'Doomsday mom' Lori Daybell Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Murder Her Estranged Husband

PHOENIX (AP) — In a case that has captivated the nation, Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty on Tuesday in Arizona for conspiring to murder her estranged husband, Charles Vallow. This conviction comes on the heels of her involvement in a series of tragic events that included the deaths of her two youngest children, which were linked to her extreme doomsday religious beliefs.

After about three hours of deliberation, jurors reached their verdict, and now Vallow Daybell faces the possibility of another life sentence, adding to the three she is already serving in Idaho. However, her sentencing in Arizona will be postponed until after she stands trial for another alleged murder conspiracy.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Vallow Daybell conspired with her brother, Alex Cox, in the shooting death of Charles Vallow at her home in Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix, back in July 2019. The motive, they argued, was twofold: to collect on Charles's life insurance policy and to facilitate her marriage to Chad Daybell, who is known for writing religious novels focused on prophecies and apocalyptic themes.

Chad Daybell is currently serving life sentences for the murders of Vallow Daybell’s children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as his own wife, Tammy. The case has been marked by bizarre claims from both Chad and Lori, including assertions that the children had become "zombies" and that Lori was a goddess destined to bring about the apocalypse.

During the trial, Vallow Daybell, who opted to represent herself despite lacking legal training, remained mostly composed as the verdict was read. She occasionally glanced at the jurors as they confirmed their guilty verdict on the single charge against her.

One juror, Victoria Lewis, commented outside the courthouse that Vallow Daybell's decision to defend herself may not have been the best choice. “Many days she was just smiling and laughing and didn’t seem to take anything very seriously,” Lewis remarked to reporters.

In her defense, Vallow Daybell claimed that Charles had attacked her with a bat inside their home, and that her brother shot him in self-defense as he was leaving. She characterized the incident as a tragedy rather than a crime.

Tragically, Alex Cox passed away five months after the shooting, with medical examiners attributing his death to a blood clot in his lungs.

Outside the courtroom, Vallow’s siblings, Kay Woodcock and Gerry Vallow, expressed their gratitude for the jury's decision. Woodcock had a pointed message for Vallow Daybell, stating, “We gotcha, and you’re not the smartest person in the room. Everybody’s going to forget about you.”

In the lead-up to the trial, Adam Cox, another brother of Vallow Daybell, testified for the prosecution, asserting that he had no doubt his siblings were involved in Charles's death. He recounted that the killing occurred just before he and Charles were planning an intervention to help Lori return to their shared faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Adam also revealed that Lori had previously claimed her husband was no longer alive and that a "zombie" had taken over his body.

Just four months before his death, Charles filed for divorce from Lori, citing her growing obsession with near-death experiences and her claims of having lived multiple lives on other planets. He alleged that she threatened to ruin him financially and even kill him, prompting him to seek a voluntary mental health evaluation for her.

Looking ahead, Vallow Daybell is scheduled to go on trial again in early June, this time facing accusations related to a plot to kill Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of her niece. Boudreaux, however, survived the alleged attempt on his life.