FL Domestic Violence Bill Could Save Lives, Joe Petito Says: Report

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — The father of a Florida woman killed at the hands of her fiancee is hoping a bill introduced in the State Senate could save the lives of people experiencing domestic violence.

Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie, aspiring vloggers originally from Long Island, New York, lived with Laundrie’s parents in North Port, Florida, before embarking on their “van life” journey during the summer of 2021.

After strangling her, Laundrie left her body at a campsite in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest, where she was found nearly a month later on Sept. 19, 2021. He later confessed to the killing in a handwritten note before taking his own life.

Joe Petito, Gabby Petito's father, in his first interview since the settlement, told WFLA that new Senate Bill 638 — which would provide lethality assessments — could save an estimated 100 to 150 lives per year in Florida.

"That's a significant impact in my opinion," he told WFLA.

Related:

• Laundrie's Parents Admit Concern For Gabby Petito After Calls: Report
• Parents Of Petito, Laundrie Reach Secret Lawsuit Settlement

SB 638 would establish training for law-enforcement officers so they are able to recognize victims of "intimate partner violence who are at higher risk of death or serious injuries," WFLA reported. The bill was passed Wednesday through the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, the outlet reported.

Joe Petito told WFLA he believes a lethality assessment could have save his daughter's life.

Last month, the Petito and Laundrie families reached a confidential settlement in a civil lawsuit filed in Sarasota County, avoiding a trial, according to an attorney for the Petito family.

Petito’s parents filed a civil lawsuit against Laundrie’s parents and their attorney, Steven Bertolino, for intentional infliction of emotional distress. They claim the Laundries and their lawyer knew that their daughter was dead and where her body was during a national search for her in 2021.

“Our hope is to close this chapter of our lives to allow us to move on and continue to honor the legacy of our beautiful daughter, Gabby,” Petito’s family said in a statement sent to Patch by attorney Patrick J. Reilly, of trial lawyers Snyder & Reilly.

Bertolino also told Fox that a deal had been made following mediation.

"Christopher and Roberta Laundrie and I participated in mediation with the Petito family and the civil lawsuit has now been resolved," he said. "The terms of the resolution are confidential, and we look forward to putting this matter behind us."

In a separate wrongful death lawsuit, the families settled for $3 million in November 2022.

See more of Joe Petito's interview via WFLA.