'I Ended Her Life': Brian Laundrie Confessed In Notebook To Killing Gabby Petito

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Months after his death, Brian Laundrie’s written confession of killing his fiancée, Gabby Petito, near a Wyoming national park at the end of August 2021 has been released to the public.

Steven Bertolino, an attorney representing the Laundrie family, provided pages from the notebook, which was found near Laundrie’s remains in a Sarasota County park, to Fox News Digital after meeting with the FBI.

Attorneys representing Petito’s family, Patrick Reilly and Richard Stafford, didn’t comment on the notebook.

Laundrie, who called her death “an unexpected tragedy,” wrote that they were crossing a stream at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area when Petito fell in.

He said that he tried carrying her down the stream and back to their car but was unable to safely carry her. So, he started a fire, keeping her close to the heat because she was freezing and injured, though he was unsure of the extent of her injuries.

“When I pulled Gabby out of the water, she couldn’t tell me what hurt. She had a small bump on her forehead that eventually got larger,” Laundrie wrote. “Her feet hurt, her wrist hurt but she was freezing, shaking violently, while carrying her she continually made sounds of pain, laying next to her, she said little lapsing between violent shakes, gasping in pain, begging for an end to her pain.”

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Concerned she might have a concussion, he said that he would rouse her and “she would wake in pain, start the whole painful cycle again.”

He wrote, “I don’t know the extent of Gabby’s injurys (sic). Only that she was in extreme pain. I ended her life, I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked; I was in shock.”

Calling Petito “the love of my life,” Laundrie apologized to both of their families.

“I am ending my life not because of a fear of punishment but rather because I can’t stand to live another day without her. I’ve lost our whole future together, every moment we could have cherished. I’m sorry for everyone’s loss,” he wrote, adding, “I have killed myself by this creek in the hopes that animals may tear me apart. That it may make some of her family happy.”

Laundrie and Petito were Long Island, New York, natives living with his parents in North Port when they left for a trip to visit state parks in the western United States last summer, but only Laundrie returned to Florida on Sept. 1.

Petito, who was last heard from at the end of August 2021, was found strangled to death at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area Sept. 19.

Laundrie was reported missing Sept. 17 in North Port. His skeletal remains, as well as a notebook and other items belonging to him, were found in a Sarasota County park after more than a month of searching for him.

The medical examiner's office determined in November that Laundrie died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

In January, the FBI said the notebook found near Laundrie's body included written statements by him claiming responsibility for Petito's death.

Petito’s parents have filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit against Laundrie’s parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, in Sarasota County. Attorneys for both sides met in court for the first time Wednesday for a pre-trial hearing. A judge will determine within the next two weeks whether the suit will move forward to a jury trial next summer.