'Doomsday mom' Lori Daybell found guilty in murder conspiracy trial
The jury in Maricopa County, Arizona, was handed the case Monday afternoon before reaching a verdict Tuesday afternoon.
Lori Daybell, 51, represented herself in the Phoenix trial. She did not take the stand or call any witnesses.
Dubbed the "doomsday mom," Lori Daybell has maintained that her brother shot her then-husband of 13 years, Charles Vallow, in self-defense in her home in Chandler, Arizona, in July 2019. Her brother, Alex Cox, died from natural causes months after the shooting.
She had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
MORE: 'Doomsday mom' Lori Daybell delivers closing argument in murder conspiracy trial
Prosecutors, meanwhile, said the shooting was a ploy for Daybell to get rid of her estranged husband so she could get his $1 million life insurance policy and be with her current husband, Chad Daybell, whom she married four months after the shooting.
Prosecutors further said she invoked their "twisted" religious beliefs as justification for the murder and gave her brother "religious authority" to kill Vallow because they believed he was possessed by an evil spirit they referred to as "Ned."
Over two weeks, the state called more than a dozen witnesses, including Daybell's other brother, Adam Cox, who testified that he had "no doubt" his two siblings conspired to kill Vallow upon learning that his brother had fatally shot him.
In her closing argument, Maricopa County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Treena Kay said the evidence at the scene showed that Vallow was not shot in self-defense, but was "executed" and the scene "staged." She recounted text messages sent from Lori Daybell to her husband, Chad, seven days after Vallow was killed, discussing her now-deceased husband's life insurance policy. Kay said that, upon learning she was no longer the beneficiary of the plan, the defendant messaged Chad that "Ned" probably changed it "before we got rid of him."
The prosecutor also discussed a text message the defendant sent Alex Cox days before the deadly shooting in which she said they could "be like Nephi," a prophet in the Book of Mormon who God commanded to kill Laban.
"Lori Vallow wanted the million dollars, and she wanted Chad Daybell, and she and Alex used that twisted religious beliefs they had so that they could kill the evil, possessed Charles and 'be like Nephi,'" Kay said.
Three jurors who spoke to reporters following the verdict said the text message evidence in the case had stood out while they were deliberating. The jurors said they had no knowledge of Lori Daybell's prior convictions, which were not discussed during the Phoenix trial.
Members of Vallow's family expressed relief at the guilty verdict.
"I'm ready to move on," Vallow's sister, Kay Woodcock, told reporters outside the courthouse.
"This was thrust upon us, and our lives just went into, like a tornado, for a long time," she said.
Following the guilty verdict, Lori Daybell agreed to several aggravating factors in the case, instead of having a jury make a finding on them. Among them, she agreed that this was a dangerous offense and that it involved the presence of an accomplice. When asked if she agreed that as a result of her conduct, the victim or the victim's family "suffered emotional or financial harm," she said, "Absolutely."
She will be sentenced following another upcoming trial in Maricopa County, where she is further accused of scheming with her brother Alex Cox to kill Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of her niece.
Three months after the shooting of Vallow, Boudreaux called 911 to report that someone driving by in a Jeep shot at his vehicle outside his home in Gilbert, Arizona.
She has pleaded not guilty in that case.
MORE: Brother of 'doomsday mom' Lori Daybell testifies against her in latest murder trial
Both Lori and Chad Daybell were found guilty of first-degree murder for the deaths of her children, Joshua "J.J." Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, who went missing months after Charles Vallow was killed. In separate trials in 2023 and 2024, prosecutors argued the couple thought the children were possessed zombies and murdered them so that they could be together. The children's remains were found on an Idaho property belonging to Daybell in June 2020 following a monthslong search.
Lori Daybell is currently serving life in prison without parole for the murders of her two children. She has denied killing them.
Chad Daybell was sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering the two children, as well as his first wife, Tamara Daybell, and now awaits execution on Idaho's death row.
'Doomsday mom' Lori Daybell found guilty in murder conspiracy trial originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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26-07-2025
- Yahoo
'Doomsday mom' Lori Vallow Daybell sentenced to 2 more life sentences
July 25 (UPI) -- Lori Daybell, known as the Doomsday Mom, on Friday was sentenced to two more life sentences for conspiring with her brother to kill her fourth husband and her niece's former husband in Arizona. The terms are life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years to be served consecutively. Daybell, 51, already is serving several life sentences after being convicted of murdering two of her children in 2023 in Idaho with Chad Daybell, and conspiring to commit murder in the death of Tammy Daybell, the former wife of Chad Daybell, who later married Lori Daybell. On April 22, the jury in Maricopa County Superior Court found her guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder on July 11, 2019. Charles Vallow, her husband of 13 years, was executed. On June 12, she was convicted of scheming to kill Brandon Boudreaux, the former husband of her niece, in a targeted shooting on Oct. 2, 2019, that failed. She didn't testify in either trial. "I want everyone to know that I mourn with all of you," Daybell said. "I am sorry for your pain. Losing those close to you is painful, and I acknowledge all of the pain, and I do empathize, I feel it, too. If I was accountable for these crimes I would acknowledge it." She claims she didn't get a fair trial. Judge Justin Beresky, who presided over both trials in Phoenix, denied that. "You have not victimized just a single victim but many. You've shattered lives. You've undermined trust," Beresky said before the sentences. "In the face of such profound damage, a long prison sentence is not merely a punishment, it is a necessary affirmation that our society values justice, protection and the sanctity of human life." During the sentencing hearing, family members of Vallow Daybell's victims testified for more than one hour. That included her only surviving child, Coly Ryab, who described when he found out his father was shot and killed, and then her two siblings were murdered. "I had to do something I've never done, and that was fight to stay alive after the pain," Ryan said in court. Vallow Daybell, who represented herself in court, has maintained that her brother, Alex Cox -- who died from a pulmonary embolism before he could be charged -- killed her estranged husband in self-defense at her home in Chandler. Prosecutors, however, argued that Vallow Daybell had wanted her then-husband of 13 years dead so she could claim a $1 million life insurance policy on him and marry Chad Daybell, which she did months after Charles Vallow was killed. "A family tragedy does not involve the intentional killing of a person," Maricopa County Prosecuting Attorney Treena Kay said before sentencing. "A family tragedy does not involve working with an accomplice to commit first-degree premeditated murder. And a family tragedy does not involve conspiring with others to kill." They met at a religious conference in Utah. In the case involving her children, prosecutors argued that she and Chad Daybell thought the children were possessed zombies and they were murdered so they could be together. Also, she was convicted of stealing Social Security benefits for their care after they went missing. In the two instances in Arizona, prosecutors said she also invoked the "twisted" religious beliefs. They thought he was possessed by an evil spirit referred to as "Ned." In the second case, Boudreaux called 911 that someone driving by in a Jeep shot at his vehicle outside his home in Gilbert, missing his head by inches. Prosecutors said Boudreaux lived in fear because he would "return to finish the job." Cox died in December 2019. Joshua "J.J. Vallow was 7 and Tylee Rose, 16. Their remains were found on property owned by Chad Dayball in June 2020. Chad Daybell, a Mormon author of apocalyptical fiction and cult leader, was sentenced to death on June 1, 2024, by an Idaho jury.
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Yahoo
'Doomsday mom' Lori Daybell given 2 life sentences in murder conspiracy trials
Lori Daybell was sentenced to two life sentences in Arizona on Friday for conspiring with her late brother to kill her fourth husband, who was fatally shot in 2019, and her niece's ex-husband, who survived a failed drive-by shooting that same year. Daybell was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in two separate trials in Maricopa County this spring. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years for each conviction, to be served consecutively, the judge said.. "In the face of such profound damage, a long prison sentence is not merely a punishment, it is a necessary affirmation that our society values justice, protection and the sanctity of human life," Judge Justin Beresky, who presided over both trials in Phoenix, said before handing down the sentences. The so-called "doomsday mom" is already serving multiple life sentences after being convicted in 2023 of murdering two of her children. Prosecutors in the Idaho trial argued that she and her current husband, Chad Daybell, thought the children were possessed zombies and murdered them in 2019 so that they could be together. She was also found guilty of stealing Social Security survivor benefits allocated for the care of her children after they went missing. Similarly, prosecutors in Maricopa County argued that she conspired with her brother to kill her estranged husband of 13 years, Charles Vallow, so she could get his $1 million life insurance policy and be with Chad Daybell, an author of religious fiction books whom she married four months after the deadly shooting. Prosecutors further said she invoked their "twisted" religious beliefs as justification for the murder and gave her brother "religious authority" to kill Vallow because they believed he was possessed by an evil spirit they referred to as "Ned." MORE: 'Doomsday mom' Lori Daybell found guilty in murder conspiracy trial In the first of her Arizona trials, Lori Daybell argued that her brother, Alex Cox, shot Vallow in self-defense in her home in Chandler, Arizona, in July 2019. She was then found guilty in a second trial of scheming with Cox to kill Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of her niece. Three months after Vallow's killing, Boudreaux called 911 to report that someone driving by in a Jeep shot at his vehicle outside his home in Gilbert, Arizona, missing his head by inches. Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that Boudreaux continued to live in fear following the failed attempt on his life, wondering if Cox would "return to finish the job." Cox died from natural causes later in December 2019. Motives were money and sex, prosecutor says Lori Daybell, 51, did not take the stand or call any witnesses in either trial, in which she represented herself. In her closing statement, she argued that her family has been struck by tragedy and that she did not conspire to commit any crime. In remarks ahead of the sentencing, Maricopa County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Treena Kay disputed Lori Daybell's repeated claims that this was a "family tragedy." "A family tragedy does not involve the intentional killing of a person," Kay said. "A family tragedy does not involve working with an accomplice to commit first-degree premeditated murder. And a family tragedy does not involve conspiring with others to kill." She said Lori Daybell's motives were the same ones usually seen in murder cases: money and sex, saying that the deaths of Vallow and Boudreaux would have financially benefited her and her niece, respectively. "Although this defendant denies it, her text messages and her own actions show that these were her motives," Kay said. Lori Daybell continued to maintain her innocence in remarks ahead of the sentencing. "I want everyone to know that I mourn with all of you. I am sorry for your pain. Losing those close to you is painful, and I acknowledge all of the pain, and I do empathize, I feel it, too," she said. "If I was accountable for these crimes I would acknowledge it." She claimed she was prevented from presenting her side in the trials, which the judge said was "not true." "When she says that she couldn't get a fair trial in Maricopa County, that is not the truth," Beresky said ahead of handing down the sentence. She also questioned the necessity of additional life sentences on top of the multiple life sentences she's serving in Idaho. "Now I will serve seven life sentences -- will that be enough? Will that be enough?" she asked. To that point, the judge said, "Justice demands not only recognition of the pain inflicted, but a firm response that upholds the dignity of every victim harmed by the actions of someone who has shown blatant disregard for humanity." He said she has "left a wake of destruction" across multiple states and the "amount of contemplation, calculation, planning, manipulation that went into these crimes is unparalleled in my career." "Your powers of manipulation are profoundly destructive, one that undermines trust, distorts truth and can erode the very foundations of healthy relationships and society," he said. "The impact of your manipulation has been devastating, insidious and far-reaching and perhaps still unknown." The sentencing hearing comes after failed attempts at getting new trials on both counts. After being convicted of conspiring to kill Vallow, she also unsuccessfully tried to remove Judge Beresky from the case, claiming he was biased against her. She frequently clashed with the judge while representing herself during the trials. During the second trial, Beresky at one point removed her from the courtroom after she became combative during discussions about her character. The judge had warned that if she referred to herself as having "great character," that could open the door for the state to introduce evidence to rebut that character, including regarding her previous convictions in Idaho. Both Lori and Chad Daybell were found guilty of first-degree murder for the deaths of her children in separate trials in Fremont County, Idaho. Joshua "J.J." Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, went missing months after Charles Vallow was killed. Their remains were found on an Idaho property belonging to Chad Daybell in June 2020 following a monthslong search. They were also found guilty of conspiring to kill Chad Daybell's first wife, Tamara Daybell, who died in October 2019 -- two weeks before Lori and Chad Daybell married in Hawaii. Chad Daybell was found guilty of murdering her. Lori Daybell is currently serving life in prison without parole, while Chad Daybell was sentenced to death for the three murders and now awaits execution on Idaho's death row. Emotional victim impact statements Several of Lori Daybell's relatives addressed the court ahead of the sentencing. In grief-stricken, at times angry remarks, they touched on the loss of Vallow as well as JJ, whom Lori Daybell and Vallow had adopted, and Tylee, a child from Lori Daybell's third marriage. Her eldest son, Colby Ryan, from her second marriage, remembered Vallow as a generous man. "My father, Charles Vallow, cared for his family. He took care of our family, and he made sure we had a good life," Ryan said. He said his mother told him Charles Vallow had died from a heart attack, before he learned the truth, and spoke about the pain of losing his father and then his siblings. "I'm here to tell you the effect that this has had on me. In simple terms, each one of my family members was taken from us all in one swoop," Ryan said. Regarding his mother, he said it "must be a very sad life to smile your way through all the pain you've caused." "Rather than being able to acknowledge the pain that she has caused, she would rather say that Charles, Tylee and JJ's deaths were a family tragedy and not her evil doing," he said. "Quite frankly, I believe that Lori Vallow herself is the family tragedy." One of Vallow's sisters, Susan Vallow, said the day her brother died "changed my life forever." "My brother's death was a deliberate act of evil and self-seeking financial gain. Your greed has caused so much pain to this day," she said virtually. Kay Woodcock, another one of Charles Vallow's sisters and JJ's biological grandmother, read a letter she wrote from the perspective of JJ in court. "I can't be here to read this letter, because I am dead. I was murdered by the defendant Lori Daybell, or as I used to call her, mom," she read. "See, there are a whole lot of tragedies that have happened to my family, and all of them are the result of my mom's actions." Vallow "never would have let her hurt me, and I know he died protecting me," the letter said. "I should be 13 years old now, but I'm forever seven," she read. At the end of the letter, she screamed at Lori Daybell, "I trusted you!" before breaking down in tears. MORE: 'Doomsday mom' Lori Daybell delivers closing argument in murder conspiracy trial Her husband, Larry Woodcock, his anger visceral, called Lori Daybell a "narcissist, psychopath, delusional murderer." "You're nothing, murderess," he said. "I can't stand you." Following remarks by several members of his family, including his siblings and current wife, Boudreaux addressed how the attempted murder has impacted him. "The betrayal by someone connected to my family has left me battling overwhelming emotions over the years," he said, his voice shaky. "I felt fear, paranoia. I lived with constant vigilance, loneliness, regret, sadness, depression, anger, heartache and embarrassment." He said he has chosen to forgive Lori Daybell so he can be a better father, husband, son, neighbor and friend. "But I had never seen any remorse or acknowledgement from Lori," he said.
25-07-2025
'Doomsday mom' Lori Daybell set to be sentenced in murder conspiracy trials
Lori Daybell is set to be sentenced in Arizona on Friday for conspiring with her late brother to kill her fourth husband in 2019. She will also be sentenced for conspiring with her brother to kill her niece's ex-husband in a failed drive-by shooting that same year. Daybell was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in two separate trials in Maricopa County this spring. She faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years for each conviction, prosecutors said. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled to take place Friday morning local time before Judge Justin Beresky, who presided over both trials. The so-called "doomsday mom" is already serving life in prison after being convicted in 2023 of murdering two of her children. Prosecutors in the Idaho trial argued that she and her current husband, Chad Daybell, thought the children were possessed zombies and murdered them in 2019 so that they could be together. She was also found guilty of stealing Social Security survivor benefits allocated for the care of her children after they went missing. Similarly, prosecutors in Maricopa County argued that she conspired with her brother to kill her estranged husband of 13 years, Charles Vallow, so she could get his $1 million life insurance policy and be with Chad Daybell, an author of religious fiction books whom she married four months after the deadly shooting. Prosecutors further said she invoked their "twisted" religious beliefs as justification for the murder and gave her brother "religious authority" to kill Vallow because they believed he was possessed by an evil spirit they referred to as "Ned." In the first of her Arizona trials, Lori Daybell argued that her brother, Alex Cox, shot Vallow in self-defense in her home in Chandler, Arizona, in July 2019. She was then found guilty in a second trial of scheming with Cox to kill Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of her niece. Three months after Vallow's killing, Boudreaux called 911 to report that someone driving by in a Jeep shot at his vehicle outside his home in Gilbert, Arizona. Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that Boudreaux continued to live in fear following the failed attempt on his life, wondering if Cox would "return to finish the job." Cox died from natural causes later in December 2019. Lori Daybell, 51, did not take the stand or call any witnesses in either trial, in which she represented herself. In her closing statement, she argued that her family has been struck by tragedy and that she did not conspire to commit any crime. Her sentencing hearing comes after failed attempts at getting new trials on both counts. After being convicted of conspiring to kill Vallow, she also unsuccessfully tried to remove Judge Beresky from the case, claiming he was biased against her. She frequently clashed with the judge while representing herself during the trials. During the second trial, Beresky at one point removed her from the courtroom after she became combative during discussions about her character. The judge had warned that if she referred to herself as having "great character," that could open the door for the state to introduce evidence to rebut that character, including regarding her previous convictions in Idaho. Both Lori and Chad Daybell were found guilty of first-degree murder for the deaths of her children in separate trials in Fremont County, Idaho. Joshua "J.J." Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, went missing months after Charles Vallow was killed. Their remains were found on an Idaho property belonging to Chad Daybell in June 2020 following a monthslong search. They were also found guilty of conspiring to kill Chad Daybell's first wife, Tamara Daybell, who died in October 2019 -- two weeks before Lori and Chad Daybell married in Hawaii. Chad Daybell was found guilty of murdering her. Lori Daybell is currently serving life in prison without parole, while Chad Daybell was sentenced to death for the three murders and now awaits execution on Idaho's death row.
