Explained | 'Doomsday cult' mom: Lori Vallow Daybell convicted of killing her two children, husband’s ex-wife

A jury in Idaho, United States, found Lori Vallow Daybell guilty on all six counts, on Friday (May 12), for the murders of her two youngest children and her new husband’s previous wife. The verdict marked the end of a three-year investigation and seven-week trial which included bizarre claims of zombie children and apocalyptic prophecies.

Charges she was found guilty on

Vallow Daybell was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of conspiracy in 2019 after following the murders of seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, and Tammy Daybell, the former wife of her husband Chad Daybell.

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The 49-year-old beautician was also convicted of grand theft as well as first-degree murder of the two children, a charge that indicates a more direct role in the crime committed. Vallow Daybell’s fifth husband, Chad Daybell also faces similar charges, however, his trial will take place separately and months later.

According to a 2021 indictment, the grand theft charges were based on the suspicion that Vallow Daybell changed bank accounts to collect Social Security benefits on behalf of her children after their deaths. Prosecutors said that she did not report her children as missing and kept collecting the money.

Story of Vallow Daybell

In 2006, Lori married Charles Vallow and the two raised Tylee (Lori's daughter from a previous marriage) and around eight years later Vallows adopted JJ, the grandson of Charles’ sister. According to Lori’s friends and family, her demeanour changed in 2017, after she began reading books by Chad Daybell, a religious author whose novelsfocused on the apocalypse and were loosely based on Mormon religious teachings, reported BBC.

In January 2019, Charles reportedly went to the police and said that his wife had become “unhinged” and thought she was a god preparing for the end of days. He also said that she threatened to murder him. Eventually, he filed for a divorce and as per court documents said he feared for his and the children’s safety.

In 2018, Lori and Chad had begun recording a religious podcast together. The duo also deemed people either “light” or “dark” spirits and called those who had been taken over by evil spirits “zombies”. The couple used to lead a group of people that met to pray and used to preach that the only way to free a body of the evil spirit was to embrace death.

The case began in 2019, when Vallow Daybell’s then-husband, Charles, was shot and killed by her brother, Alex Cox. A report by BBC, citing police records, said that Charles went to pick up his son from a house where his estranged wife was living with her brother when Cox shot him.

Cox then told police he acted in self-defence and was not charged and died later that year of what authorities determined were natural causes. According to prosecutors, Vallow Daybell was already in a relationship with Chad Daybell, who was still married to his wife, Tammy Daybell, at the time. So she eventually moved to Idaho with her kids and brother to be closer to him.

The bizarre revelations

Police records showed a friend told the authoritiesthat Vallow Daybell called both children “zombies” prior to their disappearance. The two children were last seen alive in September 2019 before the police discovered they were missing a month after their extended family raised concerns.

Vallow Daybell’s former friend Melanie Gibb testified that Vallow Daybell believed people in her life had been taken over by evil spirits and turned into “zombies”. According to the testimony, at least four other people who had been described as “zombies” by the defendant, were later killed or shot at.

Investigators found that the couple used to call the children and Chad’s former wife “zombies”. Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake, last month, told the jurors that the children were missing for months before their remains were found buried in Chad Daybell’s yard.

Prosecutors produced 60 witnesses over the course of the trial and detailed the evidence of how the children were killed and their remains were found. Notably, the defence attorneydid not call any witnesses during the trial, and Vallow Daybell declined to testify.

Among the testimonies was also of Vallow Daybell’s only surviving child, Colby Ryan, who accused her of murdering his siblings in a recorded jailhouse phone call.

Tylee’s DNA was found on a pickaxe and shovel in a shed on the property, said Blake. JJ’s body was wrapped in trash bags and duct tape which was binding his arms in front of him and wrapping around his head, reported the Associated Press.

What happened in the court?

A jury of seven men and five women after hours of deliberation reached a unanimous guilty verdict on Friday afternoon. As the verdict was read, Vallow Daybell showed no expression. This comes as she has previously pleaded not guilty and is now facing life in prison when sentenced.

However, Judge Steven Boyce said sentencing will occur in about three months. The final arguments of the case were heard by the jurors on Thursday. The prosecutors said that the “defendant used money, power and sex to get what she wanted. It didn’t matter what it was.”

On the other hand, Defence Attorney Jim Archibald described Vallow Daybell as a “kind and loving mother to her children,” and it was after she met Chad Daybell, and fell for the “weird” apocalyptic religious claims of a cult leader.

He also went on to suggest that Daybell and Cox were the ones responsible for the deaths and her only crime was lying to the police about where her children were. According to Archibald, Daybell told her they had been married in several previous lives and she was a “sexual goddess” who was supposed to help him save the world by gathering 144,000 followers so Jesus could return.

JJ’s grandparents, Larry and Kay Woodcock spoke to the press outside the courtroom following the verdict and said, “JJ, I love you.” He added, “It started with two children. I said, ‘Where are the children? Where are the children?...Give me back my children,” as quoted by the AP.

Blake, in a statement, said they were “very pleased” with the verdict adding, “We want to assure each of you that we remain committed to pursuing justice for Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Tammy Daybell.

Meanwhile, Archibald, on Thursday said, “No one here thinks Lori actually killed anyone, that’s why she’s being charged with conspiracy.” He added, “If you find her guilty, will that bring the kids back? Nope,” as quoted by CNN, citing East Idaho News.

(With inputs from agencies)

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