Newly released records show that Brian Laundrie called his parents 20 times in 2 days after he killed girlfriend Gabby Petito and told them that Gabby was "gone" and that he needed a lawyer. 

Two days after Petito was last seen alive, Laundrie had a 55-minute phone call with his parents. Most of the subsequent calls were with his mother.

The records came from depositions in a lawsuit by Petito's parents against Laundrie's parents and attorney for hiding information about her death.

It was also revealed that Laundrie retained a lawyer through his parents on September 2, 2021, more than a week before Petito was reported missing.

What happened

Petito's remains were found on September 19, 2021, in a camping area of the Grand Teton National Forest in Wyoming. She died from being strangled, police found.

Laundrie disappeared before he could be arrested and his remains were found in October 2021 in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. An autopsy showed that he likely shot himself in the head.

Knowing that a murder has taken place and not reporting it is against the law and makes the person who knew an accessory, which would mean that Roberta and Christopher Laundrie were accessories after the fact to Petito's killing.

They were allegedly told by the lawyer they retained for their son to keep quiet about what he told them, which also violates the ethical standards Steve Bertolino was supposed to uphold as an attorney.

Went too far

Petito's parents seem most upset that the Laundries gave a statement on September 14 saying they hoped Petito would be found even though they knew she was dead.

Of course, most parents want to protect their children, but there are limits to how parents can do that legally when they are made privvy to knowledge about a murder.

The Laundries went way too far to protect their son.

They obstructed the police investigation and broke the law, and even though the police did not prosecute them, the suit by Petito's parents is a way to hold them to account.

It wasn't clear what Petito's parents are asking for in the suit. A previous civil suit already awarded $3 million to Petito's estate from Laundrie's estate for wrongful death, but it is not clear how much money the estate has.

It seems as though Petito's parents now have the proof they need to show that Laundrie's parents were in the wrong, but we will see what the jury thinks.