Brian Laundrie’s dad slams ‘being tried by media’ as ex-prosecutor warns parents may face criminal charges & 30 years

, claimed in an interview with The US Sun that the Laundrie family's legal woes could worsen still.

According to Rahmani, should the Laundrie family opt to defend themselves against the substantive claims made in the Petitos' lawsuit, then any evidence shared in that civil trial could be used to launch a criminal case against them.

"If it does turn out that the Laundries knew their son killed Gabby, and they withheld that information to help him flee, giving him a head-start on law enforcement, then that would make them accessories after the fact to murder," Rahmani explained.

"And that's a crime that can carry up to 30 years in prison.

"There's certainly evidence that gives rise to the inference that they knew their son killed Gabby, and then gave them a head start - and that's the basis for prosecution," added Rahmani.

"So now they're caught in this sort of really bad situation."

When asked how likely a criminal case may be, Rahmani said he was unsure, as Florida law makes it more difficult to charge parents as accessories to crimes than in other states.

However, if he was a prosecutor in Florida, Rahmani said he would "absolutely" pursue criminal charges against the Laundries.

"The Laundrie family’s actions really angered and outraged a lot of people by remaining silent, which was their right, but they were doing nothing to help find Gabby," the lawyer said.

"And if evidence turns out that they were not only doing anything to help Gabby but also helping Brian to escape … I think prosecutors will pick up the case.

"I would ... I would definitely prosecute the case.

"That's a felony and anyone who does such a thing belongs in state prison."

Bertolino declined to comment about any potential criminal charges being filed against the Laundries.

But speaking more generally about Judge Carroll's ruling, he said: "Chris and Roberta Laundrie, and myself, are disappointed with Judge Carroll’s decision to deny the motion and allow this lawsuit to proceed.

"Judge Carroll points out that the September 14, 2021 statement, standing alone, does not suggest outrage, but within the context of the other allegations in the case, the plaintiffs have met the threshold to go forward to the next phase.

"The Laundries will continue to use all available legal means to preserve their rights."

BRIAN'S CHILLING CONFESSION

Brian Laundrie made a series of shocking admissions about Petito's death in a notebook found near his remains back in October, pictures of which were released by Bertolino last week.

Laundrie insisted in the journal that he took his girlfriend Gabby Petito's life because she had an injury and refused to let him get help, which has been questioned by those following the case.

Gabby's remains were discovered in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 21, 2021, several weeks after she was reported missing.

Reilly, an attorney who represents Gabby's parents, Joe and Nichole, issued a statement condemning the release of the notebook, which Bertolini claimed was done in the interests of "full transparency."

The attorney further alleged that Bertolino omitted certain, more damning evidence against the Laundries, as part of the release.

Reilly told : "I find it ironic that Mr. Bertolino says he was, in full transparency, releasing this.

"Well, someone should ask him why he doesn't release the entire notebook – but more importantly, ask him why he doesn't release Roberta Laundrie's letter to her son."

In his statement, Reilly claims there is a copy of a letter that features some "extreme details" of Petito's murder, allegedly written by Roberta after Gabby's death and before Brian's suicide.

Riley would not go into detail about the letter, but described it as “odd”.

He also claimed that Roberta instructed Brian to burn the letter "after you read this."

Rahmani said the alleged note, purportedly found in Laundrie's van, is important because it "shows the Laundrie family’s [alleged] knowledge" of Gabby's death.

"They haven't said anything publicly, all statements they’ve made have gone through their lawyer.

"This letter helps the Petito's show what the Laundrie's knew and when they knew it, and as they were putting statements out about looking for Gabby when they allegedly knew she was already dead.

"If the letter helps show that Brian's parents knew he murdered Gabby that's a very strong case."

ILL-FATED ROAD TRIP

Brian and Gabby had been on a cross-country road trip touring the US national parks when Gabby vanished in late August, two weeks after the couple was involved in a domestic violence dispute in Moab, Utah.