Idaho Supreme Court reviews Lori Vallow Daybell's triple murder convictions
Defense attorneys argue procedural errors in the trial for the deaths of two children and a stepmother, while the state maintains the evidence supports three life sentences.
By Layla Richardson ·
The Idaho Supreme Court began hearing arguments on Monday regarding Lori Vallow Daybell's convictions for the murders of her two youngest children and a romantic rival. The appellate review focuses on whether legal errors during the original trial warrant overturning the verdicts that have kept Vallow Daybell in state custody since 2023.
Vallow Daybell is appealing her three life sentences for the deaths of Joshua Vallow, age 7, Tylee Ryan, age 16, and Tammy Daybell. Tammy Daybell was the wife of Chad Daybell, who married Vallow Daybell weeks after the women's deaths. The children disappeared in 2019, and their remains were later located buried on rural property owned by Chad Daybell, an author of religious fiction concerning prophecies and the end times.
Chad Daybell faces a separate death sentence for the same three killings. He and Vallow Daybell were previously convicted in Arizona for conspiring to murder her estranged husband and her niece's ex-husband. In that Arizona case, Vallow Daybell received two life sentences. Prosecutors in that state alleged she conspired with her brother, Alex Cox, to kill Charles Vallow to collect life insurance proceeds and facilitate her marriage to Chad Daybell. Cox later died from a pulmonary embolism.
During the Idaho appeal, defense attorneys contended that the lower court denied Vallow Daybell a speedy trial. They further argued the judge improperly refused to allow her chosen attorney, citing a conflict of interest because that lawyer had previously represented both Vallow Daybell and her husband. The defense also objected to the admission of evidence regarding the Phoenix shootings, claiming the jury should not have heard details about the gunshots fired at Charles Vallow and Brandon Boudreaux.
Charles Vallow was shot in Chandler, Arizona, in July 2019, shortly after filing for divorce. Alex Cox fired the shots and claimed self-defense, a claim investigators later questioned. Three months later, Brandon Boudreaux was shot at his home in Gilbert, Arizona, while driving into his driveway. The bullet narrowly missed him. Vallow Daybell has maintained that her actions were influenced by doomsday religious beliefs and that individuals in her life were possessed by evil spirits.
The Arizona convictions remain under separate appeal. Vallow Daybell's legal team is now pressing the Idaho court to reverse the state verdicts, a decision that could impact the ongoing death penalty case against Chad Daybell. The Supreme Court has not yet announced a timeline for its ruling.
