Brian Laundrie-Gabby Petito docuseries highlights payment to lawyer connected to bin Laden
Gabby Petito's parents cast shade on Brian Laundrie's family in a new docuseries that reveals additional details about the timing of their daughter's murder at her fiancé's hands in the wilderness of Wyoming, especially the allegation that they shelled out $25,000 to a prominent attorney while professing their ignorance of the crime.
"You're going to throw $25,000 of your hard-earned cash out on a lawyer from f---ing Wyoming, and you're telling me you didn't ask where she was?" Joseph Petito says in Netflix's "American Murder: Gabby Petito."
The payment came three days after Laundrie called his parents and less than a week after Petito was last seen alive.
"That's some bulls---," he added, "I'll tell you that right now."
Brian Laundrie's Sister Estranged From Family Amid Explosive New Docuseries
Her stepfather, Jim Schmidt, echoed his concerns.
Read On The Fox News App
"I don't think the amount of money they paid their attorney would be for anything less than to represent somebody for murder," he told the documentarians.
The lawyer in question is Tom Fleener, an Army veteran and former JAG lawyer whose clients included the Guantánamo Bay detainee Ali al Bahlul, a former bodyguard to the 9/11 terrorist Usama bin Laden, who Navy SEALs killed in 2011.
Fleener has previously declined to discuss the Laundrie case with Fox News Digital. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.
Gabby Petito Told Her Ex She Was Scared To Leave Brian Laundrie But Wanted To Just Before Murder: New Doc
The Laundrie family attorney, Steve Bertolino, collected $25,000 from his clients and used it to retain Fleener's law firm. He said he has not collected any payment from the Laundries for his own legal role in the saga, which landed him in the middle of a now-settled lawsuit brought by Petito's parents.
Gabby Petito Urged Brian Laundrie To 'Stop Crying' In Love Letter To Her Killer Released By Fbi
8/27: Gabby Petito last seen alive in Jackson, Wyoming
8/29: Brian Laundrie tells his parents Petito is "gone" in "frantic" phone call
8/30: Laundrie sends phony texts from Petito's phone to himself and to her mother
9/1: Laundrie arrives at his parents' Florida house, driving Petito's van
9/2: Bertolino enters a fee agreement with Wyoming law firm on Laundrie's behalf
9/6-7: Laundrie family goes camping at Fort DeSoto Park
9/11: Petito reported missing
9/13: Laundrie evades FBI surveillance, leaves his parents' home and takes his own life
9/19: Petito's remains are discovered near their campsite outside Jackson
Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X
Bertolino arranged for a local defense attorney after Brian Laundrie made a panicked phone call to his father from Wyoming, repeatedly saying "Gabby's gone," according to court documents.
Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter
Christopher Laundrie denied knowledge of Petito's death at the time, and he said through his lawyer that his son hung up before sharing further details.
"Brian hung up on Chris. I said, 'When Brian calls you back, give him my number, and you tell him to call me. You do not talk to him,'" Bertolino told Fox News Digital when depositions in the civil suit became public.
Cassie Laundrie Unleashes After Gabby Petito Homicide
Both Christopher and Roberta Laundrie conceded that they had concerns for Petito's welfare after the call but denied having knowledge of the murder. Brian Laundrie invoked his right to remain silent but ultimately left behind a suicide note and confession.
Brian's sister, Cassie Laundrie, had also been expected to testify in the case, but her interview was canceled before the sides reached a settlement.
Pat Reilly, an attorney for Petito's parents, said he called it off "because she had no information related to the issues of the litigation."
GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub
Cassie Laundrie has denied knowledge of her parents' conversations with her brother and recently alleged that a police detective, whose voice can be overheard on bodycam video, mischaracterized their conversation.
Since the case grabbed national headlines in 2021, Petito's parents have become advocates for missing persons and domestic violence victims.
If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 (SAFE).Original article source: Brian Laundrie-Gabby Petito docuseries highlights payment to lawyer connected to bin Laden
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
12 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Cops beat, tase man having diabetic emergency when he can't respond, NC suit says
Three officers are accused of beating, tasing and arresting a man who couldn't speak or respond to their commands because he was in diabetic shock, according to a North Carolina lawsuit. Now, the man is suing the officers with the Spruce Pine Police Department, the police chief and the town itself, saying the officers violated his civil rights by using excessive force and failed to provide aid during a medical emergency, according to the federal lawsuit filed June 5. The man says he was a law enforcement officer himself and worked as a K-9 officer for the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction. McClatchy News reached out to the defendants named in the filing for comment June 10 but did not immediately receive a response. Arrest during a medical emergency The man, who had been living with diabetes since he was 9 years old, was driving home from seeing his now-wife on Feb. 16, 2024, when he noticed his blood sugar levels dropping, according to the lawsuit. He stopped at a Walmart to get some food, then he wandered around the store before returning to the parking lot, where he sat in his car for over 30 minutes in diabetic shock, the lawsuit says. A Walmart employee came over to the car and asked if he had a pickup order, but he struggled to communicate, so the worker left and alerted a supervisor, who came out and noted the driver was 'twitching' and 'unable to speak,' according to the filing. They asked him to move his car out of the pickup area, but he couldn't, the lawsuit says. The employees called the police for a welfare check, and two Spruce Pine officers arrived and tried to speak with him as well, according to the filing. He couldn't communicate or show his identification as requested, then a third officer arrived and told him to get out of the car because he was under arrest for trespassing, according to the filing. The lawsuit says the officers should have recognized the man was having a medical emergency and provided assistance, but instead, the filing accuses them of opening the car door and pulling him out. In a 'three-on-one assault,' the officers 'threw him to the ground' and told him to put his hands behind his back, which he couldn't do, according to the filing. One of the officers is accused of hitting him at least 11 times while the man was on the ground, then a second officer used his Taser twice to 'drive stun' him, which is a technique sometimes used to make an arrestee comply, according to the lawsuit. The officers handcuffed him and searched his vehicle, but found no evidence of drugs, alcohol or weapons, the filing says. One officer eventually gave him food and a soda, helping him recover from the episode, then he was released from custody and went to a hospital, according to the lawsuit. 'It is well-settled law, policy, custom and tradition that police officers do not brutally beat and humiliate someone in medical distress,' the filing says. Legal fallout The man said the incident left him with lasting trauma and nightmares, as well as damage to his reputation, until the charges were dropped eight months later. According to the lawsuit, the man's employer, the Department of Adult Correction, conducted an internal affairs investigation as a result of his arrest. He said the incident also landed him in a law enforcement database that prevented him from being hired for a position at another sheriff's office. He is suing the officers on accusations of excessive force, failure to render medical aid, gross negligence, false arrest, malicious prosecution, battery and libel. The lawsuit also accuses the police chief and the town of Spruce Pine of failing to have adequate policy and training on use of force, Taser use and rendering medical aid. The District Attorney for the 35th Prosecutorial District declined to press charges against the officers following an investigation, WLOS reported. 'While, with the benefit of hindsight, the failure to involve medical personnel to evaluate (the man's) condition on scene given his apparent symptoms is cause for concern, that omission does not rise to the level of a violation of the criminal law,' District Attorney Seth Banks said, according to WKYK. The man is seeking punitive damages. Spruce Pine is a 50-mile drive northeast from Asheville.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Delusional' Hillary Clinton savagely mocked for LA riots response: 'Only leftists disable comments'
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was brutally mocked by critics over a "delusional" X post describing the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles as "peaceful demonstrations" while pinning blame on President Donald Trump for sowing "chaos" in southern California. "Comments off lol. She can't handle the ratio. This is what Hillary Clinton calls 'peaceful demonstrations,'" popular conservative X account Libs of TikTok posted, referring to how comments on Clinton's post were restricted to only permit ones from accounts Clinton follows on the social media platform and accompanied by footage of the destruction in LA. The message was in response to Clinton posting her first and only comment as of Tuesday morning regarding the Los Angeles riots, describing them as "peaceful demonstrations" before Trump mobilized the National Guard over the weekend. "California Governor Newsom didn't request the National Guard be deployed to his state following peaceful demonstrations. Trump sent them anyway," Clinton posted on X. "It's the first time in 60 years a president has made that choice. Trump's goal isn't to keep Californians safe. His goal is to cause chaos, because chaos is good for Trump." Watch: Dem, Media Outlets Insist La Anti-ice Riots Are 'Peaceful' Despite Violence, Injured Cops The comment sparked widespread backlash among critics, who repeatedly urged the former first lady to "shut up" and accused her of turning off comments to the post amid the backlash. Read On The Fox News App "Ever notice that only leftists disable comments?" California Republican Liberty Caucus chair John Dennis posted in response to Clinton. Social media users were able to respond to Clinton through quote engagements, but not through direct replies as of Tuesday morning. "These are not peaceful Hillary," Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna posted to X. "A public figure and a fraud like herself shouldn't be able to lock her replies, @elonmusk," one person responded on X, tagging X owner Elon Musk. Musk Does Immediate 180 On Trump As Soon As La Riots Rage "Hey @ElonMusk, can you make it so that government officials and former government officials cannot turn off their replies," another user posted. "Accusing the National Guard of causing chaos is a serious allegation that requires serious proof. I see none," one social media commenter posted. "Hillary Clinton is delusional if nothing else," another posted in response to footage of a fire raging as rioters waved a Mexican flag. Riots broke out in the left-wing city Friday evening after federal law enforcement officials converged on Los Angeles to carry out immigration raids as part of Trump's vow to deport illegal aliens who flooded the nation under the Biden administration. Local leaders such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom, however, quickly denounced the raids in public statements while offering words of support for illegal immigrants in the state. Protests over the raids soon devolved into violence as rioters targeted federal law enforcement officials, including launching rocks at officials, with videos showing people looting local stores, setting cars on fire and taking over a freeway. Newsom's Political Future 'Practically Nonexistent' As La Devolves Into Riots, Social Media Critics Predict Trump announced Saturday that he was deploying 2,000 National Guard members to help quell the violence, bypassing the governor, who typically activates the National Guard. California subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for efforts to allegedly "federalize the California National Guard." As the riots continued raging on Monday, the Trump administration deployed hundreds of U.S. Marines to respond to anti-immigration chaos. "Approximately 700 Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division will seamlessly integrate with the Title 10 forces under Task Force 51 who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area," U.S. Northern Command said in a Monday statement. Trump defended in a Truth Social post early Tuesday morning that if he "didn't 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now." "Much like 25,000 houses burned to the ground in L.A. do to an incompetent Governor and Mayor – Incidentally, the much more difficult, time consuming, and stringent FEDERAL PERMITTING PROCESS is virtually complete on these houses, while the easy and simple City and State Permits are disastrously bungled up and WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE! They are a total mess, and will be for a long time. People want to rebuild their houses. Call your incompetent Governor and Mayor, the Federal permitting is DONE!!!" Trump continued, referring to the thousands of homes that burned in southern California wildfires that gripped the Los Angeles area in January. Fox News Digital reached out to Clinton's office for comment on the social media post, but did not immediately receive a article source: 'Delusional' Hillary Clinton savagely mocked for LA riots response: 'Only leftists disable comments'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Russia significantly improved North Korea's shoddy KN-23 ballistic missiles, Ukraine's Budanov says
Russia helped significantly improve North Korea's KN-23 ballistic missiles, also known as Hwasong-11, after receiving the first inaccurate batch from Pyongyang, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) chief, said in an interview with The War Zone published on June 9. North Korea has supplied Russia with ammunition, ballistic missiles, and soldiers since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. KN-23 ballistic missiles initially flew with a deviation of a few kilometers and around half fired at Ukraine by Russia malfunctioned and exploded in mid-air, Reuters reported in May 2024, citing Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office. But now they are hitting their targets, Budanov said, without specifying what exactly was changed in the North Korean missiles. "The KN-23 missiles that were delivered in the very beginning, now it's an absolutely different missile in (terms) of their technical characteristics. The accuracy has increased many times," Budanov said. "This is the result of the common work of Russian and North Korean specialists. Also, there is the modernization of long-range air-to-air missiles, particular technologies on submarines, and unfortunately, ballistic missiles, which can carry nuclear payloads," he added. According to Budanov, Russia has also agreed to help North Korea begin domestic production of Shahed-type kamikaze drones. Pyongyang has ratcheted up its support for Russia following Russian President Vladimir Putin's signing of a mutual defense pact with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June 2024. According to a May 29 report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), Pyongyang shipped to Russia up to 9 million artillery shells and at least 100 ballistic missiles in 2024 alone. North Korea's involvement in the war expanded in fall 2024, when it deployed thousands of troops to Russia's western border to help fend off a large-scale Ukrainian incursion. The move followed the signing of a defense treaty between the two countries in June 2024, obligating both to provide military aid if either is attacked. North Korea acknowledged its role in the war only in April 2025. A month later, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said the country's participation was part of a "sacred mission," aligning Pyongyang's narrative with Moscow's. Read also: Exclusive: Ukraine could face 500+ Russian drones a night as Kremlin builds new launch sites We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
