Brian Laundrie NOT A Murderer? Why Is He Called 'Person Of Interest' Despite Confirmation Of Gabby Petito's Death Revealed
After Gabby Petito's cause of death had been confirmed, people began questioning why Brian Laundrie is still being referred to as a "person of interest" and not a suspect.
Over a month since the media focused its spotlight on Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie's case, queries on why the latter has not been charged yet began to emerge. For what it's worth, Laundrie has been issued of warrant of arrest over his fraudulent use of the YouTuber's bank account.
On Tuesday, Dr. Brent Blue of Teton County Coroner revealed that Gabby Petito's death was due to strangulation. He noted that it was a domestic violence case but did not name who exactly was responsible for her death.
As of the writing, the authorities only considered Laundrie a person of interest when it comes to his fiance's death. Although the public seemed to be sure that he truly killed Petito, the authorities still need to go through a process before finally calling him a suspect.
Why Brian Laundrie is NOT Yet A Suspect
In the industry, a "person of interest" means someone the law enforcement wants to talk to regarding a certain crime.
The Independent explains that the term is not a legal phrase that the US Depart of Justice recognizes. It only serves as a tag to someone who may have a connection to crime but has not been proven guilty of the crime the authorities are investigating.
Laundrie, being a person of interest, does not mean that the police have not garnered enough evidence to prove his wrongdoing.
According to ABC News Chief Legal Analyst Dan Abrams, not calling Laundrie a suspect, for now, avoids potential mistrials once the authorities find him.
"I think that [law enforcement] want to gather all of the evidence so that they don't get accused in a trial later of making mistakes," he said.
Still, once he is found, he will remain a person of interest unless evidence suggests he has something to do with Gabby Petito's death. Until he is found or the authorities spot a potential murderer, there will not be a murder trial to finally hold someone accountable for the vlogger's death.
The public has since launched "Find Brian Laundrie" to push the responders in working harder to finally find the missing man.
