Lori Vallow Daybell update: Pleads not guilty to 2 charges in Arizona
Lori Vallow Daybell sits during her sentencing hearing at the Fremont County Courthouse on July 31, 2023, in St. Anthony, Idaho. Vallow Daybell, who was sentenced to life in an Idaho prison for the murders of her two youngest children and another woman, pleaded not guilty on Dec. 7 to Arizona charges of conspiring to murder her estranged husband and her niece’s ex-husband.
Tony Blakeslee, EastIdahoNews.com via Associated Press
After Lori Vallow Daybell was extradited from Idaho to Arizona, she has pleaded not guilty to two conspiracy charges.
Vallow Daybell was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection to the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. According to the indictment, Vallow Daybell allegedly “agreed with Alexander Cox that at least one of them or another would engage in conduct constituting the offense of First Degree Murder.” Cox died in 2019 of natural causes, per The New York Times.
In a separate case, Vallow Daybell was indicted on a charge of conspiracy to commit the murder of Brandon Boudreaux, the former husband of Vallow Daybell’s niece, East Idaho News reported.
Boudreaux is still alive after “police say Cox shot at Boudreaux and tried to kill him,” per East Idaho News.
The court issued a not guilty plea on her behalf at the arraignment on Thursday, East Idaho News reported.
An initial pre-trial conference for Vallow Daybell’s Arizona case is expected to take place on Jan. 18, 2024, according to a video of the court proceedings published by East Idaho News. Her trial assignment date is April 4, 2024.
Vallow Daybell was extradited to Arizona following her conviction in Idaho. Judge Steven Boyce sentenced her to life in prison for the murder of her two youngest children, Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow. She also received a life sentence for conspiracy to commit murder in connection to the death of Tammy Daybell, Chad Daybell’s spouse.
JJ and Tylee went missing in September 2019. On June 9, 2020, their bodies were found in Chad Daybell’s yard. Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell were originally scheduled to be jointly tried for the murder of J.J. and Tylee. A judge severed their trials. Vallow Daybell’s trial occurred in spring 2023. Daybell’s trial is expected to begin on April 1, 2024.
What charges did a jury find Vallow Daybell guilty of in Idaho?
Vallow Daybell was found guilty on the following charges:
- First-degree murder in the death of Tylee.
- First-degree murder in the death of J.J.
- Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft in the death of Tylee.
- Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft in the death of J.J.
- Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Tammy Daybell.
- Grand theft for allegedly collecting Social Security benefits allocated to Tylee and J.J.
When will Chad Daybell’s trial start?
Chad Daybell’s trial is expected to start on April 1, 2024.
An Idaho judge recently ruled that his trial will take place in Ada County instead of Fremont County. “A large number of prospective jurors will be necessary … to ensure that the balance tips in favor of robust due process to Daybell — particularly in light of the potential for capital punishment,” Boyce wrote in the Dec. 8 decision, per East Idaho News. “Ada County, the most populous county in Idaho, has the resources to impanel an impartial jury and is willing to provide the facilities to conduct the trial.”
