Lori Vallow trial: 'Cult mom' to be sentenced Monday in murder of her two children, husband's first wife
Fremont County prosecutors said 'money, power and sex' were the motivation behind Vallow's crimes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lori Vallow, an Idaho woman who was previously found guilty of murdering two of her children and conspiracy to murder her husband's first wife nearly four years ago, is scheduled to be sentenced at the Fremont County Courthouse at 9 a.m. Monday, July 31.
Vallow faces life in prison for murdering her two children, 7-year-old J.J. Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, around September 2019, when they went missing for months, allegedly with help from her husband, Chad Daybell. Vallow also conspired, allegedly with her husband, to kill Tammy Daybell in October 2019.
Vallow was convicted on all counts, including two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of conspiracy to commit murder and grand theft for stealing her children's Social Security benefits after their murders.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Monday, at least four people — including Vallow's only surviving child, 27-year-old Colby Ryan —are expected to provide victim statements before Fremont County District Judge Steven Boyce announces the sentence, KTVB reported.
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Idaho prosecutor Lindsey Blake argued that Lori Vallow would have done anything to get Tammy Daybell out of the picture and have Chad Daybell "all to herself." (John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP)
JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan were found in shallow graves on her husband's property in June 2020. The 16-year-old's remains were burned while the 7-year-old was bound in duct tape.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vallow does not face the death penalty.
Prosecutors Rob Wood and Lindsey Blake said in May, after the verdict was announced that they were "very pleased" by it.
"We told you this was about money, power and sex. We talked about religion, but this was not about religion. This was about money, power and sex," Wood said in his closing statements.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The argument diverged from the more popular media portrayal of Vallow and Daybell as religious extremists who allegedly killed J.J., Tylee and Tammy in accordance with their apocalyptic beliefs.
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Vallow and Daybell met in 2018 at the Preparing a People conference, where they bonded over their apocalyptic religious beliefs and shared the idea that they had been married in a past life, Lum tweeted from inside the courtroom.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lori Vallow is accused of killing her two children, J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan; her husband's ex-wife, Tammy Daybell; and her ex-husband, Charles Vallow. (Ada County Sheriff)
They referred to each other as Biblical figures named James and Elena and discussed their beliefs that people can have light or dark spirits — some so dark that they could be considered zombies, prosecutors said, according to Lum.
Meanwhile, Vallow's defense team attempted to push blame on Daybell in their closing statements, saying Vallow "spent her whole life protecting her children."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Lori wants to tell you how much she loves Jesus. … But is she a leader or follower? She’s not leading anyone. She’s a follower of Chad," defense attorney Jim Archibald said Thursday in closing statements. "She thinks Chad is a follower of Jesus. But he’s not. He’s a follower of the storm."
Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell are accused of killing 7-year-old J.J. Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan in 2019. (Rexberg Police Department)
While J.J. and Tylee were missing in 2019, and directly after Tammy's death, Vallow and Daybell married in Hawaii in November of that year.
A Gmail account associated with Vallow searched for rings months prior, and the same account searched for wedding dresses in Kauai on the day of Tammy's funeral, prosecutors said during the trial, according to Lum.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Months later, in June 2020, Idaho authorities located J.J. and Tylee's remains buried on Daybell's rural Rexburg property.
In this aerial photo, investigators search for human remains at Chad Daybell's residence in Salem, Idaho, on June 9, 2020. (John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register )
The Ada County coroner testified that J.J. died of asphyxiation by a plastic bag, and Tylee died of homicide by unknown means due to the fact that her remains were dismembered and badly burned before they were buried.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Tylee, J.J. and Tammy can’t tell us what happened. But their bodies do," Wood said in his closing arguments.
Vallow collected J.J.'s and Tylee's Social Security benefits — allegedly with help from Daybell — between Oct. 1, 2019, and Jan. 22, 2020, after their murders.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Authorities arrested Vallow in February 2020 and Daybell in June 2020. Vallow and Daybell were initially scheduled to have a joint trial, but Vallow refused to waive her right to a speedy trial while Daybell did not.
Charles Vallow died in July 2019. Two months later, in September, Tylee and J.J. went missing for months. Tammy Daybell died of asphyxiation in November 2019. (KASZ/ Facebook/ Post Register/ John Roark, AP POOL)
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The couple was indicted in late May 2021 on multiple counts each of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception, and first-degree murder related to the deaths of Tylee, J.J. and Tammy Daybell, officials announced at the time.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Arizona officials in June 2021 also indicted Vallow in the July 2019 murder of her ex-husband, Charles Vallow. Vallow's brother, Alex Cox, allegedly shot Charles Vallow to death in Arizona, claiming self-defense. His death was ruled a homicide in 2021.