Lori Vallow Daybell: 'Doomsday Mom' prepares for 2nd Arizona trial

Yahoo

24-04-2025

The Brief
Lori Vallow Daybell is set to be put on trial once again in Arizona.
For her next trial, the so-called "Doomsday Mom" is accused of plotting to murder her former nephew-in-law, Brandon Boudreaux.
Despite multiple life sentences, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said she fully intends to prosecute Vallow Daybell.
PHOENIX - Lori Vallow, also known as the so-called "Doomsday Mom," is now convicted of conspiring in her fourth husband's murder, but a day after a jury found her guilty, she's preparing for her second trial in Arizona.
The backstory
On April 22, a jury in Arizona found Vallow Daybell guilty of conspiring to commit murder. The guilty verdict was handed down just one day after closing arguments were made.
Vallow Daybell was accused of planning the death of Charles Vallow in 2019. It was allegedly motivated by Vallow Daybell's religious beliefs, and a $1 million life insurance policy that Charles owned.
Charles was shot by Vallow Daybell's late brother, Alex Cox. Cox had said he shot Charles after a fight involving a baseball bat.
During the trial, one of Vallow Daybell's brothers took the stand. Adam Cox, who testified on behalf of the prosecution, said during his testimony that he had no doubt that Vallow and Alex were behind Charles' death.
Vallow Daybell, who represented herself during the trial, did not take the stand, call witnesses, or entered evidence. During closing arguments, she spoke to the jury for about 20 minutes and did not address her choice not to call 911, or her suspicious religious texts with her co-conspirators. She told the jury she and her family had the right to self-defense.
Prosecutors objected multiple times during Vallow Daybell's closing arguments, claiming she is essentially testifying with her closing arguments, and bringing up her daughter Tylee Ryan and brother Alex Cox, who are both dead.
Vallow Daybell's second Arizona trial is also her third trial overall.
For her third trial, Vallow Daybell is accused of plotting the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux, who was once her nephew-in-law, in 2019.
What we know
The alleged incident happened on October 2, 2019, when Boudreaux was shot at while driving home. The bullets missed Boudreaux by inches.
In the weeks following the incident, Vallow Daybell and her now-husband, Chad Daybel, plotted the murder of Chad's then wife, Tammy Daybell.
Lori and Chad quickly married in Hawaii, while Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan were nowhere to be seen until authorities discovered their remains on the Daybell property in June 2020.
"People were dying while I was investigating, and it was just a bizarre time," said private investigator Rich Robertson, who was hired by Boudreaux to locate his ex-wife Melani. Melani is Vallow Daybell's niece.
According to Gilbert Police, Vallow Daybell and her husband's doomsday beliefs identified Boudreaux as a dark spirit. The suspect vehicle in the shooting, which happened in Gilbert, was a Jeep Wrangler that Tylee drove when she was alive.
"Started tracking some of the Jeep's movements, and started figuring out that it had been back and forth between the Phoenix area and Rexburg a couple times, based on Alex Cox's cell phone tracking," said Robertson.
Police believe the shooter was Cox, but he died in December 2019 of natural causes.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said she fully intends on prosecuting Vallow Daybell for the next murder conspiracy charge, despite the fact that Vallow Daybell is already serving three life sentences for the murders of JJ, Tylee, and Tammy.
What Mitchell Said
"If it was your loved one who was killed, would you be OK with Rachel Mitchell saying 'somebody else got her for something else, so we're just gonna ignore that,'" Mitchell said.
"It's important for [Boudreaux] to be able to have his story vindicated," Robertson said.