Lori Vallow Daybell trial — live: Jury selection crippled by overwhelming notoriety of murder case

Jury selection in the trial of “cult mom” Lori Vallow is entering its third day as the court struggles to find jurors who are not familiar with the case.

Ms Vallow is charged with the murders of her two children Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven, who were last seen alive in September 2019. The children’s remains were discovered buried on the grounds of her new husband Chad Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho, in June 2020.

Ms Vallow is also charged with conspiracy to murder Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy. Investigators believe the couple committed the murders based on their apocalyptic cult beliefs.

The trial began Monday at the Ada County Court, with an initial pool of 1,800 prospective jurors. So far, 39 potential jurors have been chosen out of a total 42 needed to move to the next stage of selection. In the end, 18 jurors will serve on the panel - 12 to deliberate and six alternates.

Dozens of jurors have thus far been excused for either prior knowledge of the high-profile case or expressing concern about balancing personal and work responsibilities with the trial, which could last up to eight weeks.

Key points

• Jury selection begins in Lori Vallow murder trial

• Lori Vallow on trial for murders of children JJ and Tylee and Chad Daybell’s wife Tammy

• JJ and Tylee’s remains found on Daybell property in June 2020 – 9 months after disappearance

• Vallow believed JJ and Tylee had become ‘zombies'

• Tammy Daybell died aged 49 one month after children vanished

• Vallow also charged with ex-husband’s murder in Arizona

Juror excused because wife is ‘crime junkie'

22:54 , Andrea Blanco

The juror reportedly said he “can’t get away from her,” prompting laughs in the courtroom, including Ms Vallow, according to FOX10.

Thirty-nine jurors chosen

22:11 , Andrea Blanco

Three more jurors need to be picked from the third group today.

Woman excused from jury pool due to hardship

20:40 , Andrea Blanco

The woman says she is employed and also has to care for her children.

New court sketches released

20:02 , Andrea Blanco

Seven more jurors needed

19:29 , Andrea Blanco

So far, 35 potential jurors have been chosen out of a total 42 needed to move to the next stage of selection. In the end, 18 jurors will serve on the panel - 12 to deliberate and six alternates.

Dozens of jurors have thus far been excused for either prior knowledge of the high-profile case or expressing concern about balancing personal and work responsibilities with the trial, which could last up to eight weeks.

Thirty-two jurors chosen so far

18:21 , Andrea Blanco

One of the jurors was excused after writing, “If your child was missing, why would you go to Hawaii?”, in the questionnaire.

Other jurors dismissed during voir dire had been exposed to the case in the media.

Mother-of-five excused from jury pool

17:12 , Andrea Blanco

According to FOX10 reporters in the courtroom, the woman became emotional just thinking about seeing autopsy pictures of JJ and Tylee.

ICYMI: The charges against Lori and Chad Vallow

16:27 , Andrea Blanco

Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell were charged with the murders of Tylee and JJ in May 2021 – almost one year after their bodies had been discovered.

They are each charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft in connection with the deaths of JJ and Tylee and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Tammy.

Mr Daybell is also charged with the first-degree murder of Tammy.

The couple are also charged with related financial crimes with Ms Vallow facing grand theft and insurance fraud counts for applying for Social Security benefits for Tylee and JJ after they died.

Prosecutors say that the couple conspired with Cox to kill the children and Mr Daybell’s wife both as part of their doomsday beliefs – but also to collect life insurance money and the kids’ social security and survivor benefits.

“All of these overt acts were done so Lori could eventually be with Chad Daybell and reportedly complete their mission here on earth,” according to an investigative report.

“This belief system, lust and greed would also lead to the deaths of Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Tammy Daybell.”

In Arizona, Ms Vallow is also charged with conspiring to murder her ex-husband Charles Vallow with Cox.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s office announced that it did not charge Mr Daybell as well with Charles’ murder – but only because there is “no reasonable likelihood of conviction”.

What happened to Tylee and JJ?

15:45 , Andrea Blanco

JJ and Tylee were last seen in September 2019, weeks after the family moved to Rexburg, Idaho, following Ms Vallow’s husband Charles Vallow’s fatal shooting by her brother during a supposed domestic argument — for which she also faces conspiracy to murder charges in Arizona.

Ms Vallow is believed to have moved to be closer to Mr Daybell, an alleged cult leader she married in November of that year.

While the children were never reported missing by their mother, police began investigating their whereabouts in late November 2019 after a family member raised concerns.

JJ and Tylee were ultimately found buried on Mr Daybell’s property in Salem, Idaho, in June 2020. They are believed to have been killed in the days after they went missing.

Jury selection to resume today

14:52 , Andrea Blanco

The trial began Monday at the Ada County Court, with an initial pool of 1,800 prospective jurors. So far, 30 potential jurors have been chosen out of a total 42 needed to move to the next stage of selection. In the end, 18 jurors will serve on the panel - 12 to deliberate and six alternates.

Dozens of jurors have thus far been excused for either prior knowledge of the high-profile case or expressing concern about balancing personal and work responsibilities with the trial, which could last up to eight weeks.

WATCH: Moment Chad Daybell is confronted over missing children

14:00 , Andrea Blanco

In February 2020 – five months after the children were last seen alive – Lori Vallow was arrested in Hawaii on charges of child abandonment and desertion.

She was also charged with resisting officers, criminal solicitation to commit a crime and contempt of court and was held on $5m bond before being extradited back to Idaho.

Following her arrest, Chad Daybell was confronted by an ABC News journalist who asked if the children were safe. He refused to answer.

Watch that moment below:

What are the charges against Lori Vallow?

13:00 , Andrea Blanco

The judge has outlined the charges to the prospective jurors.

Here are the charges:

- Two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of JJ and Tylee

- Three counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder of JJ, Tylee and Tammy Daybell

- Two counts of grand theft in connection with social security benefits following the deaths of JJ and Tylee

Lori Vallow has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Chad Daybell’s wife Tammy mysteriously died in her sleep

12:00 , Andrea Blanco

Mr Daybell married his first wife Tammy in 1990 and they had five children together. They also founded a publishing company together – the company that released his doomsday books.

Just one month after the children vanished – on 19 October 2019 – Tammy, an otherwise healthy 49-year-old, died suddenly in her sleep.

In a bizarre twist, her death came just 10 days after she had called 911 to report someone shooting at her with a paintball gun in the driveway of their home.

Despite the mysterious circumstances, her husband declined an autopsy and her death was ruled natural causes.

Tammy and Chad Daybell were married in 1990. He is now accused of conspiring with Lori Vallow to kill her

It was only after the two children were reported missing – and authorities began delving into Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell, their sudden remarriage and bizarre cult beliefs – that questions began being asked about her death.

Investigators exhumed her body for an autopsy in December 2020.

Once again, officials have not revealed how Tammy died.

But her husband and his new wife are now charged with her murder, with prosecutors alleging that the couple conspired with Cox to kill the 49-year-old.

‘Doomsday cult mom’ Lori Vallow claimed new alibi in murder of her two children earlier this year

11:00 , Andrea Blanco

In January, Ms Vallow provided an alibi for her children’s murders, according to a new court filing submitted by her legal team.

Ms Vallow claimed she was at her own apartment in Rexburg, Idaho, when the two children died in her brother’s home in the same complex, the documents state.

The documents, filed in Fremont County, Idaho, claim that two individuals, Melanie Gibb and David Warwick, were also with her in her home at the time – “and/or Chad Daybell”.

“Lori Vallow was in her own apartment in Rexburg, Idaho, when J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan died in the apartment of Alex Cox in Rexburg, Idaho,” the filing states.

“Defendant was with Melanie Gibb, David Warwick, and/or Chad Daybell.”

JJ and Tylee disappeared in 2019 - Case has dragged on for years

10:00 , Andrea Blanco

The trial of the doomday cult couple has stalled for the past few years – in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic, mental incompetence and legal wranglings.

Ms Vallow has been behind bars since January 2020 when she was arrested in Hawaii and extradited to Idaho for failing to meet a court order to present her children to authorities.

Mr Daybell has been in prison since the children’s remains were discovered in June 2020.

The case was largely put on hold when Ms Vallow was found not mentally competent to stand trial. She then spent almost a year at a mental health facility before she was ruled competent in May 2022 and the case proceeded through the courts.

So far, the pair are yet to turn on each other and have both pleaded not guilty.

However, that could all be about to change.

In March, an Idaho judge ruled that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell will be tried separately for the murders – prompting Mr Daybell’s case to be pushed back to an unconfirmed date while jury selection gets under way on 3 April in Ms Vallow’s trial.

The death penalty has now been taken off the table for Ms Vallow but not for Mr Daybell.

If found guilty, Ms Vallow faces life in prison.

A timeline of the trail of mystery deaths surrounding Lori Vallow

09:00 , Andrea Blanco

More than three years after her children were last seen alive, “doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow is about to finally stand trial for their murders.

Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 8, vanished without a trace in September 2019, sparking a multi-state search while their mother appeared carefree – marrying her new husband Chad Daybell on a beach in Hawaii.

The children’s bodies were finally discovered nine months later buried in a pet cemetery on Mr Daybell’s property in Idaho.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

Lori Vallow: A timeline of mystery deaths surrounding the ‘doomsday cult mom’

What happened to Tylee and JJ?

08:00 , Andrea Blanco

JJ and Tylee were last seen in September 2019, weeks after the family moved to Rexburg, Idaho, following Ms Vallow’s husband Charles Vallow’s fatal shooting by her brother during a supposed domestic argument — for which she also faces conspiracy to murder charges in Arizona.

Ms Vallow is believed to have moved to be closer to Mr Daybell, an alleged cult leader she married in November of that year.

While the children were never reported missing by their mother, police began investigating their whereabouts in late November 2019 after a family member raised concerns.

JJ and Tylee were ultimately found buried on Mr Daybell’s property in Salem, Idaho, in June 2020. They are believed to have been killed in the days after they went missing.

Lori Vallow’s surviving adult son was charged with domestic violence sexual assault before case dismissed

07:00 , Andrea Blanco

Colby Ryan, Ms Vallow’s only living child, was arrested in Arizona and booked into the Maricopa County Jail on 4 September. He was charged with two counts of domestic violence/sexual assault.

According to court documents obtained by Fox10 Phoenix, the incident that prompted the charges took place on 31 August but was not reported until 2 September.

Investigators claim Mr Ryan visited the undisclosed victim’s home and they watched TV together before engaging in consensual romantic contact.

At some point the alleged victim wanted to stop, and claims they expressed that to Mr Ryan several times. The alleged victim claims Mr Ryan continued to touch her sexually without her consent.

The woman said she told Mr Ryan that she was not ok with his alleged actions and asked him for space after the incident.

She claims in the court documents that this prompted Mr Ryan to apologise and begin crying.

The charges were dismissed without prejudice in September.

Trial will not be livestreamed

06:00 , Andrea Blanco

The court has released sketches of the trial, but the proceedings will not be live streamed.

‘Doomsday mom’ seen smiling and laughing in police interview hours after husband’s death

05:00 , Andrea Blanco

In 2021, police in Arizona released a trove of evidence from their investigation into the 2019 homicide of Ms Vallow’s fourth husband, Charles Vallow.

Mr Vallow, 62, was shot dead by Ms Vallow’s brother Alex Cox in July 2019 after an argument, and his death was ruled a homicide by an Arizona coroner in 2021. Mr Cox claimed he fired in self-defence, and died in 2019 of natural causes before charges could be brought.

Ms Vallow was then charged with conspiracy in connection with her late husband’s death. Months after the video was taken, she and her fifth husband, Chad Daybell were also accused of murdering her two children Tylee, 17, and JJ Ryan, 7.

In the video released by the Chandler Police Department this week, Ms Vallow tells a detective she had been seeking a divorce from her husband of 14 years.

“I don’t like him, and that’s just how it is,” Ms Vallow says.

She said Mr Vallow had favoured her younger child JJ, a special needs student, and often fought with her older daughter Tylee.

In the video, she also laughed and joked about her estranged husband just hours after his death.

Lori Vallow’s husband Chad Vallow asked for separate trial

04:00 , Andrea Blanco

Chad Daybell, the husband of so-called “cult mom” Lori Vallow requested last year to face his own trial for the murder of her two children, rather than in conjunction with his wife.

In a court filing to Idaho Judge Steven Boyce in September, Mr Daybell’s defence asked that his trial be held independently from Ms Vallow’s and that it be moved to October 2023, East Idaho News reported.

Mr Daybell, 54, and Ms Vallow, 49, are charged with conspiring to kill her two youngest children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, along with his first wife Tammy.

Witness list has been sealed in high-profile case

03:00 , Andrea Blanco

Which individuals will take the stand to testify in the high-profile case remains unclear after the witness list was sealed by the judge last month.

Judge Steven Boyce issued the ruling “in order to preserve the right to a fair trial”, the court order reads.

JJ’s grandparents are expected to be called as witnesses – hence the legal wrangling between them and Lori Vallow’s team about whether or not they can attend the trial.

The Vallows’ ‘Doomsday’ cult

02:00 , Andrea Blanco

At the centre of the string of alleged murders and mystery deaths stands the couple’s bizarre doomsday cult.

Mr Daybell ran a publishing company that put out books about apocalyptic scenarios loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Ms Vallow followed his books for some time, before the pair finally met in person at a religious conference in Utah in October 2018.

At this point, investigators say their relationship became romantic.

And as their relationship grew more intense, so too did their apocalyptic beliefs.

Vallow claimed in divorce documents that Ms Vallow believed she was a god-like figure chosen to carry out the work of 144,000 believers.

Multiple friends cited in police reports say that the couple believed they could drive out evil spirits and seek revelations from “beyond the spiritual veil”.

Ms Vallow even believed she could teleport between Arizona and Hawaii, according to documents.

But – most chillingly – the couple allegedly believed that people, including JJ and Tylee, had become “zombies”.

They allegedly had a scoring system for ranking how far people’s souls had gone from good to evil.

The only way to then rid an individual of the zombies would be for them to die, according to documents.

Prosecutors believe that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell used these beliefs to further their plots to kill JJ, Tylee and Tammy.

Lori Vallow tries to get slain son’s grandparents banned from her murder trial

01:00 , Andrea Blanco

“Cult mom” Lori Vallow is trying to get the grandparents of her slain son banned from her murder trial, in a move that the family members say has left them “blindsided and heartbroken”.

Ms Vallow’s trial is set to begin on Monday in a court in Idaho, where she faces life in prison for the murders of her two children Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven.

Tylee and JJ were last seen alive in September 2019 with their remains found buried on the grounds of her new husband doomsday cult author Chad Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho, in June 2020.

Ms Vallow is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft in connection with the deaths of JJ and Tylee and is also charged with conspiracy to murder Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.

Now – after delays brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and Ms Vallow being admitted to a psychiatric facility for almost a year – jury selection is set to begin on Monday in her trial.

However, JJ’s grandparents Kay and Larry Woodcock may no longer be able to attend the roughly 12-week trial due to a motion filed by Ms Vallow’s defence attorneys seeking to ban them from the courtroom.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

‘Cult mom’ Lori Vallow tries to get slain son’s grandparents banned from murder trial

Court has banned cameras during proceedings

Wednesday 5 April 2023 00:00 , Andrea Blanco

The judge has banned cameras from the courtroom meaning there will be no livestream of the trial.

The case was also moved to Boise in an attempt to increase the likelihood of finding jurors that aren’t deeply familiar with the case.

Six jurors dismissed from third group

Tuesday 4 April 2023 22:57 , Andrea Blanco

According to FOX10, this will be the final group for the day.

Third panel to be questioned

Tuesday 4 April 2023 22:21 , Andrea Blanco

Twenty-five jurors have been chosen so far.

Twenty-two jurors chosen so far

Tuesday 4 April 2023 21:36 , Andrea Blanco

Four panels of jurors have been questioned.

‘Cult mom’ Lori Vallow seen in new court sketches

Tuesday 4 April 2023 21:18 , Andrea Blanco

Juror dismissed after wife told him about Lori Vallow case

Tuesday 4 April 2023 21:04 , Andrea Blanco

A ninth juror has been dismissed from the second juror pool after he admitted his wife told him details about the case, according to KSLTV.

Only five jurors selected from first pannel

Tuesday 4 April 2023 20:23 , Andrea Blanco

Ten jurors were dismissed from the first pool.

So far, 22 jurors have been chosen. Forty-two are needed before the court chooses the final 18.

What are the charges against Lori and Chad Vallow?

Tuesday 4 April 2023 20:20 , Andrea Blanco

Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell were charged with the murders of Tylee and JJ in May 2021 – almost one year after their bodies had been discovered.

They are each charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft in connection with the deaths of JJ and Tylee and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Tammy.

Mr Daybell is also charged with the first-degree murder of Tammy.

The couple are also charged with related financial crimes with Ms Vallow facing grand theft and insurance fraud counts for applying for Social Security benefits for Tylee and JJ after they died.

Prosecutors say that the couple conspired with Cox to kill the children and Mr Daybell’s wife both as part of their doomsday beliefs – but also to collect life insurance money and the kids’ social security and survivor benefits.

“All of these overt acts were done so Lori could eventually be with Chad Daybell and reportedly complete their mission here on earth,” according to an investigative report.

“This belief system, lust and greed would also lead to the deaths of Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Tammy Daybell.”

In Arizona, Ms Vallow is also charged with conspiring to murder her ex-husband Charles Vallow with Cox.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s office announced that it did not charge Mr Daybell as well with Charles’ murder – but only because there is “no reasonable likelihood of conviction”.

JJ and Tylee’s deaths explored in Netflix documentary

Tuesday 4 April 2023 20:00 , Andrea Blanco

The Netflix documentary Sins of Our Mother delves thoroughly into the bizarre string of murders around the couple and their extreme religious beliefs around the end of the world.

In the three-part series, people close to the case recount how Ms Vallow met her doomsday preacher husband and how they allegedly planned to kill the children after they became convinced the minors were zombies whose “dark spirits” had to be released through death.

Juror says she’s seen reports about Ms Vallow

Tuesday 4 April 2023 19:27 , Andrea Blanco

The juror said that she believes she can give Ms Vallow a fair chance, according to FOX10.

What happened to JJ and Tylee?

Tuesday 4 April 2023 19:17 , Andrea Blanco

JJ and Tylee were last seen alive in September 2019 – not long after Ms Vallow had moved the two children from Arizona to Idaho, allegedly to be close to Mr Daybell.

Chilling photos captured a smiling JJ, Tylee and Ms Vallow’s brother Alex Cox on a visit to Yellowstone National Park on 8 September.

The photo is now believed to be the last proof of life of 16-year-old Tylee.

After that day, she was never seen or heard from again.

Days later, on 22 September, JJ was also seen for the last time – at his school in Rexburg and by his mother’s friends at her apartment that night.

By the next morning, the seven-year-old – who had autism – had vanished.

When asked where he was, Ms Vallow allegedly told friends Melanie Gibb and David Warwick that he had to be taken away because he was “being a zombie”.

Cellphone data places Ms Vallow’s brother Alex Cox in the yard of Mr Daybell’s property in the hours after both of the children’s disappearances. The morning after Tylee was last seen alive, Mr Daybell also sent a text to his wife to say that he had shot a raccoon and buried it in the pet cemetery on the grounds of their property.

The last photo – and known sighting – of Tylee Ryan (pictured with JJ and Alex Cox at Yellowstone National Park)

It would be many more months before investigators – and the children’s desperate family members – knew what had happened to the two siblings.

JJ’s grandparents raised the alarm after they were unable to get in touch with their grandson but Ms Vallow refused to tell authorities where either of the children were.

According to Ms Vallow’s friends, she had claimed that her children were “zombies” and that the only way to free someone’s soul from evil spirits was to kill them.

In June 2020, the children’s family members’ worst fears were realised when JJ and Tylee’s remains were discovered buried in Mr Daybell’s backyard.

Their causes of deaths have never been released but court documents give a harrowing picture of what may have happened.

JJ’s body was found in a black plastic bag wrapped in duct tape while Tylee’s body had been dismembered and burned in a fire pit, before being buried in the pet cemetery.

The children’s disappearance and deaths brought to light a series of other mysterious deaths connected to the doomsday couple, revealing a pattern of people close to the pair dying suddenly.

Before the search for JJ and Tylee shot to national attention, no connection appears to have been made.

Instead, two deaths that are now alleged to be murders at the hands of the doomsday cult couple, had been written off as self-defence – or even natural causes.

Lori Vallow taking notes during jury selection

Tuesday 4 April 2023 18:32 , Andrea Blanco

According to a New York Times reporter in the courtroom, there is one camera pointing at Ms Vallow.

A doomsday cult, five mystery deaths and children buried in a pet cemetery

Tuesday 4 April 2023 18:20 , Andrea Blanco

As ‘cult mom’ Lori Vallow finally faces trial for the murders of her children JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, The Independent’s Rachel Sharp delves into the deeply disturbing tale of suspected murders, unexplained deaths and apocalyptic cult beliefs about killing zombies which surround Ms Vallow and her doomsday author husband Chad Daybell.

Read more:

Doomsday cult, mystery deaths and kids in a pet cemetery: Lori Vallow faces trial

Four jurors dismissed

Tuesday 4 April 2023 17:34 , Andrea Blanco

They have been dismissed due to potential hardship regarding childcare and financial stability, ABC6 reports.

Juror excused due to potential graphic images set to be shown in trial

Tuesday 4 April 2023 17:19 , Andrea Blanco

According to reporters in the courtroom, the juror said he had been in an accident as a child and is sensitive to graphic images.

Lori Vallow seen in court sketches

Tuesday 4 April 2023 16:46 , Andrea Blanco

Jury selection resumes

Tuesday 4 April 2023 15:58 , Andrea Blanco

Three more panels of jurors will go through questioning today.

What happened to Chad Daybell’s first wife?

Tuesday 4 April 2023 15:16 , Andrea Blanco

r Daybell married his first wife Tammy in 1990 and they had five children together. They also founded a publishing company together – the company that released his doomsday books.

Just one month after the children vanished – on 19 October 2019 – Tammy, an otherwise healthy 49-year-old, died suddenly in her sleep.

In a bizarre twist, her death came just 10 days after she had called 911 to report someone shooting at her with a paintball gun in the driveway of their home.

Despite the mysterious circumstances, her husband declined an autopsy and her death was ruled natural causes.

Tammy and Chad Daybell were married in 1990. He is now accused of conspiring with Lori Vallow to kill her

It was only after the two children were reported missing – and authorities began delving into Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell, their sudden remarriage and bizarre cult beliefs – that questions began being asked about her death.

Investigators exhumed her body for an autopsy in December 2020.

Once again, officials have not revealed how Tammy died.

But her husband and his new wife are now charged with her murder, with prosecutors alleging that the couple conspired with Cox to kill the 49-year-old.

Jury selection to continue on Tuesday

Tuesday 4 April 2023 14:37 , Andrea Blanco

On Monday, 17 jurors were selected. Three panels of jurors were questioned during voir dire.

Forty-two jurors will be picked. The number will then be brought down to 18 — 12 who will make up the jury and 6 alternates.

Jury selection is expected to resume at 8.30am MDT.

‘Cult mom’ Lori Vallow tries to get slain son’s grandparents banned from her murder trial

Tuesday 4 April 2023 13:00 , Megan Sheets

JJ’s grandparents Kay and Larry Woodcock may no longer be able to attend the roughly 12-week trial due to a motion filed by Ms Vallow’s defence attorneys seeking to ban them from the courtroom.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

‘Cult mom’ Lori Vallow tries to get slain son’s grandparents banned from murder trial

‘Doomsday mom’ seen smiling and laughing in police interview hours after husband’s death

Tuesday 4 April 2023 12:00 , Andrea Blanco

In 2021, police in Arizona released a trove of evidence from their investigation into the 2019 homicide of Ms Vallow’s fourth husband, Charles Vallow.

Mr Vallow, 62, was shot dead by Ms Vallow’s brother Alex Cox in July 2019 after an argument, and his death was ruled a homicide by an Arizona coroner in 2021. Mr Cox claimed he fired in self-defence, and died in 2019 of natural causes before charges could be brought.

Ms Vallow was then charged with conspiracy in connection with her late husband’s death. Months after the video was taken, she and her fifth husband, Chad Daybell were also accused of murdering her two children Tylee, 17, and JJ Ryan, 7.

In the video released by the Chandler Police Department this week, Ms Vallow tells a detective she had been seeking a divorce from her husband of 14 years.

“I don’t like him, and that’s just how it is,” Ms Vallow says.

She said Mr Vallow had favoured her younger child JJ, a special needs student, and often fought with her older daughter Tylee.

In the video, she also laughed and joked about her estranged husband just hours after his death.

Lori Vallow’s surviving adult son was charged with domestic violence sexual assault before case dismissed

Tuesday 4 April 2023 11:00 , Andrea Blanco

Colby Ryan, Ms Vallow’s only living child, was arrested in Arizona and booked into the Maricopa County Jail on 4 September. He was charged with two counts of domestic violence/sexual assault.

According to court documents obtained by Fox10 Phoenix, the incident that prompted the charges took place on 31 August but was not reported until 2 September.

Investigators claim Mr Ryan visited the undisclosed victim’s home and they watched TV together before engaging in consensual romantic contact.

At some point the alleged victim wanted to stop, and claims they expressed that to Mr Ryan several times. The alleged victim claims Mr Ryan continued to touch her sexually without her consent.

The woman said she told Mr Ryan that she was not ok with his alleged actions and asked him for space after the incident.

She claims in the court documents that this prompted Mr Ryan to apologise and begin crying.

The charges were dismissed without prejudice in September.

What happened to Tylee and JJ?

Tuesday 4 April 2023 10:00 , Andrea Blanco

JJ and Tylee were last seen in September 2019, weeks after the family moved to Rexburg, Idaho, following Ms Vallow’s husband Charles Vallow’s fatal shooting by her brother during a supposed domestic argument — for which she also faces conspiracy to murder charges in Arizona.

Ms Vallow is believed to have moved to be closer to Mr Daybell, an alleged cult leader she married in November of that year.

While the children were never reported missing by their mother, police began investigating their whereabouts in late November 2019 after a family member raised concerns.

JJ and Tylee were ultimately found buried on Mr Daybell’s property in Salem, Idaho, in June 2020. They are believed to have been killed in the days after they went missing.

JJ and Tylee’s deaths explored in Netflix documentary

Tuesday 4 April 2023 09:00 , Andrea Blanco

The Netflix documentary Sins of Our Mother delves thoroughly into the bizarre string of murders around the couple and their extreme religious beliefs around the end of the world.

In the three-part series, people close to the case recount how Ms Vallow met her doomsday preacher husband and how they allegedly planned to kill the children after they became convinced the minors were zombies whose “dark spirits” had to be released through death.

Lori Vallow’s husband had asked for separate trial

Tuesday 4 April 2023 08:00 , Andrea Blanco

Chad Daybell, the husband of so-called “cult mom” Lori Vallow requested last year to face his own trial for the murder of her two children, rather than in conjunction with his wife.

In a court filing to Idaho Judge Steven Boyce in September, Mr Daybell’s defence asked that his trial be held independently from Ms Vallow’s and that it be moved to October 2023, East Idaho News reported.

Mr Daybell, 54, and Ms Vallow, 49, are charged with conspiring to kill her two youngest children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, along with his first wife Tammy.

Case has dragged on for years

Tuesday 4 April 2023 07:00 , Andrea Blanco

The trial of the doomday cult couple has stalled for the past few years – in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic, mental incompetence and legal wranglings.

Ms Vallow has been behind bars since January 2020 when she was arrested in Hawaii and extradited to Idaho for failing to meet a court order to present her children to authorities.

Mr Daybell has been in prison since the children’s remains were discovered in June 2020.

The case was largely put on hold when Ms Vallow was found not mentally competent to stand trial. She then spent almost a year at a mental health facility before she was ruled competent in May 2022 and the case proceeded through the courts.

So far, the pair are yet to turn on each other and have both pleaded not guilty.

However, that could all be about to change.

In March, an Idaho judge ruled that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell will be tried separately for the murders – prompting Mr Daybell’s case to be pushed back to an unconfirmed date while jury selection gets under way on 3 April in Ms Vallow’s trial.

The death penalty has now been taken off the table for Ms Vallow but not for Mr Daybell.

If found guilty, Ms Vallow faces life in prison.

The Vallows’ doomsday cult

Tuesday 4 April 2023 06:00 , Andrea Blanco

At the centre of the string of alleged murders and mystery deaths stands the couple’s bizarre doomsday cult.

Mr Daybell ran a publishing company that put out books about apocalyptic scenarios loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Ms Vallow followed his books for some time, before the pair finally met in person at a religious conference in Utah in October 2018.

At this point, investigators say their relationship became romantic.

And as their relationship grew more intense, so too did their apocalyptic beliefs.

Vallow claimed in divorce documents that Ms Vallow believed she was a god-like figure chosen to carry out the work of 144,000 believers.

Multiple friends cited in police reports say that the couple believed they could drive out evil spirits and seek revelations from “beyond the spiritual veil”.

Ms Vallow even believed she could teleport between Arizona and Hawaii, according to documents.

But – most chillingly – the couple allegedly believed that people, including JJ and Tylee, had become “zombies”.

They allegedly had a scoring system for ranking how far people’s souls had gone from good to evil.

The only way to then rid an individual of the zombies would be for them to die, according to documents.

Prosecutors believe that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell used these beliefs to further their plots to kill JJ, Tylee and Tammy.

Chad Daybell’s wife Tammy mysteriously died in her sleep

Tuesday 4 April 2023 05:00 , Andrea Blanco

Mr Daybell married his first wife Tammy in 1990 and they had five children together. They also founded a publishing company together – the company that released his doomsday books.

Just one month after the children vanished – on 19 October 2019 – Tammy, an otherwise healthy 49-year-old, died suddenly in her sleep.

In a bizarre twist, her death came just 10 days after she had called 911 to report someone shooting at her with a paintball gun in the driveway of their home.

Despite the mysterious circumstances, her husband declined an autopsy and her death was ruled natural causes.

Tammy and Chad Daybell were married in 1990. He is now accused of conspiring with Lori Vallow to kill her

It was only after the two children were reported missing – and authorities began delving into Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell, their sudden remarriage and bizarre cult beliefs – that questions began being asked about her death.

Investigators exhumed her body for an autopsy in December 2020.

Once again, officials have not revealed how Tammy died.

But her husband and his new wife are now charged with her murder, with prosecutors alleging that the couple conspired with Cox to kill the 49-year-old.

Lori Vallow seen in first court sketch

Tuesday 4 April 2023 04:00 , Andrea Blanco

A timeline of the trail of mystery deaths surrounding Lori Vallow

Tuesday 4 April 2023 03:00 , Andrea Blanco

More than three years after her children were last seen alive, “doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow is about to finally stand trial for their murders.

Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 8, vanished without a trace in September 2019, sparking a multi-state search while their mother appeared carefree – marrying her new husband Chad Daybell on a beach in Hawaii.

The children’s bodies were finally discovered nine months later buried in a pet cemetery on Mr Daybell’s property in Idaho.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

Lori Vallow: A timeline of mystery deaths surrounding the ‘doomsday cult mom’

What charges do Lori and Chad Vallow face?

Tuesday 4 April 2023 02:00 , Andrea Blanco

Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell were charged with the murders of Tylee and JJ in May 2021 – almost one year after their bodies had been discovered.

They are each charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft in connection with the deaths of JJ and Tylee and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Tammy.

Mr Daybell is also charged with the first-degree murder of Tammy.

The couple are also charged with related financial crimes with Ms Vallow facing grand theft and insurance fraud counts for applying for Social Security benefits for Tylee and JJ after they died.

Prosecutors say that the couple conspired with Cox to kill the children and Mr Daybell’s wife both as part of their doomsday beliefs – but also to collect life insurance money and the kids’ social security and survivor benefits.

“All of these overt acts were done so Lori could eventually be with Chad Daybell and reportedly complete their mission here on earth,” according to an investigative report.

“This belief system, lust and greed would also lead to the deaths of Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Tammy Daybell.”

In Arizona, Ms Vallow is also charged with conspiring to murder her ex-husband Charles Vallow with Cox.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s office announced that it did not charge Mr Daybell as well with Charles’ murder – but only because there is “no reasonable likelihood of conviction”.

Three jurors excused within last hour

Monday 3 April 2023 23:32 , Andrea Blanco

One juror said their employer would only pay for 30 days of jury service, while the trial could drag on for more than two months.

Another juror, according to ABC, is trying to find employment.

Third panel of jurors face questioning

Monday 3 April 2023 23:22 , Andrea Blanco

Jury selection continues.

Eleven jurors dismissed so far

Monday 3 April 2023 22:34 , Andrea Blanco

Court takes brief recess.

Lori Vallow pictured in court sketches

Monday 3 April 2023 21:54 , Andrea Blanco

Jury selection continues

Monday 3 April 2023 21:17 , Andrea Blanco

Defence attorney Jim Archibald questioned jurors on the presumption of evidence.

A juror who works at the Ada County Courthouse said that they would have no problem being impartial as they’ve not seen anyone working on the case, according to Fox10.

Ten jurors excused so far

Monday 3 April 2023 20:33 , Andrea Blanco

Second panel of jurors questioned during voir dire

Monday 3 April 2023 20:10 , Andrea Blanco

Jurors were asked, “If you don’t take the stand, you’re probably guilty,” according to KSLTV5.

Some of the jurors answered yes.

Jury selection continues after lunch recess

Monday 3 April 2023 19:40 , Andrea Blanco

A timeline of the trail of mystery deaths surrounding the ‘doomsday cult mom’

Monday 3 April 2023 19:30 , Andrea Blanco

Lori Vallow is about to stand trial for the murders of her children Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow.

But the case spans a deeply disturbing pattern of murders, unexplained deaths and bizarre cult beliefs about killing zombies going back years.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

Lori Vallow: A timeline of mystery deaths surrounding the ‘doomsday cult mom’

A doomsday cult, five mystery deaths and children buried in a pet cemetery

Monday 3 April 2023 18:50 , Andrea Blanco

As ‘cult mom’ Lori Vallow finally faces trial for the murders of her children JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, The Independent’s Rachel Sharp delves into the deeply disturbing tale of suspected murders, unexplained deaths and apocalyptic cult beliefs about killing zombies which surround her and her doomsday author husband Chad Daybell.

Doomsday cult, mystery deaths and kids in a pet cemetery: Lori Vallow faces trial

Juror excused due to scheduled Navy training

Monday 3 April 2023 18:27 , Andrea Blanco

According to reporters in the courtroom, a juror who is in the Navy reserves was excused because she’s scheduled to have training next week.

Postponing the training would affect the years she has left to retire.

Lori Vallow’s defence begins jury questioning

Monday 3 April 2023 18:10 , Rachel Sharp

After the prosecution, Lori Vallow’s defence attorney Jim Archibald has now begun questioning of the jury.

Under the questioning it emerged that one of the jurors works as a laundry technician at Ada County Jail where Lori Vallow is being held during the trial.

The potential juror insisted that her job would not impact her ability to judge Ms Vallow and the trial fairly.

CSI is focus of jury questioning

Monday 3 April 2023 17:58 , Rachel Sharp

An interest in the TV show CSI came up in the jury selection process.

Prosecutor Rachel Smith asked if any of the potential jurors watched the show saying that some people who follow those shows get excited about some types of evidence.

One juror said she has watched mutliple seasons.

“Would anything about this exposure cause her to evaluate state evidence in a different light?” she was asked.

The juror said it would not and that she could accept not knowing how an individual died.

Juror reveals link to Lori Vallow trial witnesses

Monday 3 April 2023 17:50 , Rachel Sharp

One of the potential jurors revealed that she knows some of the individuals on the trial witness list.

The female juror said that she worked as an administrative assistant in the Idaho State crime lab, which has worked on the case.

She said that one of the witnesses on the list had trained her on the job while others she spoke with or had at least heard of through her work.

Despite the link, the juror said that she would assess their credibility like anyone else who took the witness stand and would not treat them any differently.

Vallow’s doomsday cult beliefs hinted at

Monday 3 April 2023 17:38 , Rachel Sharp

Lori Vallow’s doomsday cult beliefs were hinted at during jury selection.

Jurors were asked if it would impact their judgement if the religious beliefs of an individual giving testimony were different to their own.

None of the jurors said that it would.

Ms Vallow and Chad Daybell’s doomsday cult beliefs sit at the centre of the string of alleged murders and mystery deaths.

Chad Daybell ran a publishing company that put out books about apocalyptic scenarios loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Lori Vallow followed his books for some time, before the pair finally met in person at a religious conference in Utah in October 2018.

The couple allegedly believed that people, including JJ and Tylee, had become “zombies” and that the only way to rid them of the zombies was for them to die.

Term ‘conspiracy’ is discussed

Monday 3 April 2023 17:25 , Rachel Sharp

Prosecutor Rachel Smith questioned the jury pool about the meaning of the term “conspiracy”.

She asked jurors if they could convict an individual for participating in the planning of a crime – but not participating in the actual crime.

One of the jurors initially said no but then said yes if that was what the court instructed.

Jurors express alarm at learning case involves child murder

Monday 3 April 2023 17:10 , Megan Sheets

Two potential jurors have expressed concern about the heart of the case, according to Idaho News6 reporter Karen Lehr.

It came when Mr Wood cautioned that some of the evidence would be “emotionally charged” and distressing as the case involves two child murder victims.

A woman piped up to say she did not realise this case involved children - as she is a mother herself.

Another man chimed in to say he “would rather not” see evidence about the brutality of the children’s murders - including gruesome autopsy photos - but affirmed that he would be a fair and impartial juror if chosen for the panel.

Prosecutor draws a laugh from jury pool

Monday 3 April 2023 17:05 , Megan Sheets

Prosecutor Rob Wood is now presenting his questions to the jury pool.

He began by imploring the prospective jurors to answer with “brutal honesty” to ensure a fair trial for Ms Vallow.

He also elicited a laugh by asking the group if they believe everything they see on the internet is true.

Jurors acknowledged that some of what they’ve seen in the media may be false - with Mr Wood assuring that the court will only hear true and relevant evidence during the trial.

Some potential jurors excused

Monday 3 April 2023 16:56 , Rachel Sharp

At least two jurors were excused due to the time commitment, after the judge said the trial will last around eight weeks.

When the pool was asked if they had any sort of bias in the case or had reached a decision around whether Lori Vallow is innocent or guilty, none of the jurors spoke up.

None of the potential jurors said that they had any type of relationship with or association to Ms Vallow or either of the legal teams.

Charges against Lori Vallow

Monday 3 April 2023 16:35 , Rachel Sharp

The judge has outlined the charges to the prospective jurors.

Here are the charges:

- Two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of JJ and Tylee

- Three counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder of JJ, Tylee and Tammy Daybell

- Two counts of grand theft in connection with social security benefits following the deaths of JJ and Tylee

Lori Vallow has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Jury selection begins in Lori Vallow case

Monday 3 April 2023 16:25 , Rachel Sharp

Jury selection is now under way in Ada County Courthouse for Lori Vallow’s triple murder trial.

The court needs to seat 18 jurors – 12 jurors and six alternates – in the case.

Witness list has been sealed in high-profile case

Monday 3 April 2023 16:20 , Rachel Sharp

Which individuals will take the stand to testify in the high-profile case remains unclear after the witness list was sealed by the judge last month.

Judge Steven Boyce issued the ruling “in order to preserve the right to a fair trial”, the court order reads.

JJ’s grandparents are expected to be called as witnesses – hence the legal wrangling between them and Lori Vallow’s team about whether or not they can attend the trial.

What to expect at the trial

Monday 3 April 2023 16:05 , Rachel Sharp

The murder trial of Lori Vallow is expected to go on for around 12 weeks with jury selection starting today.

Judge Steven Boyce is planning to begin each day at 8.30am and dismiss the jury each day at around 3.30pm.

Lunch breaks will be short to allow for the shorter days.

Lori Vallow arrives in court

Monday 3 April 2023 15:50 , Rachel Sharp

Potential jurors have begun checking in to Ada County Courthouse in Idaho.

Almost 2,000 prospective jurors were summoned last week to get questionnaires for the trial.

Lori Valow has also arrived in court as well as the attorney for her husband Chad Daybell – who will face trial separately at a later date.

Jury selection to get under way soon

Monday 3 April 2023 15:42 , Rachel Sharp

Lori Vallow’s trial is set to begin at 9am local time (11am ET) with jury selection.

ICYMI: ‘Cult mom’ Lori Vallow will face trial separately from husband Chad Daybell

Monday 3 April 2023 15:10 , Rachel Sharp

“Cult Mom” Lori Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, will be tried separately for the alleged murders of their children and Mr Daybell’s former wife, a judge has ruled.

District Judge Steven Boyce made the ruling on Thursday, which will sever the defendants’ cases, according to East Idaho News.

The couple was previously being tried together on multiple counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of Ms Vallow’s children, 7-year-old Joshua Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as the death of Mr Daybell’s previous wife, Tammy Daybell.

Read the full story here:

Lori Vallow to be tried separately from husband Chad Daybell over children’s murders

WATCH: Moment Chad Daybell is confronted over missing children

Monday 3 April 2023 14:50 , Rachel Sharp

In February 2020 – five months after the children were last seen alive – Lori Vallow was arrested in Hawaii on charges of child abandonment and desertion.

She was also charged with resisting officers, criminal solicitation to commit a crime and contempt of court and was held on $5m bond before being extradited back to Idaho.

Following her arrest, Chad Daybell was confronted by an ABC News journalist who asked if the children were safe. He refused to answer.

Watch that moment below:

How the trial stalled in the courts

Monday 3 April 2023 14:30 , Rachel Sharp

The trial of the doomsday cult couple has stalled for the past few years – in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic, mental incompetence and legal wranglings.

Lori Vallow has been behind bars since January 2020 when she was arrested in Hawaii and extradited to Idaho for failing to meet a court order to present her children to authorities.

Chad Daybell has been in prison since the children’s remains were discovered in June 2020.

The case was largely put on hold when Ms Vallow was found not mentally competent to stand trial.

She then spent almost a year at a mental health facility before she was ruled competent in May 2022 and the case proceeded through the courts.

So far, the pair are yet to turn on each other and have both pleaded not guilty.

In March, an Idaho judge ruled that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell will be tried separately for the murders – prompting Mr Daybell’s case to be pushed back to an unconfirmed date while jury selection gets under way on 3 April in Ms Vallow’s trial.

The death penalty has now been taken off the table for Ms Vallow but not for Mr Daybell.

If found guilty, Ms Vallow faces life in prison.

‘Cult mom’ Lori Vallow tries to get slain son’s grandparents banned from her murder trial

Monday 3 April 2023 14:12 , Rachel Sharp

“Cult mom” Lori Vallow is trying to get the grandparents of her slain son banned from her murder trial, in a move that the family members say has left them “blindsided and heartbroken”.

Ms Vallow’s trial is set to begin on Monday in a court in Idaho, where she faces life in prison for the murders of her two children Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven.

Tylee and JJ were last seen alive in September 2019 with their remains found buried on the grounds of her new husband doomsday cult author Chad Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho, in June 2020.

Ms Vallow is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft in connection with the deaths of JJ and Tylee and is also charged with conspiracy to murder Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.

Now – after delays brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and Ms Vallow being admitted to a psychiatric facility for almost a year – jury selection is set to begin on Monday in her trial.

However, JJ’s grandparents Kay and Larry Woodcock may no longer be able to attend the roughly 12-week trial due to a motion filed by Ms Vallow’s defence attorneys seeking to ban them from the courtroom.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

‘Cult mom’ Lori Vallow tries to get slain son’s grandparents banned from murder trial

Cameras banned from courtroom

Monday 3 April 2023 13:45 , Rachel Sharp

The judge has banned cameras from the courtroom meaning there will be no livestream of the trial.

The case was also moved to Boise in an attempt to increase the likelihood of finding jurors that aren’t deeply familiar with the case.

What is Lori Vallow charged with?

Monday 3 April 2023 13:25 , Rachel Sharp

Lori Vallow is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft in connection with the deaths of her two children JJ and Tylee.

She is also charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Tammy.

She is also facing grand theft and insurance fraud counts for applying for Social Security benefits for Tylee and JJ after they died.

Separately, Ms Vallow is also charged with conspiring to murder her ex-husband Charles Vallow with Cox.

What do we know about Vallow and Daybell’s doomsday cult?

Monday 3 April 2023 13:05 , Rachel Sharp

At the centre of the string of alleged murders and mystery deaths stands the couple’s bizarre doomsday cult.

Chad Daybell ran a publishing company that put out books about apocalyptic scenarios loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Lori Vallow followed his books for some time, before the pair finally met in person at a religious conference in Utah in October 2018.

Charles Vallow claimed in divorce documents that Ms Vallow believed she was a god-like figure chosen to carry out the work of 144,000 believers.

Multiple friends cited in police reports say that the couple believed they could drive out evil spirits and seek revelations from “beyond the spiritual veil”.

Ms Vallow even believed she could teleport between Arizona and Hawaii, according to documents.

But – most chillingly – the couple allegedly believed that people, including JJ and Tylee, had become “zombies”.

They allegedly had a scoring system for ranking how far people’s souls had gone from good to evil.

The only way to then rid an individual of the zombies would be for them to die, according to documents.

Prosecutors believe that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell used these beliefs to further their plots to kill JJ, Tylee and Tammy.

ICYMI: Lori Vallow claims new alibi in murder of her two children

Monday 3 April 2023 12:45 , Rachel Sharp

The so-called “Doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow has finally offered up an alibi for the murders of her two children, claiming she was somewhere else when they died in her brother’s apartment – and bizarrely adding that her husband and alleged co-conspirator Chad Daybell may or may not have been with her at the time.

Ms Vallow and cult leader Mr Daybell have both pleaded their innocence of all charges in a dramatic case that spans a deeply disturbing pattern of suspected murders, unexplained deaths of people close to the couple and bizarre cult beliefs about killing zombies.

Now, for the first time, Ms Vallow has provided an alibi for her children’s murders, according to a new court filing submitted by her legal team last week.

Ms Vallow claims she was at her own apartment in Rexburg, Idaho, when the two children died in her brother’s home in the same complex, the documents state.

Read the full story here:

‘Doomsday cult mom’ Lori Vallow claims new alibi in murder of her two children

Alleged co-conspirator Alex Cox dead

Monday 3 April 2023 12:25 , Rachel Sharp

In December 2019, Lori Vallow’s brother Alex Cox also died suddenly aged just 51.

At the time, authorities were demanding Ms Vallow present her children, Tammy Daybell’s body was about to be exhumed and Cox had killed Vallow just months earlier.

One day, Cox was found gasping for air on the bathroom floor of the home he shared with his wife Zulema Pastenes – who he had married just two weeks earlier.

The autopsy found he had a blood clot wedged in the arteries of his lungs and his death was ruled natural causes. However the overdose drug Narcan was also found in his system.

Days before his death, Ms Pastenes said he suggested his death could be looming.

“Like one or two days before he passed, he said to me, ‘Zulema, if anything happens to me, I want you to know that there is money in a bag in the closet and it’s for you. It’s not much but it’s for you,’” she told police, according to court records.

The day he died, he had also allegedly called Mr Daybell to receive a “blessing” over the phone.

No charges have ever been brought in connection to his death.

Tammy Daybell’s death

Monday 3 April 2023 12:05 , Rachel Sharp

Chad Daybell married his first wife Tammy in 1990 and they had five children together. They also founded a publishing company together – the company that released his doomsday books.

Just one month after the children vanished – on 19 October 2019 – Tammy, an otherwise healthy 49-year-old, died suddenly in her sleep.

In a bizarre twist, her death came just 10 days after she had called 911 to report someone shooting at her with a paintball gun in the driveway of their home.

Despite the mysterious circumstances, her husband declined an autopsy and her death was ruled natural causes.

Two weeks later, Mr Daybell and Lori Vallow married on a beach in Hawaii.

It was only after the two children were reported missing – and authorities began delving into Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell, their sudden remarriage and bizarre cult beliefs – that questions began being asked about her death.

Investigators exhumed her body for an autopsy in December 2020.

Now, Mr Daybell and Ms Vallow are charged with her murder, with prosecutors alleging that the couple conspired with Alex Cox to kill the 49-year-old.

Charles Vallow’s death: Self-defence or murder?

Monday 3 April 2023 11:45 , Rachel Sharp

In July 2019 – two months prior to the alleged murders of JJ and Tylee – Lori Vallow’s brother Alex Cox shot and killed her husband Charles Vallow.

Vallow and Ms Vallow had been married since 2006 and had adopted JJ – who was the biological grandson of Vallow’s sister.

Vallow had gone to his estranged wife’s home in Chandler, Arizona, to pick up JJ when he was shot twice by Cox.

Cox claimed that Vallow attacked him with a baseball bat so he shot him in self-defence.

However, Cox did not perform CPR on Vallow and waited 43 minutes to call police.

At the time of Vallow’s shooting, the case was ruled self-defence.

Ms Vallow is now charged with conspiring with Cox to murder Vallow and is awaiting trial in Arizona on those charges.

Timeline of Lori Vallow’s case

Monday 3 April 2023 11:25 , Rachel Sharp

More than three years after her children were last seen alive, “doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow is about to finally stand trial for their murders.

Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 8, vanished without a trace in September 2019, sparking a multi-state search while their mother appeared carefree – marrying her new husband Chad Daybell on a beach in Hawaii.

The children’s bodies were finally discovered nine months later buried in a pet cemetery on Mr Daybell’s property in Idaho.

Their disappearances and deaths mark only part of a dramatic case that spans a deeply disturbing pattern of murders, unexplained deaths and bizarre cult beliefs about killing zombies.

Now, Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell are charged in Idaho with JJ and Tylee’s murders, as well as the murder of Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.

Ms Vallow is also separately charged in Arizona with conspiring to murder her fourth husband Charles Vallow, with the help of her now-deceased brother Alex Cox – who mysteriously also died three months after the children’s disappearance.

The doomsday couple – who are yet to turn on each other – were due to stand trial together in Idaho but the cases have now been severed.

Now, Ms Vallow’s murder trial will begin on 3 April.

Here’s a timeline of the tragic and bizarre case:

Lori Vallow: A timeline of mystery deaths surrounding the ‘doomsday cult mom’

A chilling last photo

Monday 3 April 2023 11:05 , Rachel Sharp

Chilling photos captured a smiling JJ, Tylee and Lori Vallow’s brother Alex Cox on a visit to Yellowstone National Park on 8 September 2019.

The photo is now believed to be the last proof of life of 16-year-old Tylee.

After that day, she was never seen or heard from again.

What happened to JJ and Tylee?

Monday 3 April 2023 11:00 , Rachel Sharp

JJ, seven, and Tylee, 16, were last seen alive in September 2019 – not long after Lori Vallow had moved the two children from Arizona to Idaho to be close to Mr Daybell.

On 8 September, Tylee was last seen on a visit to Yellowstone National Park with her mother, JJ and Ms Vallow’s brother Alex Cox.

Days later, on 22 September, JJ was also seen for the last time – at his school in Rexburg and by his mother’s friends at her apartment that night. By the next morning, the seven-year-old – who had autism – had vanished.

Cellphone data places Ms Vallow’s brother Alex Cox in the yard of Mr Daybell’s property in the hours after both of the children’s disappearances. The morning after Tylee was last seen alive, Mr Daybell also sent a text to his wife to say that he had shot a raccoon and buried it in the pet cemetery on the grounds of their property.

JJ’s grandparents raised the alarm after they were unable to get in touch with their grandson but Ms Vallow refused to tell authorities where either of the children were.

According to Ms Vallow’s friends, she had claimed that her children were “zombies” and that the only way to free someone’s soul from evil spirits was to kill them.

In June 2020, JJ and Tylee’s remains were discovered buried in Mr Daybell’s backyard.

JJ’s body was found in a black plastic bag wrapped in duct tape while Tylee’s body had been dismembered and burned in a fire pit, before being buried in the pet cemetery.

A doomsday cult, five bodies and children buried in a pet cemetery: What we know about ‘Ccult mom’ Lori Vallow’s case

Monday 3 April 2023 10:55 , Rachel Sharp

It looked every inch the fairytale wedding. Dressed in white with pink flower garlands around their necks, the bride and groom couldn’t have looked happier as they exchanged vows on a paradise beach in Hawaii.

Photos captured the apparently blissful day as they toasted their nuptials, embraced and she danced to him playing the guitar. But, behind the photos, something much more disturbing was going on.

Her two children had not been seen alive in two months.

His wife of three decades – the mother of his five children – had died suddenly just two weeks earlier.

And her husband had been shot dead by her brother (who would also soon be dead) not long before.

Now, in the three years since the November 2019 wedding of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell, a deeply disturbing tale of suspected murders, unexplained deaths and apocalyptic cult beliefs about killing zombies has come to light.

Five people close to the couple have wound up dead.

And the couple are now charged with murder.

It’s a bizarre and tragic case that has captured the attention of the nation, leaving many with one big unanswered question: how could a woman who for years appeared to be a loving, doting mother allegedly murder her children in the belief that they had turned into “zombies”?

That is just one of the questions her trial could now answer as more disturbing details are expected to come to light over the coming weeks.

Here The Independent’s Rachel Sharp tells you everything you need to know about the case:

Lori Vallow trial: What we know about the doomsday cult, murders and mystery deaths

Lori Vallow’s trial to begin today in Idaho court

Monday 3 April 2023 10:50 , Rachel Sharp

The trial of “cult mom” Lori Vallow is set to begin on Monday 3 April 2023 in a court in Idaho, marking the latest development in a bizarre case that spans a series of suspected murders, unexplained deaths and apocalyptic cult beliefs about killing zombies.

Ms Vallow is charged with the murders of her two children Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven, who were last seen alive in September 2019.

The children’s remains were discovered buried on the grounds of her new husband Chad Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho, in June 2020.

Ms Vallow is also charged with conspiracy to murder Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.

Prosecutors say that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell conspired with her brother Alex Cox (who is also now dead) to kill the three victims so as to further their doomsday cult beliefs and to collect the victims’ life insurance money and benefits.

The couple was due to stand trial together before the judge severed the two cases last month. Now, jury selection will begin in Ms Vallow’s trial on Monday.

Welcome to The Independent’s liveblog on Lori Vallow’s trial

Monday 3 April 2023 10:46 , Rachel Sharp

Follow along for all the latest updates on the case