30,000 in damages for the mental anguish they suffered due to the alleged deceit of the Laundries.

The March filing also alleges that Christopher and Roberta helped Laundrie conceal Petito's murder and were making plans for him to flee the country.

The suit also alleges that instead of helping Joseph and Nichole locate their daughter, the Laundrie parents went on vacation with Brian and ignored pleas for help from Petito's family — and that Roberta blocked Nichole's phone number and Facebook profile in September to avoid contact as Nichole sought answers about what happened to Petito.

"Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie exhibited extreme and outrageous conduct which constitutes behavior, under the circumstances, which goes beyond all possible bounds of decency and is regarded as shocking, atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community," the suit, which was obtained by PEOPLE, reads.