Phoenix (AP) – A woman of apocalyptic religious belief led her to kill her two youngest children and was convicted on Tuesday of a plot to kill a romantic rival in Idaho in Arizona for the murder of her estranged husband.
Jurors found Lori Vallow Daybell guilty after deliberation about three hours, and she faced another possible life sentence of three people who have served in Idaho. She would not be sentenced in Arizona until she was tried in another alleged murder plot.
Prosecutors said Vallow Daybell shot and killed Charles Vallow's death at his home in Chandler, Phoenix in July 2019. They said her motivation was to have the opportunity to honor Vallow's life insurance policy and marry then-boyfriend Chad Daybell, who wrote several religious novels about prophecy and the end of the world.
Chad Daybell also suffered the death of Vallow Daybell's child, Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, and his wife Tammy. Authorities in Idaho said the case included the strange claim of Chad Daybell and Vallow Daybell that the children were zombies, and Vallow Daybell was a goddess responsible for the revelation.
Not an attorney but chose to defend himself at the Arizona trial, Vallow Daybell sat at the trial, still reading most of the time, but occasionally glanced at the jurors because they were asked to confirm they felt guilty of a single charge.
One of the jurors, Victoria Lewis, said outside the court that Vallow Daybell's choice to represent himself did not help him.
“She's just smiling and smiling for a lot of days, and doesn't seem to take anything very seriously,” Lewis told reporters.
Vallow Daybell told the jury that Vallow chased her with bats at her home, while her brother shot in defense when she left the home. She told jurors that death was a tragedy, not a crime.
Five months later, Cox died of what the medical examiner said was a blood clot in his lungs.
Vallow's siblings Kay Woodcock and Gerry Vallow told reporters outside the court that they thanked the jury for their decision.
“We're in a dilemma, you're not the smartest person in the room,” Woodcock said when asked if there was any news about Vallow Daybell. “Everyone will forget you.”
The Associated Press left the email Tuesday after an email seeking comment from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, which sued the case, as attorney who served as legal counsel during the trial.
Last week, Vallow Daybell's other brother, Adam Cox, testified on behalf of the prosecution, telling jurors that he undoubtedly had his siblings behind Vallow's death.
Adam Cox said the killing took place before he and Vallow planned to intervene, bringing his sister back to the mainstream of their shared faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He testified that before Vallow's death, his sister told people that her husband was no longer alive and that the zombies lived inside him.
Vallow filed for divorce with Vallow Daybell four months before his death, saying she was fascinated by her near-death experience and claimed she had lived countless lives on other planets. He claims she threatens to destroy him financially and kill him. He seeks a voluntary mental health assessment of his wife.
Vallow Daybell plans to go to another trial in early June, accused of killing Vallow Daybell's ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux, in a conspiracy. Boudreaux survived.
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Yamat contributed by Las Vegas.
