Jurors surprised by Lori Vallow Daybell's prior convictions as unanswered questions lead to guilty verdict

Yahoo

25-04-2025

The Brief
We are learning more from the jury in the Lori Vallow Daybell trial that found her guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in the death of her fourth husband Charles Vallow.
Jurors had no idea that Vallow Daybell was already been convicted in Idaho, serving three life sentences for the murder of her two children and her husband Chad Daybell's first wife.
Juror #8, Tass Reed-Tucker, says there were many unanswered questions that didn't add up to jurors.
PHOENIX - A juror who voted to convict Lori Vallow Daybell is now learning how complex the murderous saga of the Doomsday Mom really is two days after the trial has ended.
Juror number 8, Tass Reed-Tucker, only found out after trial that Vallow Daybell was already a convicted killer in Idaho, serving three life sentences for what she did to her two children and her husband's first wife.
It was fascinating to see this juror's reaction, but what did the juror think about Lori acting as her own attorney?
What we know
On Tuesday, 12 jurors all agreed that Vallow Daybell was guilty of conspiring with her brother to kill Charles Vallow back in July of 2019.
Over the course of the trial, the jurors heard from 19 state witnesses, including detectives from Chandler Police.
They also heard testimony from Lori's brother Adam Cox, and Charles' sister Kay Woodcock.
But it was who they didn't hear from that really caught their attention.
Lori's two children - JJ and Tylee - were at the scene on the day of the shooting.
Vallow Daybell was convicted of killing JJ and Tylee after her 2023 trial in Idaho.
Reed-Tucker is just now learning so much about the so-called Doomsday Mom.
Reed-Tucker says she was waiting to see if Lori's daughter would testify on her mom's behalf.
"We were all thinking that," said Reed Tucker. "We found out that we were all thinking that but we just couldn't talk about it because we weren't in deliberations yet, so we couldn't say anything about what we were thinking."
With Lori and Tylee visible in a lot of body cam footage that was played by the prosecution, Reed-Tucker was anticipating Tylee would be a witness.
"Yeah, fully. And then while we were in deliberation someone asked 'why didn't she bring out anyone, her kids, her friends she didn't bring out anyone?' So at that point we were just questioning what happened? Why?" she said.
The jury was told Alex had passed away during opening statements, but when asked if she thought that Tylee and J.J. were dead, the response was definitive:
"No, no I wasn't thinking that at all," said Reed-Tucker.
Dig deeper
The prosecution put an emphasis on showing Vallow Daybell's demeanor at the crime scene and the interviews that took place afterwards.
That strategy paid dividends and made a lasting impression on the jury.
Reed-Tucker said she expected Vallow Daybell's reactions on camera to be different than the tape showed.
"Really, anything but how she was. You know it was complete opposite of how she should have been. She wasn't worried about her brother being hurt, she wasn't asking how her husband was. She was giggling and laughing with officers and in her interview, she was doing the same thing," said Reed-Tucker.
Even her body language made an impression on the jury.
"She was very laid back and it didn't seem to faze her," she said.
Her demeanor, facial expressions and the way she vilified Charles Vallow in her defense were all noted.
"My reaction was, she's not there," said Reed-Tucker.