Brian Laundrie's disturbing diary was discovered too late to save the life of Gabby Petito.
The murder victim's family spoke out after seeing the nauseating drawings and writings about death their daughter's late fiancé and killer kept in a journal prior to committing suicide following Petito's death in 2021.
In a new interview, Gabby's mom, Nichole Schmidt, stepdad, Jim Schmidt, father, Joe Petito, stepmom, Tara, and her younger brother, T.J. Schmidt, shared their reactions to Brian's unsettling "mania" diaries after his FBI file was released to the public.
While responsible for their loved one's murder, Gabby's family appeared to slightly forgive Brian's actions and thoughts due to his evident struggles with mental health, which lead up to him strangling the 22-year-old and leaving her at Wyoming's Bridger–Teton National Forest, where her dead body was later found.
"The Brian that we saw was not the things that we learned about today," Nichole admitted during her family's appearance on Ashley Banfield's primetime news and talk show, Banfield, on NewsNation.
"That was the first time, like Joe said, that we seen that," she noted of the diaries. "Actually, when you just read it in the beginning of the show, that was first time I heard those words, because earlier in the day, when it came out, I didn't actually read it."
As expected, Nichole said the entries — which featured drawings of skulls and written words of "kill" and "trust no one" — were "hard to hear," however, Gabby's mom mentioned "there was definitely a mental health crisis going on there."
Nichole suggested Brian's struggles "could have been taken care of" prior to her daughter's murder.
Gabby's father, Joe, had a similar reaction to the shocking diary entries, confirming the drawings and written words were "new" to his knowledge.
"None of us have seen that before and it's upsetting, but it's, I guess it's, it's pretty clear, at least in my opinion, or I would say our opinion, that Brian was probably having some type of mental health crisis," he declared.
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Like Nichole, Joe mentioned it "would have been positive to him to get that type of help" before the tragedy occurred.
Gabby's family's interview comes after Nichole shockingly expressed forgiveness toward Brian for the murder of her daughter.
"I speak for myself here, when I say Brian, I forgive you. I needed to release myself from the chains of anger and bitterness, that I refuse to let your despicable act define the rest of my life. Your atrocious decision to take a life, my daughter's life has ignited a fire within me, a fierce determination to protect the innocent from falling victim to monsters like you," Nichole said while speaking at CrimeCon in Nashville on Friday, May 31.
Despite forgiving Brian, Nichole declared she would never do the same for his mother, Roberta Laundrie, who she referred to as "pure evil."
“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," Nichole stated.
She continued: "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. You do not deserve forgiveness. You deserve to be forgotten and dehumanized. You epitomize pure evil."