Jury selection is set to start on Monday, March 31, for Lori Vallow Daybell’s second murder trial. Lori, an Idaho mother, is already serving a life sentence for the deaths of her two children.
In this upcoming trial, she faces one charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder regarding the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. Charles was shot at Lori’s home in Chandler, Arizona, in 2019, as confirmed by the Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office.
Lori has pleaded not guilty and is representing herself in court, according to reports from CBS News.
The tragic incident began when Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, called 911 on July 11, 2019, claiming that he had shot Charles in self-defense during an argument. Charles, 62, died at the scene, and no charges were filed against Cox before he himself died months later.
Witnesses reported that Charles and Lori had been arguing with Alex before the situation escalated. It was noted that Charles had been shot twice in the chest after hitting Alex with a baseball bat during their altercation.
Six months prior, Charles had shared concerns with police, indicating that Lori had “lost her reality” and had threatened his life. This was revealed through body camera footage that has come to light.
A grand jury indictment from June 2021 alleged that Lori had agreed with Alex to commit first-degree murder in Charles’s death. However, Alex was never charged due to his passing in December 2019, which was ruled as due to natural causes by the medical examiner.
This trial comes nearly two years after Lori was convicted of killing her children, 7-year-old J.J. Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, in 2019. J.J. was adopted by Lori and Charles.
She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, who died in October 2019. Lori received a life sentence without parole, while Chad, who faced similar charges, was sentenced to death the following year.
The remains of J.J. and Tylee were discovered buried on Chad’s property in Idaho in June 2020, months after their grandparents reported them missing. Prosecutors revealed that Chad, an author involved in doomsday beliefs, and Lori were entwined in a doomsday cult that promoted preparation for an anticipated apocalypse and the elimination of those they considered to have dark spirits.
