Judge won’t dismiss parent lawsuit in Gabby Petito slaying

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit in which the parents of Gabby Petito claim that Brian Laundrie told his parents he had killed her before he returned home alone from their western trip. The decision Thursday (June 30, 2022) by Sarasota County Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll means the lawsuit can proceed against Christopher and Robert Laundrie. Petito’s parents contend the Laundries intentionally inflicted emotional distress in the case. Petito disappeared on the couple’s trip in a converted van, with her slain body found Sept. 19, 2021, in a Wyoming national park. The FBI concluded that Laundrie strangled Petito and fatally shot himself in a Florida swamp.