Jury Convicts Lori Vallow Daybell in Case of Husband’s Murder

Lori Vallow Daybell, known as the “Doomsday Mom,” faces yet another guilty verdict as an Arizona jury convicts her of conspiracy in her fourth husband’s murder, adding to her three life sentences for the deaths of her children and Chad Daybell’s former wife.

Key Takeaways

Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in the 2019 killing of her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, after just three hours of jury deliberation.
She is already serving life sentences in Idaho for the murders of her two children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, and for conspiring to murder Chad Daybell’s wife, Tammy.
Vallow Daybell represented herself at trial, called no witnesses, and claimed her husband’s death was merely a “family tragedy” rather than a crime.
Prosecutors argued that Vallow Daybell and her brother Alex Cox, who shot Charles Vallow, conspired to kill him for life insurance money and to clear the way for her relationship with Chad Daybell.
Vallow Daybell faces another trial in June for allegedly conspiring to murder her niece’s ex-husband, while her current husband Chad Daybell sits on death row.

A Guilty Verdict

The guilty verdict in Phoenix marks the latest chapter in a disturbing saga that has spanned multiple states and claimed multiple lives. Prosecutors convinced jurors that Vallow Daybell conspired with her brother, Alex Cox, to kill Charles Vallow in July 2019. Cox, who shot Charles Vallow and claimed self-defense, was never charged before his own death from natural causes in December 2019. The conspiracy conviction adds to Vallow Daybell’s growing list of crimes, including the murders of her two children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow.

The case drew national attention when Vallow Daybell’s children went missing two months after Charles Vallow’s death. Their remains were later discovered buried on Chad Daybell’s property in Idaho in June 2020.

Arizona jury finds Lori Vallow Daybell guilty in trial for conspiring to kill husband https://t.co/9DSHuZTfKp

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During the three-week trial, Vallow Daybell made the unusual decision to represent herself, calling no witnesses and offering little defense beyond claiming Charles Vallow’s death was a family tragedy rather than a crime. Prosecutors painted a different picture, arguing that Vallow Daybell and Cox planned the killing to collect a $1 million life insurance policy and to remove obstacles to her relationship with Chad Daybell, a doomsday author with whom she was having an affair.

Adam Cox, another brother of Vallow Daybell, testified against her, stating she had told him that Charles Vallow was possessed by a zombie. Text messages and other evidence presented at trial revealed that Charles Vallow had expressed concerns about his wife’s increasingly extreme beliefs and had filed for divorce before his death. He had even told family members he feared she might kill him—fears that ultimately proved tragically prescient.

A Web of Murders

The timeline following Charles Vallow’s death reveals a disturbing pattern. By September 2019, both of Vallow Daybell’s children had disappeared. In October, gunshots were fired at the ex-husband of Vallow Daybell’s niece, Brandon Boudreaux. That same month, Chad Daybell’s wife Tammy died suddenly in her sleep, initially attributed to natural causes but later determined to be asphyxiation. Within weeks of Tammy’s death, Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell married in Hawaii.

Justice and What Comes Next

Vallow Daybell now faces another life sentence to add to the three she is already serving in Idaho. She has also admitted to aggravating factors in her case, which will be considered during her eventual sentencing. Before that happens, she faces yet another trial in June for allegedly conspiring to murder Brandon Boudreaux, her niece’s ex-husband. Meanwhile, Chad Daybell remains on death row following his conviction for the murders of Tylee, JJ, and his first wife Tammy.