Idaho Mother Lori Vallow Daybell Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murders of Her Children and Romantic Rival
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Lori Vallow Daybell, a mother from Idaho, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of her two youngest children and a woman she saw as a romantic rival. The case gained attention due to its bizarre claims, including Vallow Daybell’s belief that her son and daughter were zombies and that she was a goddess tasked with bringing about an apocalypse.
Vallow Daybell, 50, was found guilty in May of killing her two youngest children, 7-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 judge ruled that Vallow Daybell will serve three consecutive life sentences.
Her husband, Chad Daybell, is still awaiting trial on the same murder charges. Vallow Daybell also faces two other cases in Arizona, one for conspiring with her brother to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and another for conspiring to kill her niece’s ex-husband. Charles Vallow was shot and killed in 2019, while her niece’s ex survived an attempt later that year. Vallow Daybell has not yet entered a plea on the Arizona charges.
During the sentencing at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho, Judge Steven W. Boyce expressed the trauma experienced by law enforcement and jurors due to the search for the missing children, the discovery of their bodies, and the evidence presented in court. He stated that the images of the slain children would forever be etched in his mind.
Boyce described a parent killing their own children as “the most shocking thing really that I can imagine.” He also criticized Vallow Daybell for justifying the murders through her involvement in a bizarre religious belief system, stating that she showed no remorse for the pain she caused.
Representatives of the victims, including Vallow Daybell’s only surviving son, Colby Ryan, provided testimony during the hearing. Ryan expressed his grief over the loss of his siblings and father, emphasizing that they deserved to be remembered for who they were, not as a spectacle.
Kay Woodcock, JJ’s grandmother, spoke about the last time she was able to hug and kiss her grandson, which was 1,536 days ago. Woodcock described JJ as a preemie with autism who was adopted by Vallow Daybell and her brother Charles. She expressed her disappointment in Vallow Daybell, stating that she had believed she would be a good mother.
Vallow Daybell appeared stoic throughout most of the testimony but wiped her eyes when Woodcock spoke about her initial confidence in Vallow Daybell’s ability to care for JJ.
Samantha Gwilliam, Tammy Daybell’s sister, addressed the court, highlighting the deep rift caused by the murder scheme and Tammy’s death within their family. Gwilliam questioned why Vallow Daybell would plan such a heinous act and criticized her for claiming to be an exalted being while engaging in such behavior. She mourned the loss of her sister and mother, who spent her last months watching the murder trial while battling cancer.
Before the sentence was handed down, Vallow Daybell quoted Bible verses about not judging others and expressed her sorrow for the loss of her children and Tammy Daybell, whom she referred to as her eternal friend. She claimed that no one was murdered in the case and suggested that accidental deaths, suicides, and fatal side effects from medication were possible explanations.
Vallow Daybell also asserted that she regularly communicates with the spirits of the victims, who have assured her that they are happy and that she did nothing wrong. She claimed to have received messages from her friend Tammy Daybell, indicating that she is also content in the afterlife.
Prosecuting attorney Rob Wood pointed to the two additional cases in Arizona, along with the three murders in Idaho, as evidence of Vallow Daybell’s willingness to harm others. He argued that society can only be protected from her through a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Vallow Daybell had been committed multiple times for mental health treatment to ensure her competency for the court proceedings. However, Wood stated that there was no evidence to suggest that her alleged mental illness influenced her crimes. A doctor’s report provided to the court indicated that Vallow Daybell had been diagnosed with a delusional disorder featuring bizarre content and hyper-religiosity, as well as a personality disorder with narcissistic features.
Defense attorney Jim Archibald argued during the trial that there was no evidence linking Vallow Daybell to the killings. He suggested that Chad Daybell and Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, were responsible for the deaths. Archibald claimed that Vallow Daybell’s life took a drastic turn when she met Chad Daybell and fell for his apocalyptic religious claims.
Melanie Gibb, a former friend of Vallow Daybell, testified that Vallow Daybell believed that evil spirits had possessed people in her life, including her children, whom she referred to as “zombies.”
The sentencing of Lori Vallow Daybell brings some closure to a case that has captivated the nation with its shocking details and bizarre beliefs. As Chad Daybell awaits his own trial, the families of the victims continue to mourn their loss and seek justice for their loved ones.Idaho Mother Lori Vallow Daybell Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murdering Her Children and Romantic Rival
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Lori Vallow Daybell, a mother from Idaho, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of her two youngest children and a woman she saw as a romantic rival. The case gained national attention due to its bizarre claims, including Vallow Daybell’s belief that her son and daughter were zombies and that she was a goddess tasked with bringing about an apocalypse.
Vallow Daybell, 50, was found guilty in May of killing her two youngest children, 7-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 judge ruled that Vallow Daybell will serve three consecutive life sentences.
Her husband, Chad Daybell, is still awaiting trial on the same murder charges. Vallow Daybell also faces two other cases in Arizona, one for conspiring with her brother to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and another for conspiring to kill her niece’s ex-husband. Charles Vallow was shot and killed in 2019, while her niece’s ex survived an attempt on his life later that year. Vallow Daybell has not yet entered a plea on the Arizona charges.
During the sentencing at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho, Judge Steven W. Boyce expressed the trauma experienced by law enforcement and jurors due to the search for the missing children, the discovery of their bodies, and the evidence presented in court. He stated that the images of the slain children would forever haunt him.
Boyce described a parent killing their own children as “the most shocking thing really that I can imagine.” He also criticized Vallow Daybell for justifying the murders through her involvement in a bizarre religious belief system.
“I don’t think to this day you have any remorse for the effort and heartache you caused,” the judge said.
Representatives of the victims, including Vallow Daybell’s only surviving son, Colby Ryan, provided testimony during the hearing. Ryan’s statement, read by the prosecuting attorney, emphasized the loss of his siblings and father and called for them to be remembered for who they were, not just as a spectacle.
Other family members also spoke, expressing their grief and anger towards Vallow Daybell. JJ’s grandmother, Kay Woodcock, spoke about the last time she was able to hug and kiss her grandson, which was 1,536 days ago. Woodcock described Vallow Daybell as a monster who showed no remorse for her actions.
The murder scheme and Tammy Daybell’s death caused a deep rift in her family, according to Tammy’s sister Samantha Gwilliam. Gwilliam questioned why Vallow Daybell planned such a heinous act and stated that her behavior made her ineligible to be an exalted being, as she claimed.
Vallow Daybell also addressed the court before the sentencing, quoting Bible verses about not judging others. She expressed her sorrow for the loss of her children and referred to Tammy Daybell as her eternal friend. She claimed that the deaths were accidental and that she regularly communicated with the spirits of the victims.
Prosecuting attorney Rob Wood argued that Vallow Daybell should receive a life sentence without parole, citing the two additional murder cases in Arizona and the evidence of her willingness to harm others. Wood stated that society could only be protected from Vallow Daybell through such a sentence.
Vallow Daybell had been committed multiple times for mental health treatment to ensure her competency for the court proceedings. However, Wood argued that her alleged mental illness did not impact her crimes, as there was overwhelming evidence that she knew right from wrong.
The case began in July 2019 when Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed her estranged husband, Charles Vallow. Cox claimed self-defense and was never charged. Vallow Daybell was already in a relationship with Chad Daybell, a self-published writer of doomsday-focused fiction. The children were last seen alive in September 2019, and Tammy Daybell was killed a few weeks later. Chad Daybell and Vallow Daybell married shortly after Tammy’s death.
The bodies of the children were discovered buried in Chad Daybell’s yard the following summer.
During the trial, Vallow Daybell’s defense attorney argued that there was no evidence directly linking her to the murders. He suggested that Chad Daybell and Vallow Daybell’s brother were responsible for the deaths, claiming that Daybell had manipulated her with his apocalyptic religious beliefs.
The sentencing of Lori Vallow Daybell brings some closure to a case that has captivated the nation with its shocking details and bizarre claims. As the trial of Chad Daybell approaches, the community and the victims’ families hope for justice and healing.
What impact did the testimonies of the victims’ representatives have on the sentencing of Lori Vallow Daybell
Idaho Mother Lori Vallow Daybell Receives Life Sentence for Murders of Her Children and Romantic Rival
Lori Vallow Daybell, a mother from Idaho, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of her two youngest children and a woman she believed was her romantic rival. The case drew attention due to its bizarre claims, including Vallow Daybell’s belief that her children were zombies and that she was a goddess responsible for the apocalypse.
Vallow Daybell, 50, was found guilty in May of killing her two youngest children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, as well as conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell, her fifth husband’s previous wife. The judge ruled that she will serve three consecutive life sentences.
Her husband, Chad Daybell, is still awaiting trial on the same murder charges. Vallow Daybell also faces two other cases in Arizona, one for conspiring to kill her fourth husband and another for conspiring to kill her niece’s ex-husband. Vallow Daybell has not yet entered a plea on the Arizona charges.
During the sentencing, Judge Steven W. Boyce expressed the trauma experienced by law enforcement and jurors during the search for the missing children, the discovery of their bodies, and the evidence presented in court. He said he would forever remember the images of the slain children.
Boyce described a parent killing their own children as “the most shocking thing really that I can imagine.” He criticized Vallow Daybell for justifying the murders through her involvement in a bizarre religious belief system, stating that she showed no remorse for the pain she caused.
Representatives of the victims, including Vallow Daybell’s surviving son, provided testimony during the hearing. Emphasizing that they deserved to be remembered for who they were, not as a spectacle, they expressed grief and disappointment in Vallow Daybell.
Before the sentence was handed down, Vallow Daybell quoted Bible verses and expressed sorrow for the loss of her children and Tammy Daybell, whom she referred to as her eternal friend. She claimed that no one was murdered in the case and suggested alternative explanations.
Prosecuting attorney Rob Wood pointed to the additional cases in Arizona, along with the three murders in Idaho, as evidence of Vallow Daybell’s malicious intent. The sentencing serves as justice for the victims and provides closure for their grieving loved ones.
