In a dramatic closing statement, Lori Vallow, the alleged accomplice of Mr. Daybell and fellow cult member, turned on her lover and made a final bid to avoid life in prison for the murders of her two children.
When Mr. Daybell met her, Ms. Vallow, who was known as a “good mom,” sought the services of Attorney Archibald Jim to paint a sudden change in her life. This happened on Thursday in Boise, Idaho, at the Ada County Court.
“One year after encountering Chad, four individuals have passed away,” stated Mr. Archibald.
“Who is Lori Vallow? What occurred? Where did it take place? When did it occur? Why did it happen?” He inquired.
“That is what you have been requested to determine.”
Immediately following her high school graduation, Ms Vallow got married and grew as an individual in California. Mr Archibald led the jurors through her personal history.
Ryan Tylee and Ms. Vallow lived together with their daughter, and the Vallow couple adopted 7 children. Before marrying Charles Vallow, Ms. Vallow had been married three times in total.
Mr Archibald said that the Vallows were a “good fit” for JJ, who had autism, and they “loved and cared for him”.
“Then the narrative regarding Lori Vallow takes a significant turn in October 2018,” he stated.
From that point, all their plans turned deadly and their cult beliefs became an affair of love, according to Prosecutors. Mr. Daybell and Ms. Vallow first met in person during a religious conference, while they were both married, in the month of Daybell’s first wife’s death.
In July 2019, Charles was fatally shot by her brother Alex Cox in Arizona. Subsequently, Ms Vallow relocated to Rexburg, Idaho, where Mr Daybell resided, along with JJ and Tylee. Initially, Charles was shot dead by her brother Alex Cox in Arizona in July 2019, prompting Ms Vallow’s relocation to Rexburg, Idaho, where Mr Daybell resided, accompanied by JJ and Tylee.
JJ and Tylee were last observed alive in September 2019, and for several months, Ms Vallow declined to disclose their location.
One month later, Tammy died suddenly aged 49 and Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell flew to Hawaii and married on a beach.
In June 2020, the remains of JJ and Tylee were found buried in the backyard of Mr. Daybell.
JJ died by asphyxiation with multiple layers of plastic bags wrapped around the little boy’s head and duct tape over his mouth.
Body fragments and skeletal remains were discovered scattered across the Daybell property, with Tylee’s body being extensively charred and disfigured, making it impossible to ascertain the cause of her death.
Ms. Vallow is facing life in prison for committing first-degree murder and conspiracy, as well as being involved in the death of Tammy. Now, she is also charged with grand theft and first-degree murder for the deaths of Tylee and JJ, along with conspiracy.
She is confronting allegations regarding the homicide of Charles individually in Arizona.
In her final remarks on Thursday, the lawyer representing Ms. Vallow argued that the situation dramatically changed when Ms. Vallow crossed paths with Mr. Daybell.
Under the influence of the ‘madness’ of his cult convictions, he asserts that Ms Vallow was ‘under the sway’ of the apocalyptic writer thereafter.
“Why is it that individuals find it challenging to break away from religious authorities? Why is it that Lori cannot escape and return to her fulfilling life as a mother?” He inquired.
Chad’s newly established Church of the Fireborn is led by Lori. She has an immense love for Jesus and desires to bear witness to it. Lori wishes to proclaim to the world the depth of her affection for Jesus. Moreover, she eagerly desires to share with you the encounters she has had with him on multiple occasions.
Mr Archibald requested the jury to inquire whether Ms Vallow is “a leader” or “a follower”.
He expressed his desire for her to become a leader, saying, “Does she want to be a leader, not just a follower of Chad or a leader like Lori?”
She follows Chad. But unfortunately, he is not the first guy to be led by the storm. Jesus thinks she is following Chad.
Sometimes, when religious principles are involved, common sense and reason go out the window. How much control someone can have over you is determined by how much you allow them to control you. How much control someone can have over you is determined by how much you allow them to control you. Sometimes, when religious principles are involved, common sense and reason go out the window. Mr. Archibald said that how much control someone can have over you is determined by how much you allow them to control you. Sometimes, when religious principles are involved, common sense and reason go out the window.
He referred to statements from witnesses who portrayed Ms Vallow as a competent parent before she encountered Mr Daybell.
The murders of Tylee and JJ were squarely blamed on the defense attorney by Mr. Daybell and Ms. Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox.
He argued that there is no mention of evidence of texts in the murders, and also that there is no evidence of the murders being mentioned in the 15,000 texts. He also argued that there was no evidence of the mother-of-three, a 49-year-old, being placed at Mr. Daybell’s property when they were buried, or that Tylee and JJ were murdered. It is undeniable that he made this argument while acknowledging that there is no undeniable evidence for it.
“Search for the absence of proof regarding who is performing which actions,” he stated.
When investigators began digging up the yard in the later months, Mr. Daybell’s actions of attempting to flee the scene and looking over his shoulder were contrasted by the data pointing to Mr. Cox placing JJ in Mr. Daybell’s yard on that day.
“Chad was aware of the contents of his backyard,” stated the defense lawyer.
Mr. Archibald also dismissed the significance of Ms. Vallow’s hair being found wrapped in a plastic bag using duct tape.
Among the items inside the bag were also JJ’s pajamas and garments, which he asserted would be anticipated as a “conclusive evidence” instead of something else.
He expressed, “I wish for your hair to be somewhere on your kid’s blanket or socks pajamas, I hope all of you mothers who I have hope for.”
Participating in the planning of any of the killings, he additionally contended that there was no proof to demonstrate that Ms Vallow was involved – instead highlighting actions such as employing a caretaker, including JJ and Tylee on her rental application for her residence in Idaho, and a failure to acquire life insurance for the children.
“Lori didn’t have a plan. The state wants you to think that this was Lori’s plan to kill her kids,” he said.
The defense attorney also questioned whether Tammy Daybell, Mr. Daybell’s wife, was initially thought to have died naturally or if she was even murdered.
In an attempt to pick holes in the prosecution’s argument, Mr. Archibald made numerous scathing digs at Mr. Daybell, calling him “nutty” and scoffing at the lack of money as the reason behind the attractiveness of Ms. Vallow’s offer in their new life. He argued that she was driven to kill her first wife and children by the “power, sex, and money.”
He compared Charles’ salary of $400,000 to $500,000 a year to Mr. Daybell’s $30,000 as the doomsday author in terms of the financial motive, stating that he couldn’t sell sufficient foolish books about the apocalypse.
They believed that for the arrival of the second time, they were assembling a group of 144,000 individuals. However, he emphasized that only approximately six of them succeeded in enlisting Ms. Vallow and Mr. Daybell.
He expressed, “The mathematics is absurd. It will require Chad a staggering 24,000 years to gather this army at a pace of six individuals annually.”
Investing in his religious assertions was concerning Ms Vallow, not regarding sexual matters. Mr. Archibald drew a comparison between Mr. Daybell’s demeanor and that of Charles, asserting that “it had nothing to do with sexual matters.”
Saying that they were married in a past life, so it’s not considered cheating. Additionally, he claims that they were close friends with Jesus and that Jesus himself approves of their relationship. He continues by complimenting her, referring to her as a goddess. She finds solace in his books amidst a difficult period in her life, and this man is
Lori worked with Chad to pick up the pretty scary item from the line.
If found guilty, Ms Vallow could potentially be sentenced to life imprisonment.