Latest / Crime Stories with Nancy Grace / FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: SHOCK QUERY - DID KILLER BRIAN LAUNDRIE'S PARENTS KNOW GABBY WAS MURDERED?

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FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: SHOCK QUERY - DID KILLER BRIAN LAUNDRIE'S PARENTS KNOW GABBY WAS MURDERED? · Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Good evening, everybody. I'm Nancy Grayson.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: This is the Friday Night special Crime Stories and Tonight
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Shock Query. Did killer Brian Laundry's parents his mother and
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: father know Gabby Petito had been murdered? Did they know
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: that all along? Refusing to let her parents know and
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: launch a wild goose chase for their daughter. Tonight joining
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: us Gabby Petito's dad and stepmom. Not only are they
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: analyzing what happened then, but wait until you hear what
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: they are doing now, what they are doing for other
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: crime victims. It's amazing. I'm Nancy Grace, this is Crime Stories.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: I want to thank you for being with us.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: I don't want to try and defend myself by saying
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: and hereby I pushed their way.
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: She gets really worked up and when she knows, she
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: swings and shut herself on her head.
• 1:26
  Speaker 4: So I was just trying to get.
• 1:27
  Speaker 5: Through a way.
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  Speaker 4: But I was just really stressed.
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: Way I am thinking about it work then, and I.
• 1:33
  Speaker 6: Was apologizing I had done about this stuff in the fact.
• 1:37
  Speaker 7: Oh, I was just apologizing.
• 1:40
  Speaker 6: I was like, I'm sorry that I get so stressed out.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, how in the world was Brian Laundry deemed the
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: victim in that scenario.
• 1:53
  Speaker 4: Did you hear that?
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: How many times have women been victimized? And the man
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: says quote, she really gets worked up. Then you see
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: Gabby who was murdered, apologizing it like it's my fault
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: because she threw something in the back seat. Just so
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: you know. The police pulled them over after reports had
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: occurred of Brian Laundry beating Gabby Patito slapping her in
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: the face on Main Street. Why am I emphasizing main
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: Street because if he would do that on Maine Street,
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: what would he do in private? I e out and
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: dispersed camping where her remains were found completely bass actwards,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: and she paid for the police mistake with her life.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: Joining me right now two people that we all think
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: we know so well because we've seen them on TV,
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: we've heard their voices. But now joining me, Joe and
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  Speaker 1: Tara Patito. This is Gabby's dad and step mom. They
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: have been co parenting with Gabby's stepdad and bio mom
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: for years and years, all four of them. I believe Tara,
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: they call you a bonus.
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  Speaker 2: Mom, yes, and they called Jim a bonus dad because
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: we're more than step. We've been in Gabby's life since
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: she was very little, so I've been there from the start.
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  Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, isn't it true, Tara, that
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: very quickly after you met Joe, now your husband, you
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: saw photos of Gabby just a little girl.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, we met when Gabby was just about eight
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: nine months old. We didn't start really dating until about
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  Speaker 2: six months later. But you know, one of the first
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: things he did show me was a picture of Gabby.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: You know, Tarah, A lot of guys and I guess women,
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: but mostly guys in the dating world, they hide the
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: fact that they have children or they don't even care.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: They don't even think of talking about their children because
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: they're so like disconnected and they're more focused on getting
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: a girlfriend and all that entails. But not Joe, Betito, Joe,
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: what is your single most I no, there's a lot,
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: but what is your single most vivid memory of Gabby?
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: When when I ditched work with her, so it was
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: like bring your daddy and bring your daughter to work, dad,
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  Speaker 3: and h My work was boring. Jim's got like a
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: cool job, like he would run into the burning buildings
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: and you know all that stuff.
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  Speaker 7: You know, firepole whatever. No, I had reports and stuff.
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  Speaker 3: So she was so bored and she's just you know,
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  Speaker 3: I could see it and she's like, you know, let's
• 5:15
  Speaker 3: get out of here.
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  Speaker 7: And I'm one hundred percent. Where do you want to go?
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  Speaker 3: And we went to the Museum of monitt Art and
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: we hung out there all day, and then we went
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: to I think it was the Starlight Diner after that
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: in Manhattan, and then then we went home.
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  Speaker 7: But that was that was fantastic.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: I've asked that about my fiance Keith before he was murdered,
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: and it's literally a moment. I've got so many memories,
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: but it's literally a moment. One moment. I lived on
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: the bottom floor of my dormitory and it to come
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: to the room and have to go through the lobby
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: and then walk down a circuitous route hallways. He would
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: come to the window and throw something at the window
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: of the dorm and I could just look at and
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  Speaker 1: I remember one of those moments and I looked down
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: at him and he had beautiful blue eyes, and that
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: moment when he looked up and smile, that moment is
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  Speaker 1: just something that just stuck in my memory. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: there's so many of them, but that's one of them.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know how anybody can pick just one with
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  Speaker 1: all the birthdays and events and Christmases And do you
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  Speaker 1: let yourself, Joe, think back on all of those amazing
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  Speaker 1: times with Gabby or does that get you upset?
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  Speaker 5: No?
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  Speaker 7: I think about it all the time.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, yeah, yes, I get upset because I can't
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: have any more, But no, I think about it all
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: the time. And yeah, I try to make sure I
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: have those moments with my boys too, because you just
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: never know. So we really try to cherish everything and
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  Speaker 3: every moment, you know, and really you live for today,
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  Speaker 3: but you plan for tomorrow.
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  Speaker 7: And that's what we do.
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  Speaker 2: What about it, Tara, Well, I'm going to say, I
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  Speaker 2: mean I cherish all the memories that we had, and again,
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  Speaker 2: like Joe just said, I wish we could have more.
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  Speaker 2: I find myself often looking at all the pictures. Gaby
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  Speaker 2: loved to take pictures, and I'm so grateful that we
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: have so many of them. But right now, I mean,
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  Speaker 2: she would have been twenty six years old, and she
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  Speaker 2: has friends having.
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  Speaker 4: Babies and getting married and as happy as I am
• 7:28
  Speaker 4: for them, and.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, I just we're never going to get
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  Speaker 2: that I'm never going to see my grandchildren from her,
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  Speaker 2: and that's something that's extremely painful.
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  Speaker 1: I've been thinking about everything that we talked about at
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: crime Con, everything you're saying right now, Tara, you just
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: said something really powerful. It's not what you've already lost,
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: but what you are going to lose. You stated that
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: you will never have grandchildren with Gabby. When did that
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: hit you like a ton of bricks? I mean, do
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  Speaker 1: you visualize Christmases and Easters and grandparents' days together? What
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: it would have been like. I mean, when you think
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: of that, what do you visualize?
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  Speaker 4: That is a rough one.
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  Speaker 2: I don't think that I really try to visualize that
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  Speaker 2: because I think that would be way too painful. I
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: don't think I have visualized that. I mean, I think
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: about Gabby every single day. I try to look for
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: signs from her every single day. I think about her
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  Speaker 2: brothers and sisters not getting to spend those times with
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: But damn, yeah, I know I'm never going to have
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: those grandchildren.
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  Speaker 4: But have I ever visualized it?
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  Speaker 5: No?
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  Speaker 4: I think that would be it's too bad.
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  Speaker 2: I did.
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  Speaker 1: I did tear it, but I had to stop. I
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: would visualize us moving in Colorado because Keith already had
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: a job lined up. He was a geology major, and
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: I would have been teaching school English or college, I
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: hope Shakespeare in literature, and we would have three children.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: And I let myself do that. It was kind of
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: a comfort thing for years, but then it started taking
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: over and it wasn't comfort anymore. It was upsetting. And
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: then I had my twins and I learned to not
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: allow myself to do that because it takes you down
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  Speaker 1: into you know, a depression or worse. It's very upsetting.
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  Speaker 1: And you have your family now that you're helping through
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  Speaker 1: Gabby's death. How are they at this juncture dealing with
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: no Gabby? No Gabby here anyway?
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  Speaker 2: The boys are definitely having a very difficult time. My
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: youngest right now, he's really struggling. I think it's he
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: was too young to really realize what was happening. He
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: was only ten years old. But now he's fourteen and
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: he's really it's been hitting him hard the past couple
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  Speaker 2: of weeks, past couple of months.
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  Speaker 4: I just try to focus on them it's possible.
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  Speaker 2: I try to let them know that they are allowed
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: to have happiness. Gabby would want them to have happiness.
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  Speaker 2: I let them know that Gabby's here with us, maybe
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: not in physical form, but her spirit's always always there,
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: just so that they know that they have a very
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: long life to live and they're going to have a
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: lot of memories, but to keep her always there.
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  Speaker 1: Joe, do you ever get sick when you hear people
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  Speaker 1: talk about closure?
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  Speaker 5: Just?
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  Speaker 1: I mean, I just heard Tara there's no closure because
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  Speaker 1: even now the boys are struggling, and as some of
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: them get older and it starts, they realize what really happened.
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  Speaker 1: That's going to be very difficult to take in. There
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: is no closure. I don't know why people say that.
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: So I don't get sick. I mean internally, I'm like, yeah, no,
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  Speaker 3: that's not that's not a thing. You know, you don't
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: get over the death of a child. But there's no
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: better word to use. And I understand where they're coming
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  Speaker 3: from and their intention behind it, to be honest with you,
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  Speaker 3: I really do so, But I I just there is
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  Speaker 3: no closure on the death child, know or or your
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: your partner that you see an entire life with you know,
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: and it's what you do afterwards, you know that and
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  Speaker 3: make you get through the days, and it's find of
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: why we do what we do now and we get
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: our focus, you know, with the foundation and trying to help.
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: You know, that's one of the reasons that we're on today.
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  Speaker 3: You know, that's what we're trying to do. You know,
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: we're trying to There's a domestic violence shelter in Laramie
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: that needs needs some help. They need a security defense.
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: And the excuse me, it's fifty four thousand dollars and
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: we're gonna match.
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  Speaker 7: We're gonna put up half of it. So we're gonna
• 12:39
  Speaker 7: put up twenty seven.
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: Thousand crime stores with Nancy Grace. You're doing so much
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: with a Gabby Potato Foundation. But one thing you recently
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: told me is about Lara Dies. It's a shelter near Laramie.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: Is it actually called Laradise.
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  Speaker 2: No, they call themselves Laradise. It's just I guess it's
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: spin on the words. It is Laramie, Wyoming. They're an
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: amazing organization and Nicky and I were able to visit
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: them last year. We spoke at their luncheon and when
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: we went to the shelter, we noticed that they did
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: not have a security gate, and it was something that
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: was really disturbing because they put their lives at risk
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: every day. They've already had issues where abusers will stop there.
• 13:39
  Speaker 4: They're victims, and it's it's it's it's again, it's not.
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: Most of most shelters have security gates, and so we
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: came up with this idea that we wanted to raise
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: money to try to to try to get them that,
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: because again, they put their lives at risk every single day.
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  Speaker 4: And she's not right. You shouldn't go to work in fear.
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  Speaker 2: You go to a shelter also to be protected from
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: your abuser. So they are really in desperate neve of
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: this eat.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: You know, Tara, I remember prosecuting all day long, and
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: I would work at the batter Women's Center in Atlanta
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: in the evenings, and a volunteer, I was a volunteer.
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  Speaker 1: I wouldn't even know the location of the shelter for
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: a really long time, months and months and months, if
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: not over a year before a volunteer who was working
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: the hotline could know where the shelter was, right, because
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: that's a very real danger for victims to be brutalized.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: And then they finally get away and then the pro
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: finds out where they are and the shelter you're talking about.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: They don't even have a fence.
• 15:00
  Speaker 7: What, Joe, we signed NDA's before we go yep.
• 15:04
  Speaker 4: Because we can't give out the addresses.
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: Well, you're right, because perps have found the shelter and
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: have followed the victim and tried to kill the victim
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: at the shelter, and then there are other people there
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: that are collateral damage. So this fence, these protective measures
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: are really needed. You go to Gabby Potito Foundation dot
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: org and when you go there and click on that,
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: you will immediately see how to donate to the Laramie
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: Project shelter. Tell me about who are the victims there, Joe.
• 15:42
  Speaker 3: These aren't domestic violence survivors that need assistance, and they
• 15:46
  Speaker 3: need to make sure that where they are are going
• 15:48
  Speaker 3: to be safe. The name of the foundation is called
• 15:52
  Speaker 3: the Safe Project, and they do amazing work. And they
• 15:56
  Speaker 3: they said, Tyr and Nikki went and spoke there, and
• 15:59
  Speaker 3: the last thing they should be worried about is, hey, listen,
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: I got away. Now the person is going to break
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: into where I'm at. I mean, that's the fear that
• 16:06
  Speaker 3: you shouldn't have. And this is a process of healing.
• 16:09
  Speaker 3: It can't start with having more fear where you are
• 16:12
  Speaker 3: and that this is why this is so important. Nikki
• 16:16
  Speaker 3: and Tara and are going there this weekend this week going.
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: Back there this weekend to speak at their luncheon again,
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: just as being there has brought in more people. They
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: sold out last year and I think they only have
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: a couple of tickets left for this year. So it
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: just brings in more money for them. And that's what
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: our foundation is all about. It's about helping other organizations,
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: TV organizations and missing organizations.
• 16:44
  Speaker 4: I mean, we do a lot of other things as well,
• 16:45
  Speaker 4: but that's those are our main two things.
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: I mean, so we have a first responder program that
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: gym's going around the country with. Nicki and Tara do
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: a lot of education and prevention around the country.
• 16:57
  Speaker 7: I do a lot of the legislative work.
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: So when it comes to what we're doing, it's a lot.
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: But this is right here, This is just going to.
• 17:05
  Speaker 7: Be a pretty you know.
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: Our short term goal is to get them their fence
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: right now and do what they can to make sure
• 17:11
  Speaker 3: that everyone that's there or come there in the future
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: have a safe place to Joe, when.
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: Did you decide to launch the Gabby Potito Foundation?
• 17:22
  Speaker 5: And why Nicky came up with it before Gabby's service
• 17:28
  Speaker 5: because we had so many people reach out and there
• 17:32
  Speaker 5: was so many questions on what to do and what
• 17:35
  Speaker 5: you saw and stuff like that.
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: And we just wanted to help as many people as
• 17:40
  Speaker 3: we could and get as much information to people as
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: we could. And to be honest with you, the amount
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: of work that Tara and Nicky do, I mean, Jim
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: and I do a lot of work too, but it's
• 17:49
  Speaker 3: nowhere near the amount of work that Tara does and
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: that Nicky does. And I'll tell you they are the
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: brains behind the operation. And watching them work, it's just
• 17:57
  Speaker 3: it's just admirable.
• 18:00
  Speaker 7: They are amazing together.
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: Derek, when did you know in your heart that you
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: couldn't just sit by and do nothing after Gabby was
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: murdered by Brian Laundry Again, No, you've had to do something.
• 18:19
  Speaker 4: It was right before Gabby's service.
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: I mean, nothing that we could do, obviously, is to
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: bring Gabby back. As much as I would love to
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: be able to do that, it's just not possible. But
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: Nikki came to us right before her service and was like,
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: let's start a foundation.
• 18:35
  Speaker 4: I think at that point we didn't really know what
• 18:37
  Speaker 4: that meant. We didn't know what we were doing.
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: I've never ran a foundation before, but I knew in
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: my heart that we had to do it. So many
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: people helped us, and we don't want this happening to
• 18:49
  Speaker 2: anybody else.
• 18:50
  Speaker 4: I mean, our goal is really to be put out
• 18:52
  Speaker 4: of business.
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: That's what That's what we want to think most TV organizations,
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: that's what they want. They want to be put out
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: of business because I mean this it has to stop.
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: The violence has to stop.
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: I've got a question for you. When you hear or
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: read online, dare you do it? People attacking you? How
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: do you deal with that? Just totally ignore it?
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: I think in the beginning it used to really hurt
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: reading that, and then we have amazing supporters that actually
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: would defend us, and we didn't have to do anything
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: at that point.
• 19:33
  Speaker 4: Now I just kind of laugh at them. I look
• 19:36
  Speaker 4: at them like their bots.
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: They have no idea, they haven't done any research, and
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: lucky for them, they've maybe they've never been in a
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: situation where they've needed any resources.
• 19:46
  Speaker 4: So have at it. Do what you got to do.
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: But what are the different things that you do through
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: Gabby Potato Foundation dot org.
• 19:57
  Speaker 3: Again, I mean, it's kind of like we said before,
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: what we do, you know, the education prevention Tara and
• 20:02
  Speaker 3: Nikki go around the country talking to colleges and conferences
• 20:05
  Speaker 3: and foundations at all types of events.
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: Got to break it down Joe education about.
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: What well, DV education and prevention. So right now Jim
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: is out there. He's a first uh, he's always been
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: a first responder, and he developed a DV it's like
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: unseen Advocate, So it's a DV prevention program that he
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: goes and teaches first responders us mts.
• 20:34
  Speaker 4: And then Nicki and I will go around well we
• 20:37
  Speaker 4: will this next week.
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: I think next week we're speaking at a high school.
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: Nicki has already spoken out of high school. That's what
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: we would like to get in.
• 20:46
  Speaker 3: Red flags, you know where to go if you see
• 20:50
  Speaker 3: situations you know, similar to you know X, you know,
• 20:53
  Speaker 3: and they're talking about these these these events and these
• 20:55
  Speaker 3: situations that people in, especially when you gear it towards
• 20:58
  Speaker 3: the younger generation of friendships relationships because they're just new.
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: And it's also about keeping your airways safe. I mean,
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: Gabby was strangled, so a lot of people do not
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: know the dangers of being strangled, even if it's just
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: for pleasure or I mean that anybody that strangles you
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: is the most dangerous person to walk the earth. Most likely,
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: if they're going to strangle you, they are ready to
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: kill you.
• 21:27
  Speaker 7: Yeah, yeah, and then listen.
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: Then there's the legislative stuff, do you know there's a
• 21:32
  Speaker 3: lethality assessment that we're trying to get everywhere. Matter of fact,
• 21:36
  Speaker 3: I'll be up in Albany in October trying to champion
• 21:40
  Speaker 3: a bill that's up and up there for the state
• 21:43
  Speaker 3: of New York. So then we'll have what Utah, Florida
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: and New York that'll have it. We just trained the
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: LAPD what two months back to they are using the
• 21:53
  Speaker 3: Maryland Network Against Domestic Violences lethality assessment now too. So
• 21:57
  Speaker 3: just doing as much as we can ise, you know,
• 22:00
  Speaker 3: just everywhere, but working on some legislation in Australia and
• 22:04
  Speaker 3: the United Kingdom as well.
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: You know, I'm want to circle back on what the
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: legislation is that you're working on. But something that Tara
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: said about prevention DV domestic violence, I would see by
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: the time I got them, they would be felonies such
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: as aggravated battery where a woman would lose her eye,
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: the use of her eye or forever use, the use
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: of her lose, the use of her arm or finger
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: or a leg even or an aggravated assault where the
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: victim is shot stad beaten with fists, so they'd be
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: a fella or they're dead. That's how I would get
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: the case in court. By then it's a felony, right.
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: And it was a constant stream. I remember one woman
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: coming in in It's like a body cast from the
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: hip down on one side of her. Her whole legs
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: ankle all the way up, and she was on crutches,
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: of course, and trailing behind her was the purp. They
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: came together and she came up to me and wanted
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: to drop charges. Of course I reamed him a new
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: tailhole and refused to drop charges, and let him know
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: that's my decision, not hers. My point is all I
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: could do at that point is put somebody behind bars
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: for a good long time. But what you're doing is
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: trying to stop it before it happens.
• 23:40
  Speaker 7: We're also trying to change some of the mentality behind it.
• 23:43
  Speaker 7: You know. Yeah, I hate listen.
• 23:46
  Speaker 3: I don't want to bring up politics because I think
• 23:49
  Speaker 3: politics is just a ridiculous topic, to be honest with you,
• 23:52
  Speaker 3: you know, but there was something that was said yesterday
• 23:56
  Speaker 3: that I was tagged in and it was and you
• 23:59
  Speaker 3: can and we'll go offline on who it was, but
• 24:02
  Speaker 3: someone pretty prominent made a comment where, you know, even
• 24:05
  Speaker 3: a small, you know, fight between a husband and wife
• 24:08
  Speaker 3: and the home is now considered criminal or you know,
• 24:11
  Speaker 3: and they were just making light of that topic where
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: it's not the disagreements or the arguments that you have,
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: but the idea that someone would say something like that,
• 24:21
  Speaker 3: and you know, and not understanding there's some serious ramifications
• 24:26
  Speaker 3: behind even small fights where people will consider and there's
• 24:30
  Speaker 3: dangers behind it, and there's it's it's just not okay.
• 24:33
  Speaker 7: And it's that mentality that we need to change. And
• 24:37
  Speaker 7: I mean we were talking about it last night. I
• 24:39
  Speaker 7: can't believe I actually heard something like that.
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: And that's that's what we're trying to change, that type
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: of old way of thinking that that's okay.
• 24:47
  Speaker 4: It's not because because of use as a process. I mean,
• 24:52
  Speaker 4: we know that.
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: When Brian killed Gabby that that wasn't the first time
• 24:57
  Speaker 2: he strangled her. He had strangled her many times, many
• 25:01
  Speaker 2: times beforehand. I mean, now we know that we didn't
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: know that then. But a lot of times they love
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: bomb you, they isolate you, they start gasolating. I mean,
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: it doesn't always, it's not they're not going to.
• 25:14
  Speaker 4: Physically abuse you right away. They got to win you
• 25:16
  Speaker 4: over and.
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: Make you think that they're the best thing, the best
• 25:20
  Speaker 2: thing ever, and then then they.
• 25:22
  Speaker 4: Will slowly show their true colors. So it's it doesn't
• 25:25
  Speaker 4: just happen overnight. It takes some time.
• 25:29
  Speaker 7: I mean, it's crazy how they're always the same process. Yeah,
• 25:33
  Speaker 7: it really is.
• 25:35
  Speaker 4: So it's really just eating.
• 25:38
  Speaker 3: Well, there's statistics that show that when you kill someone
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: from strangulation, you've done it before.
• 25:44
  Speaker 2: And she also disclosed that to her friend.
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: I got a question, are you convinced that Laundry's family
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: new Gabby was dead for weeks and let you and
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: everybody else search for her while refusing to take your calls.
• 26:09
  Speaker 3: It is my I'm going to say in terms that
• 26:11
  Speaker 3: I'm allowed to say that it is my opinion, okay,
• 26:15
  Speaker 3: that they definitively knew and nothing that anyone says will
• 26:20
  Speaker 3: ever change that. I've seen too much information to say
• 26:24
  Speaker 3: otherwise they knew, and.
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: I under our law, no one has been accused, No
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: one is a person of interest or suspect and hiding
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: Gabby's murder. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty in
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: a court of law that said, what have you seen
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: that convinces you? What have you seen that gives you
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: the opinion that the Laundrys, damn well knew Gabby was dead.
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: Could it be that they sent twenty five thousand dollars
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: to a Wyoming defense attorney where her body was found
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: before she was found?
• 27:13
  Speaker 7: That's that would be a possibility.
• 27:15
  Speaker 4: Would would they say yet?
• 27:16
  Speaker 7: I mean that would that would time to do it
• 27:18
  Speaker 7: for me?
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: And in a Christopher Laundry's deposition said that Gabby was gone,
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: that Brian called and said Gabby was gone and that
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: he needed a lawyer. I mean, but then he tried
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: to say, oh, because she just ran off. I don't
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: know anybody that needs a lawyer for a breakup.
• 27:37
  Speaker 7: Yeah. No, I've never needed a lawyer for a breakup.
• 27:41
  Speaker 7: And a Nora have I sent twenty five thousand many times?
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: Did you try to reach them? Because we all know
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: Brian Laundry drove across the country in Gabby's for transit,
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: arrives at home in her car, and nobody said none
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: of the laundry said, hey, where's Gabby? There was a
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: car you're here. You know how many times did you
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: call them to find out where's Gabby and nobody would
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: tell you.
• 28:08
  Speaker 3: I don't know how many times I did. I know
• 28:10
  Speaker 3: I did a few and texted a few. You called
• 28:13
  Speaker 3: a few, Jim called a few, Nikki called a few.
• 28:16
  Speaker 3: I mean, we kept calling and texting, but it was
• 28:19
  Speaker 3: it got no responses. But I mean, listen, and nothing's
• 28:26
  Speaker 3: going to bring her back, and is listen we heard
• 28:31
  Speaker 3: every day. You know, we go through the process every day,
• 28:34
  Speaker 3: but it really does. The stuff that we do now
• 28:36
  Speaker 3: and the work that we do now really does, really
• 28:41
  Speaker 3: does make a difference in impacting our lives and making
• 28:44
  Speaker 3: us feel like it not that it's worth it, but
• 28:47
  Speaker 3: maybe there's meeting behind it. So do you know, I
• 28:50
  Speaker 3: don't know. You were one of the first people to
• 28:53
  Speaker 3: put a file on our face, you know, back when
• 28:57
  Speaker 3: this happened. You know, I don't know if Ben people
• 29:00
  Speaker 3: know that that you put me on your family thread
• 29:04
  Speaker 3: for the twins' birthday and accidentally and like are you coming?
• 29:09
  Speaker 3: And I didn't know how to respond, and I showed
• 29:12
  Speaker 3: Tara and it was like the one of the first
• 29:14
  Speaker 3: times that we laughed, to be honest with you, like,
• 29:16
  Speaker 3: we actually had a smile on our face, and she's like,
• 29:19
  Speaker 3: you have to respond, so you know, and.
• 29:22
  Speaker 7: Then we you know, all that stuff, But that was
• 29:24
  Speaker 7: one of the first times that we left.
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: So I'll put you on that text. It was to
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: all the parents about the twins' birthday party, and at
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: that time, everybody in the grade had to be invited
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: to the mega blowout at the jumping house or whatever
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: it was, and it was just not a good time
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: unless I threw up or got a black eye or
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: a fat lip at the jumping house. So that's what
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: you mistakenly were invited to all the good times. What
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: exactly was on that text?
• 29:53
  Speaker 3: By the way, I really think, I replied the listen,
• 29:58
  Speaker 3: I think you're kind of far plus.
• 29:59
  Speaker 7: I don't think this was meant for me, you know.
• 30:01
  Speaker 3: But then I got I guess pictures from the event,
• 30:04
  Speaker 3: and then Tara's like, we were just laughing, Like I said,
• 30:06
  Speaker 3: it put a smile on our face at a dark time,
• 30:09
  Speaker 3: so that.
• 30:10
  Speaker 4: He wasn't going to respond, and I'm like, you have to.
• 30:13
  Speaker 8: You cannot not respond, like this is amazing, you know,
• 30:18
  Speaker 8: most people would love to be able to even meet you,
• 30:21
  Speaker 8: and here he is on your text.
• 30:24
  Speaker 4: Threat was awesome, But thank you. Thank you for giving
• 30:27
  Speaker 4: us that laugh, we really needed it.
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: And thank you what you want to Thank me for
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: inviting you to the Twins Jumping house party.
• 30:35
  Speaker 7: I'll come next time.
• 30:36
  Speaker 8: Listen.
• 30:36
  Speaker 7: Who doesn't love a good jumping out.
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: Crime Stores with Nancy Grace, Gabby's stepmom Tara, who helped
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: raise her. They referred to her as a bonus mom.
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: Spoke with our friends over at Squeeze a very disturbing question.
• 31:04
  Speaker 6: His room was completely gutted and renovated. None of his
• 31:08
  Speaker 6: things were were there anymore. It was gone. So that
• 31:12
  Speaker 6: very same week Gabby was missing and cops were going
• 31:16
  Speaker 6: to their house to try to get I guess a
• 31:18
  Speaker 6: scent from their dogs to look for Brian. All his
• 31:22
  Speaker 6: things were gone.
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: That from our friends at the Squeeze again. The Laundries
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: are not charged with any criminal wrongdoing. They have not
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: been named suspects or persons of interest. In fact, they
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: are innocent of all criminal wrongdoing under our jurisprudence. Innocent.
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: The sheer will power of Gabby Potatoes for parents is
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: amazing that they have taken their pain and their anger
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: and turned it in to something so amazingly good. This
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: is a discussion I had with Joe and Tara at
• 32:04
  Speaker 1: crime cod twenty twenty five out in Denver, just a
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: few days ago before he murdered her. He assaulted her
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: on main street in some little town, and the cot
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: named Gabby the aggressor, even though witnesses state they saw
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: him get her. So everything that could go wrong went wrong,
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: And somehow the Laundryes knew more than you did.
• 32:32
  Speaker 3: Well, no, I was the person who was responsible. Came
• 32:36
  Speaker 3: home back into their house and I think it was
• 32:41
  Speaker 3: twenty five thousand dollars. You know, they had the right
• 32:43
  Speaker 3: to check twenty five thousand, and they.
• 32:45
  Speaker 2: Sent a check for twenty five thousand dollars to their
• 32:48
  Speaker 2: attorney up in New York, Berdolino, who then sent it
• 32:51
  Speaker 2: to a defense attorney in Wyoming. How did they know
• 32:56
  Speaker 2: the location in Wyoming that they needed a difriend's attorney?
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: And to say that again, so Brian Laundry and the
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: fiance walked in the door, and I said, Hey, where's Gamby?
• 33:06
  Speaker 3: Actually no, that's not so he called. He called his
• 33:10
  Speaker 3: mom on his drive home and they had a long conversation,
• 33:14
  Speaker 3: and immediately afterwards the parents called Stephen Bertolino, and then
• 33:20
  Speaker 3: I guess the next day a wire went from the
• 33:22
  Speaker 3: laundries to Bertolino, and then Bertolino hired some high power
• 33:27
  Speaker 3: criminal defense attorney in Wyoming and that was the retainer
• 33:32
  Speaker 3: of twenty five thousand dollars. No, I don't know about
• 33:34
  Speaker 3: anybody in this room. If your child asked you for
• 33:37
  Speaker 3: a twenty five thousand dollars check, are you guys gonna
• 33:41
  Speaker 3: ask why?
• 33:43
  Speaker 4: Right?
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: Just wondering, Joe and Tara Patito, what is your message
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: tonight to families out there looking for their loved ones,
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: to families that know the one they loved is being abused,
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: and your message to people that are being abused.
• 34:08
  Speaker 7: Okay, so that would be three different messages.
• 34:11
  Speaker 2: So I guess the first one is, if your loved
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: one is missing, don't give up, keep trying. If you're
• 34:18
  Speaker 2: not getting answers from the media, and if they're not
• 34:20
  Speaker 2: helping you, take it to your take it to your
• 34:26
  Speaker 2: own social media, make your own social media, push it
• 34:28
  Speaker 2: as much as possible, advocate for your loved one as
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: much as possible.
• 34:32
  Speaker 7: Can I give a dark one of that I'll give
• 34:34
  Speaker 7: a dark one of that sure.
• 34:36
  Speaker 3: So for the media and the outlets and stuff, this
• 34:40
  Speaker 3: is gonna sound really horrible, but they need stuff that
• 34:43
  Speaker 3: people will watch and content. A photo sometimes isn't enough
• 34:48
  Speaker 3: to keep people's attention.
• 34:50
  Speaker 7: So videos and or you know, sounds, you know.
• 34:53
  Speaker 3: Where people can hear and see the body movements and
• 34:56
  Speaker 3: stuff can really make an impact on getting that story
• 35:00
  Speaker 3: out there.
• 35:00
  Speaker 7: Further So, if you.
• 35:01
  Speaker 3: Have videos or even live photos and stuff where you
• 35:05
  Speaker 3: can hear them, try and put those out there as
• 35:08
  Speaker 3: much as you can as well, because that's some of
• 35:10
  Speaker 3: the stuff that TikTok and like Instagram stories or the
• 35:14
  Speaker 3: mainstream media will pick up on because of that.
• 35:17
  Speaker 7: I do find that to be helpful.
• 35:20
  Speaker 2: If you're going through a situation similar to Gabby, reach
• 35:24
  Speaker 2: out for help. Reach out to a family member, a
• 35:27
  Speaker 2: loved one. There's a National Domestic Violence Hotline that you
• 35:29
  Speaker 2: can reach out to. They have lots of resources even
• 35:32
  Speaker 2: on their website. Don't give up that hope, just keep trying.
• 35:38
  Speaker 2: Come up with a safety plan. Know that you deserve
• 35:41
  Speaker 2: you deserve a life of happiness free from abuse.
• 35:46
  Speaker 3: If you are in a situation where you're being abused,
• 35:52
  Speaker 3: like Dike, Tara said, you know, one hundred and seventy
• 35:54
  Speaker 3: nine nine Safe as a national domestic violence hotline. But
• 35:57
  Speaker 3: you'll see, like one of the things that happened after
• 35:59
  Speaker 3: the Netflix documentary, which is really cool, was we got
• 36:02
  Speaker 3: to see so many people tell their stories on how
• 36:06
  Speaker 3: they got out of their situation to inspire others that
• 36:10
  Speaker 3: there's light at the end of the tunnel. And if
• 36:13
  Speaker 3: I would say, kind of watch those that there are
• 36:16
  Speaker 3: better times ahead. And it's a journey, but there are
• 36:20
  Speaker 3: better times ahead. And you know, relationships can be a
• 36:23
  Speaker 3: wonderful thing. I mean, she's amazing. I'm an idiot, but
• 36:25
  Speaker 3: she's amazing. So and seeing stuff like that can really help.
• 36:29
  Speaker 3: And if you are in a safe place and you
• 36:32
  Speaker 3: have a story that you would like to tell and
• 36:34
  Speaker 3: get out there to help inspire others, I would encourage
• 36:36
  Speaker 3: you to do that too.
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: I really love the bracelet you gave me. It says
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: Gabby Potato. She touched the world. What did you mean
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: by that?
• 36:48
  Speaker 7: She touched the world? She touched everybody.
• 36:50
  Speaker 3: Everybody When it comes to what Gabby was doing and
• 36:57
  Speaker 3: the way she helped others see themselves in her, you know,
• 37:01
  Speaker 3: in the certain situations and stuff and I mean there
• 37:05
  Speaker 3: wasn't a country that didn't contact us, to be honest,
• 37:08
  Speaker 3: So she really did.
• 37:09
  Speaker 7: She really touched the world.
• 37:10
  Speaker 3: And I hope others can be inspired by the way
• 37:14
  Speaker 3: that she would do things in terms of travel and
• 37:17
  Speaker 3: and just.
• 37:17
  Speaker 7: Try and be nice, just be a nicer person.
• 37:20
  Speaker 3: It's I actually find it more difficult to be a
• 37:22
  Speaker 3: jerk than it is to be nice. It's easy to
• 37:25
  Speaker 3: be nice, it's difficult to be a jerk.
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: So you know, it takes a lot more energy, yeah, exact,
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: and sometimes people are energy. Get that. It takes a
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: lot of energy.
• 37:37
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and they're not worth it, you know's And you
• 37:40
  Speaker 3: had said something before, like how do you you know
• 37:42
  Speaker 3: what social media?
• 37:43
  Speaker 7: My kids have kids.
• 37:44
  Speaker 3: The one thing that parents know about children is that
• 37:47
  Speaker 3: children say sometimes the darkest things. Were like, man, you
• 37:50
  Speaker 3: don't have to be so mean to me, you know,
• 37:53
  Speaker 3: So I care about like three people in my house,
• 37:56
  Speaker 3: my wife, my two boy, anything that anyone else has,
• 37:59
  Speaker 3: and but they're not talking to me. So but other
• 38:04
  Speaker 3: than that, say what you want. You know, we're still
• 38:06
  Speaker 3: going to help as many people as we can, and
• 38:09
  Speaker 3: that's why we're trying to help the Safe Project right now.
• 38:11
  Speaker 3: That's that's our short term, you know, this week we
• 38:15
  Speaker 3: want to raise that money and get them their fence
• 38:18
  Speaker 3: and hopefully the people that are there are they're going
• 38:21
  Speaker 3: to come there. We'll sleep better at night knowing that
• 38:24
  Speaker 3: they're in.
• 38:24
  Speaker 7: A safe place.
• 38:25
  Speaker 3: That's I mean, that's the bare minimum that we could offer, right.
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: Guys joining us tonight are two people that have really
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: touched my life and I hope your life. And it's
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: all because I've Gabby Potito, the beautiful, beautiful girl. Please
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: in her name, help them, help us. Go to Gabbypotito
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: Foundation dot org and for starters you can send to
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: donate to the Laramie Security Project, a shelter for people
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: that need it so desperately. I don't know what is
• 39:07
  Speaker 1: to come. I don't know what will happen in the future,
• 39:11
  Speaker 1: but I do know this. I have two friends, and
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: you're looking at them, Tara and Joe Potito. God speed,
• 39:20
  Speaker 1: my friends. Thank you, thank you for having us, Nay,
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: thank you, Nancy, Nancy Grace signing off, good night friend.