18-04-2025
Both sides rest their case: Lori Vallow Daybell trial week two recap
PHOENIX, Arizona () — Lori Vallow Daybell, the Idaho mother convicted of killing her two children, has finished her second week of trial for her husband's murder in 2019. Both the prosecution and defense have rested their cases, and a trial date has been set for Vallow Daybell's attempted murder case.
, jurors heard from family members and even a woman who testified she and Vallow had a date the evening before Charles Vallow was killed. Also on the stand were first responders at the scene of Charles Vallow's death on July 11, 2019.
Vallow Daybell was previously sentenced for murder and conspiracy to murder her children, Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ashlyn Ryan, 16. She was sentenced to prison and is currently serving five life sentences.
This week, Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Treena Kay called several witnesses who testified regarding Vallow Daybell's actions following her husband, Charles Vallow's, death. The court learned about Vallow's autopsy, Vallow Daybell's calls to the insurance company, and where she went in the 40 minutes between Vallow's death and the 911 call.
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'I know he owes a lot of people money, and I was worried if I got money, they'd be coming after me for money… now I will be with none.'
The state called Dr. Derek Bumgarner, a medical examiner with Maricopa County, to the stand. He performed the autopsy on Charles Vallow following his death on July 11, 2019. Treena Kay brought up photos from the autopsy, and Bumgarner described what he observed when he performed it.
Treena Kay asked if the toxicology report found any drugs or alcohol in Vallow's system. Bumgarner testified that Vallow did not test positive for drugs or alcohol. He confirmed that he determined the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.
Lori Vallow Daybell then began her cross-examination. She asked about the drugs that the toxicology report tested for. Vallow Daybell briefly questioned him about the logistics of shoring. Bumgarner testified that he had never seen a shored wound caused by a t-shirt.
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Mark Saari, a special agent with the Social Security Administration, was then called by the state. He is responsible for investigating fraud, waste, and abuse cases involving Social Security. In 2020, he was assigned a fraud investigation into Vallow Daybell's Social Security payouts from Vallow's death.
Saari confirmed that when Vallow Daybell married Chad Daybell, her mother-in-care benefits would have ceased, while JJ's benefits would have continued. He testified that Vallow Daybell did not notify Social Security of her new marriage.
Robin Smith Scott, a claims representative with Banner Life Insurance Company, was then called to the stand. She testified that Charles Vallow had a life insurance policy worth $1 million. Scott stated that Vallow Daybell was the beneficiary until Feb. 26, 2019, when the beneficiary was designated as Vallow's sister, Woodcock.
Vallow Daybell contacted Scott to discuss a letter she received stating that she was not the beneficiary on Vallow's life insurance policy. During the call, Scott confirmed that the beneficiary had been changed and stated that she couldn't divulge much information.
'I'm trying to figure out what he was doing since we have five kids and we've been married for 15 years,' Vallow Daybell says during the recording. 'I know he owes a lot of people money, and I was worried if I got money, they'd be coming after me for money… now I will be with none.'
Vallow Daybell stated she had no questions for the cross-examination, and Scott stepped down.
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Jeff Moberg then went on the stand. He is a forensic scientist with the Arizona Department of Public Safety in the Firearms and Toolmark Unit. Moberg described how forensic investigation of a gun is completed. He identified the firearm as a Springfield Armory XDM 45 caliber semi-automatic pistol and testified that the two bullets at the scene were fired by that pistol.
Cassandra Ynclan, a police detective with the Chandler Police Department, was called to the stand by the state. She responded to the scene of Vallow's death on July 11, 2019. Ynclan recalls seeing Vallow Daybell parked across the street with Tylee after she arrived.
'Just kind of appeared to be having this, kind of, ordinary interaction with Officer Krautheim,' Ynclan said of Vallow Daybell that day. 'Kind of ordinary and nonchalant.'
Clips from the police interview between Vallow Daybell and Ynclan are then played for the courtroom.
'It's all these threats on my phone all the time… he's always mad at me and he doesn't want a divorce, but I don't like him,' Vallow Daybell says when asked about Vallow on the recording.
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Vallow Daybell's cross-examination centered on the interview of her daughter, Tylee. She asked about what was said during that interview, but those questions were sustained as hearsay, and Ynclan did not answer. Judge Beresky broke court for the evening.
'The idea that one could — in 12 minutes — go to a Burger King, get their order, drive seven miles one way, seven miles back… seems unlikely to me.'
Cassandra Ynclan, a police detective with the Chandler Police Department, . Vallow Daybell continued her cross-examination.
Vallow Daybell asked more about what Ynclan witnessed about her and Tylee on the day of Vallow's death. She asked if her demeanor at the scene — which Ynclan described as 'nonchalant' and 'ordinary' — was abnormal for someone in that situation. Ynclan testified that she had not personally been in a situation where her husband was murdered in her home.
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Detective Ariel Werther with the Chandler Police Department was then called to the stand. Werther is a subject matter expert on cellphone records, especially map and GPS data.
Werther went to the scene of the shooting on July 11, 2019. The following day, he called Vallow Daybell to obtain JJ's contact information. She informed Werther that she had Vallow's wallet and hotel key.
'The school is approximately seven miles away from the house. So the idea that one could — in 12 minutes — go to a Burger King, get their order, drive seven miles one way, seven miles back and arrive in that amount of time seems unlikely to me,' Werther testified. The 911 call had been placed at 8:36 a.m., and Vallow Daybell was captured on police bodycam at 8:48 a.m.
Werther compiled a PowerPoint presentation of evidence collected from Vallow's cell phone on July 11, 2019, which was in Vallow Daybell's vehicle after she left the house with JJ and Tylee. He used GPS data and personally visited the locations to corroborate the evidence collected.
Vallow's phone is seen in the area of the hotel where he was staying before traveling to Vallow Daybell's home. The last text message sent from the device before Vallow's death is at 7:37 a.m. At 7:50 a.m., the phone leaves the home, and it pings again near Burger King after 7:52 a.m. Vallow Daybell can then be seen in surveillance footage at the drive-through window.
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Vallow Daybell is captured on surveillance video entering Walgreens at 8:17 a.m. and purchasing two pairs of flip flops. According to location data from Vallow's phone, she then dropped JJ off at school.
As she was leaving, around 8:35 a.m., Alex Cox placed the 911 call. At 8:49 a.m., Vallow Daybell is captured with Tylee on police bodycam at the scene. Werther testifies that the timeline established that either the shooting happened a while before the 911 call, or Vallow Daybell was not present for the shooting.
Vallow Daybell completed her cross-examination. The prosecution objected to many of her questions, and the judge sustained the objections. She mainly asked about what was located in the hotel room, and what information was found on Vallow's cell phone.
'It will be interesting if it got changed after he had two bullets in his chest.'
Nathan Duncan, a detective with the Chandler Police Department in the robbery and homicide unit, was the only witness for the day. He was sent to the scene of the shooting on July 11, 2019.
Duncan reviewed iCloud extractions from Vallow's phone. He also reviewed emails that were located in the iCloud account, notably from 'kkwalker75.' Duncan testified that although the name on the email was Karen Walker, it was connected to an old phone number that belonged to Vallow Daybell.
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Vallow had saved an email sent by 'kkwalker75' to Chad Daybell. The email appeared to be from Vallow, asking him to come to Arizona to help ghostwrite a book. Vallow — who was in Houston at the time — confronted Vallow Daybell about this email and an affair, according to Duncan. Vallow also contacted Chad Daybell's late wife, Tammy Daybell, about the email.
Duncan testified that police uncovered multiple messages speaking about 'Ned,' a name for the demon she believed was living in Vallow's body. Messages between Vallow Daybell and Alex Cox revealed that they had been discussing Ned.
On July 9, 2019, a text message sent from Vallow Daybell to Alex Cox reads, 'I'm going to need you to stay close to me the next couple days. Mel too. She can't go to Utah. They are planking some kind of intervention but want Mel out of the way so I am left alone… it's all coming to a head this week. I will be like Nephi I am told! And so will you.'
Messages between Vallow Daybell and several family members — her mother, Janis Cox, her sister, Summer Shiflet, and her niece, Melani Boudreaux — show that they were working to keep her apart from Adam Cox on July 10, 2019. They knew that Adam Cox and Vallow were planning an intervention.
After Vallow's death on July 11, 2019, Duncan testified that romantic messages were exchanged between Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell. Before that event, no 'obviously romantic' messages had been exchanged. Long chains of romantic messages are then shown to the courtroom, including a romantic story Chad Daybell wrote about how he and Vallow Daybell met, swapping out their names with 'James' and 'Elena.'
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'Hmm. It will be interesting if it got changed after he had two bullets in his chest,' Chad Daybell wrote to Vallow Daybell after finding out that Vallow's life insurance beneficiary had been changed several months before his death. Vallow Daybell told him she couldn't change it after his death.
During her cross-examination, Vallow Daybell walked through what Duncan saw at the scene and how the investigation was handled. She asked if he was familiar with Nephi and whether he was aware that there could have been a different Nephi in 'The Book of Mormon' that she was referring to.
Treena Kay completed her redirect examination and then rested her case, meaning that the state has no further witnesses to provide testimony or evidence to show.
Judge Beresky asked if Vallow Daybell would be calling witnesses or if she had any evidence. Vallow Daybell rested her case as well. The judge told her that if she rests her case, she is not able to change her mind about testifying. Vallow Daybell asked if she could have until Monday to decide whether she will testify.
The next step in the trial will be jury instructions.
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The jury was not in court this morning as the defense, prosecution and judge reviewed jury instructions. Vallow Daybell confirmed that she is not planning of presenting any evidence or calling any witnesses.
Jury instructions are guidelines for the jury while they engage in deliberation, explaining laws and proceedings for the jury to apply. The jury instructions were standard for the Arizona court. There were some adjustments made because Vallow Daybell is representing herself.
Vallow Daybell confirmed that the witnesses she had subpoenaed could be released. Jury instructions were finalized, and the plan for Monday was discussed.
Judge Beresky then set the trial for Vallow Daybell's case of attempted murder against Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of her niece, Melani Boudreaux. The trial will begin May 30 at 10 a.m., and the last day will be June 30. There will be a final trial management conference on May 14.
Vallow Daybell will be back in court on Monday for her conspiracy to murder Vallow case.
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Both sides rest their case: Lori Vallow Daybell trial week two recap
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