The family of Otto Warmbier broke with President Donald Trump on Friday, maintaining that they feel that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is responsible for Warmbier's death.
"We have been respectful during this summit process. Now we must speak out. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that," a statement from Fred and Cindy Warmbier read .
The family's comments come a day after Trump said he took Kim "at his word" that he didn't know Warmbier had been injured while in the custody of North Korea.
"I don't think that the top leadership knew about it," Trump said Thursday. "I don't believe that he (Kim) would have allowed that to happen."
Warmbier, a Cincinnati, Ohio native and student at the University of Virginia was arrested in January 2016 while visiting North Korea on a guided tour, accused of attempting to steal a propaganda poster. He was released in June of 2017, but had suffered a neurological injury. He was taken off life support shortly after returning home.
