logo
Arizona judge denies Lori Vallow Daybell's request for new trial

Arizona judge denies Lori Vallow Daybell's request for new trial

Yahoo24-05-2025

An Arizona judge on Friday denied a request from Lori Vallow Daybell for a new trial after jurors found her guilty of conspiring to murder her then-husband, Charles Vallow.
She asked for a new trial on May 1, just over a week after she was found guilty, claiming misconduct from jurors and prosecutors and claimed the judge was not impartial. She also argued that statements from Tylee Ryan and Alex Cox — who are both dead — should have been allowed in the trial, that part of a detective's testimony should not have been allowed and that she should have been given the opportunity to use newer download technology on her husband's phone.
Arizona Judge Justin Beresky denied that any of these things caused prejudice against Lori Daybell.
Daybell was given five life sentences in Idaho after being found guilty of murdering her two children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old JJ Vallow, and conspiring to murder them and Tammy Daybell, before marrying Chad Daybell.
In an interview immediately after the Arizona trial, a juror seemed to say he knew she had already been given multiple life sentences before the end of the trial. In multiple other comments in media interviews, however, the same juror verified he did not know until after the guilty verdict was delivered.
The judge considered all of the statements that juror made to the media and ruled in Friday's decision that there was not a 'clear indication of juror misconduct' or any evidence of prejudice against Daybell from this — which she would have needed to prove.
Beresky maintained his previous ruling, saying out-of-court statements from Tylee and Cox would be considered hearsay because they are dead and could not testify. He said Daybell was invited to bring specific statements from them for him to consider outside the jury's presence during the trial, but she never did.
The judge also determined that Daybell did not offer any evidence that the information she might have found on Vallow's phone could have negated her guilt.
Beresky also found that none of the arguments in her request for a new trial 'come close' to establishing misconduct from prosecutors.
Daybell's argument of prosecutorial misconduct included claims that the prosecutor repeatedly brought up her religion throughout the trial, thus violating her rights to religious freedom. The judge determined this was not the case.
'The (Religious Freedom Restoration Act) does not protect someone from committing criminal acts in the name of religion,' he said.
Beresky also determined he correctly ruled to strike witnesses from her list because she did not establish they had any relevant information, and did not show prejudice against her. He said she was told she could make the request again if she had new arguments that the witnesses were relevant, but she did not.
The judge did agree that he made a comment that was 'not necessary' — when denying an objection from prosecutors while Daybell, acting as her own attorney, was questioning Serena Sharpe, but he said it did not show bias or partiality. That comment was: 'To the extent that you are comparing yourself to these biblical figures I will allow it.'
Bereksy said that although he should not have made the comment, there was no evidence it influenced jurors.
Daybell asked to be sentenced in this case after her next criminal trial. That trial, on charges alleging she conspired to murder Brandon Boudreaux, her niece's then-husband, will begin in June.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Watch Live: Karen Read trial continues as defense could call final witness
Watch Live: Karen Read trial continues as defense could call final witness

CBS News

time34 minutes ago

  • CBS News

Watch Live: Karen Read trial continues as defense could call final witness

Karen Read's attorneys are likely to call their final witness on Tuesday as the case appears to be entering its final days inside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. You can watch testimony live on CBS News Boston when it begins at 9 a.m. by clicking on the video player above. Read is facing trial for the second time, accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, and leaving him to die in the snow outside a Canton home. She claims she is being framed by several people, including law enforcement. Testimony is expected to begin Tuesday with Dr. Elizabeth Laposata, a Brown University professor who was previously the chief medical examiner for Rhode Island, back on the stand for direct questioning. She was on the stand when court ended for the day Monday answering questions from Read's attorney Alan Jackson. Jackson told Judge Beverly Cannone he expects to question Laposata for less than an hour on Tuesday. Special prosecutor Hank Brennan said he will likely cross-examine her for about 30 minutes. When Laposata's testimony is complete, the defense is expected to call its final witness, Dr. Andrew Rentschler. When will Karen Read's defense rest? Rentschler worked with crash reconstructionist Dr. Andrew Wolfe at the engineering consulting firm ARCCA, which has been at the center of contentious hearings throughout Read's trial. Wolfe finished testifying Monday after two days on the stand. Jackson said he expected to question Rentschler for about three hours, possibly more, as the final defense witness. When Rentschler is done on the stand, Brennan said he plans to call several rebuttal witnesses. Once all witness testimony is finished in the coming days, closing statements will be held and the jury will get the case. Rentschler will be the 11th defense witness called. Brennan called 38 witnesses so far, with more now expected. Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. Read's first trial in 2024 ended with a mistrial due to a "starkly divided" hung jury.

Social Media Fascists Want DHS and JD Vance to Deport the ‘Menswear Guy'
Social Media Fascists Want DHS and JD Vance to Deport the ‘Menswear Guy'

Gizmodo

time37 minutes ago

  • Gizmodo

Social Media Fascists Want DHS and JD Vance to Deport the ‘Menswear Guy'

Derek Guy, a fashion writer more commonly known as 'the Menswear Guy' on X, posted Monday about his experience as an undocumented immigrant brought to the U.S. as a child. Far-right extremists quickly called for Guy to be deported, something that's not entirely unexpected on a social media platform that's turned into an even greater cesspool of hate ever since Elon Musk bought it. What turned out to be somewhat unexpected was the vice president of the United States and the Department of Homeland Security posting gifs to suggest they might really deport him. It all started on Saturday, June 7, when Guy tweeted that while he admired the courage of protesters against ICE, he thought violent protests were counterproductive. Some folks on X and Bluesky thought Guy was lecturing people who were putting their bodies on the line in resistance to ICE round-ups in Los Angeles, stirring some criticism. The following day, Guy seemed compelled to talk about his own experience with immigration, writing on X, 'My family escaped Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and went through an arduous journey that eventually landed them in the Canada. My father worked there for a time as a janitor; my mother, a secretary.' Guy went on to explain that when work fell through in Canada his father went to the U.S. 'as our family needed money' and he ended up 'staying longer than he was supposed to.' Guy writes that he was carried over the U.S.-Canada border by his mother while he was still a baby. 'I'm still unsure whether we technically broke an immigration law,' Guy wrote. 'The border between Canada and the United States was pretty porous (as it is today, for the most part). But either way, since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I've been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else.' I debated whether to share my story on here, but I guess I will. I think there's an idea out there that millions of violent criminals are pouring across the border, carrying machetes and drugs, looking to harm Americans. Certainly, while some people fall into that category, the… — derek guy (@dieworkwear) June 8, 2025 Guy went on to explain (in a very lengthy post) that most immigrants simply aren't violent criminals and that 'sending us 'back' to our 'home' country would mean sending someone to a foreign land.' But the admission that Guy may be undocumented in the U.S. led to various X accounts calling for him to get kicked out of the country. An account called @growing_daniel wrote, 'JD Vance I know you're reading this and you have the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever,' in a quote-tweet about Guy's immigration status. Vance replied with a GIF of actor Jack Nicholson vigorously nodding his head. Guy got a good burn in on the vice president, quote-tweeting Vance with 'i think i can outrun you in these clothes.' Guy frequently critiques the fashion choices of conservative men, something that really seems to irk many of his followers, given the fact that they rely on him for advice on clothes. Guy has previously made fun of Vance's pants for being too short and skinny. i think i can outrun you in these clothes — derek guy (@dieworkwear) June 9, 2025 As if it wasn't bad enough that Vance was suggesting he might try to get Guy deported, the Department of Homeland Security posted a GIF from the movie Spy Kids, quote-tweeting a call for him to be deported. The suggestion being that they had their eyes on him. Far-right influencer Andy Ngo expressed skepticism of Guy's story about his family fleeing Vietnam, claiming he could be lying since he didn't publish his story in 'a publication that goes through some level of independent verification.' The ironic part of that, of course, is that Ngo constantly posts garbage on X without any kind of 'independent verification' as he puts it. Musk and his legion of far-right fans are so fond of saying the traditional media are dead and that you don't hate the mainstream journalists enough. But when someone tells their own story, they're quick to want some kind of verification from the same old-school media they whine about. Guy didn't respond to an email sent Monday afternoon but shared an article from HuffPost on Monday about the attention, writing, 'honestly, didn't expect this is what would happen when i joined a menswear forum 15 years ago.' I shared my story because I think the narrative about undocumented immigrants has become very slanted in order to justify crackdowns. It doesn't help when people think that all undocumented immigrants are criminals who hate the US. The ones I know are good, hardworking people. — derek guy (@dieworkwear) June 9, 2025 The average undocumented immigrant is pretty similar to the average citizen: they dream of getting a better job, they value family, they enjoy social time with friends,' Guy wrote. 'Like most people, they have wishy washy political views and aren't ideologues. They hide from view for obvious reasons. And thus, their part of this story isn't being told.' 'What you see on TV or social media is a slice designed to justify draconian policies,' he concluded.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store