Lori Vallow sentencing – live: ‘Cult mom’ faces life in prison for murders of children and Chad Daybell’s wife
“Cult mom” Lori Vallow is back in court today to be sentenced for the murders of her two children in a dramatic case that gripped the nation.
Vallow, 50, was convicted in May of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished without a trace in September 2019. She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, who died in October 2019.
The verdict came after prosecutors convinced a jury that Vallow and Mr Daybell conspired with her brother Alex Cox to murder Tammy, JJ and Tylee as part of their bizarre cult beliefs – but also for financial purposes so that they could collect Tammy’s life insurance money and the children’s social security and survivor benefits.
Vallow will appear before a judge in the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on Monday for sentencing, where she faces the possibility of life in prison.
Before the sentence is handed down, the court will hear victim impact statements from several family members devastated by the harrowing saga that’s seen countless twists and turns over four years.
Key points
Lori Vallow to be sentenced today over doomsday cult murders
Victims’ families to deliver impact statements in court
Doomsday cult mom convicted of killing children and conspiring to kill Chad Daybell’s wife
Chad Daybell yet to face trial
Timeline of ‘doomsday cult mom’s’ mystery case
09:18 , Namita Singh
More than three years after her children were last seen alive, “doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow was found guilty of 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.
Here’s a timeline of the tragic and bizarre case:
Timeline of the Lori Vallow Daybell story
Idaho mom Lori Vallow Daybell faces sentencing in deaths of 2 children and her romantic rival
08:48 , Namita Singh
Idaho mother Lori Vallow Daybell faces up to life in prison without parole Monday as she is sentenced in the murders of her two youngest children and a romantic rival in a case that included bizarre claims that her son and daughter were zombies and that she was a goddess sent to usher in the Biblical apocalypse.
Vallow Daybell was found guilty in May of killing her two youngest children, seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell, her fifth husband’s previous wife.
The husband, Chad Daybell, is awaiting trial on the same murder charges. Vallow Daybell also faces two other cases in Arizona — one on a charge of conspiring with her brother to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and one of conspiring to kill her niece’s ex-husband. Charles Vallow was shot and killed in 2019, but her niece’s ex survived an attempt later that year.
Monday’s sentencing will take place at the Fremont County Courthouse in St Anthony, Idaho. Judge Steven W Boyce is expected to hear testimony from several representatives of the victims, including Vallow Daybell’s only surviving son, Colby Ryan.
Key revelations from Lori Vallow’s murder trial
08:18 , Namita Singh
“Cult mom” Lori Vallow was convicted of murdering her two youngest children in a case that shocked the nation with its bizarre doomsday cult ties and the tragic deaths of almost everyone close to the mother-of-three and her new husband Chad Daybell.
But what are the crucial moments in her high-profile trial? Read this report:
Lori Vallow case summary: Key revelations from ‘cult mom’s’ murder trial
Bizarre moments from Lori Vallow’s murder trial
07:48 , Namita Singh
Ever since authorities began searching for Lori Vallow’s children in late 2019, the case of the doomsday cult mom has captivated – and horrified – the nation.
Four people close to Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell have been murdered.
Others are also now mysteriously dead.
And beliefs about “zombies”, “dark spirits” and the apocalypse have come to light.
The tragic case came to a head in a courtroom in Boise, Idaho, where Vallow was convicted of all charges in the murders of her children Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven; Tylee Ryan, 16; and Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.
New harrowing and bizarre details about the cult beliefs which drove – or excused – the 49-year-old came to light during her murder trial in Ada County Courthouse.
But, beyond the trial testimony, there was also some bizarre happenings taking place inside the courtroom.
Bizarre moments from Lori Vallow’s murder trial
Who is Lori Vallow? Mom-of-three, beauty queen – and convicted killer
07:18 , Namita Singh
Lori Vallow is a mother of three, a former game show contestant, a Mrs Texas Beauty Pageant contestant and a cult follower. An Idaho court determined she is also a killer.
Rachel Sharp reports:
Who is Lori Vallow? Mom-of-three, beauty queen – and convicted killer
Chad Daybell, Alex Cox and Charles Vallow: Key players in the Lori Vallow case
06:48 , Namita Singh
In a courtroom in Idaho, “doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow was convicted of the murders of her two youngest children and her lover’s wife.
The 49-year-old mother-of-three was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, and son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, in Ada County Court in Boise, Idaho, on 12 May.
Vallow was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy, 49.
One month after her death, Vallow and Mr Daybell married on a beach in Hawaii.
Here are the key players in the sprawling case:
Chad Daybell, Alex Cox and Charles Vallow: Key players in the Lori Vallow case
What we know about the Lori Vallow Daybell ‘doomsday cult’ murder case
06:18 , Namita Singh
As ‘cult mom’ Lori Vallow faces sentencing for the deaths of her children and her spouse’s first wife, Rachel Sharp delves into the deeply disturbing tale of murders, unexplained deaths and apocalyptic cult beliefs about killing zombies which surround her and her doomsday author husband Chad Daybell.
Report:
What we know about the Lori Vallow Daybell ‘doomsday cult’ murder case
05:58 , Namita Singh
Good Morning. Welcome to The Independent’s live blog for Monday, 31 July 2023, where we will provide the latest in the sentencing of Lori Vallow.
