Gabby Petito’s Mom Says She Forgives Brian Laundrie, but Not His Mother: 'I See No Empathy in Your Eyes'

“You do not deserve forgiveness," Nicole Schmidt said of Brian's mom, Roberta Laundrie, at CrimeCon 2024

Gabby Petito’s mother has forgiven her killer — but not his parents.

While speaking at CrimeCon 2024 on Friday, May 31, about her late daughter — who was found strangled in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park in September 2021 — Nicole Schmidt shared messages to both Brian Laundrie and his mom.

“I speak for myself here when I say Brian, I forgive you,” Schmidt said at the Nashville convention, admitting that the gesture “may shock most people.”

"I needed to release myself from the chains of anger and bitterness," she continued. "And I refuse to let your despicable act define the rest of my life."

Related: Gabby Petito's Parents Say 'She Would Be Alive Today' If Police Handled Traffic Stop Differently (Exclusive)

Speaking about Brian’s parents, Roberta and Christopher Laundrie, however, Schmidt alleged they were “complicit in his cowardly flight from justice” and said their actions “have added salt” to her wounds.

“As for you, Roberta — and I call you out individually because you are evidently the mastermind that shattered your family and mind with your evil ways — I see no empathy in your eyes, no remorse in your heart and no willingness to take responsibility for your actions,” Schmidt said.

"You are the dark. You are the sociopath that everyone fears. The one who appears so innocent and kind, but harbors darkness within your soul,” she continued. “You do not deserve forgiveness. You deserve to be forgotten and dehumanized. You epitomize pure evil.”

Schmidt also told the CrimeCon crowd that she and Gabby’s father, Joseph Petito, were “denied the chance to confront our daughter's killer, to look him in the eye.”

They never faced Brian — who was dating Gabby at the time of her murder — in court, because he died by suicide, an attorney for the Laundrie family announced in November 2021.

On Oct. 20, 2021, partial human remains of Brian were discovered in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park — near his last known location.

Prior to his death, he had abandoned his and Gabby’s cross-country road trip and returned home to his parents' house in Florida alone on Sept. 1. He was then reported missing 10 days later.

Related: Brian Laundrie's Parents 'Knew the Whereabouts' of Gabby Petito's Body When They Vacationed with Him: Suit

In January 2022, the FBI determined that Brian was responsible for Gabby's death, stating that he had written a confession in his notebook before he took his life.

Two months after the FBI’s investigation concluded, Schmidt and Joseph filed a civil lawsuit against Roberta and Christopher, alleging that they knew about Gabby's murder and the location of her deceased body.

The families reached a settlement in the lawsuit — which sought damages for the mental anguish Schmidt and Joseph suffered due to the Laundries’ alleged deceit — in February 2024 before it went to trial.

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Schmidt ended her May 30 CrimeCon speech with a tribute to her daughter, who she said “was and still is, a bright light in this world, full of love, compassion, and boundless potential.”

“We will continue to honor her memory, to cherish the moments we shared, and to fight tirelessly for justice and change in her name,” she said. “May Gabby's legacy serve as a beacon of hope in the world desperately in need of light, hope for a future where such senseless violence and injustice are eradicated from our society.”

Added Schmidt: “I implore you all, live by these simple words directly from Gabby: Just be a nicer person."

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