For more than five years, the world has watched as a bizarre saga unfolded – starting with a frantic search for Lori Vallow’s children, the tragic discovery of their bodies buried in her new husband’s backyard, and ultimately, her conviction.
Now, two lesser-known victims in the case have their shot at justice.
The so-called “doomsday cult mom,” 51, who was sentenced to life in prison in Idaho for killing her children in 2019, is now on trial in Arizona for conspiracy to commit murder in the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.
Lori, who is representing herself at the trial, pleaded not guilty to the charge, along with the charge of conspiracy to murder her niece’s estranged husband Brandon Boudreaux after he narrowly escaped a drive-by shooting. The two cases will be tried separately and then Lori will be returned to Idaho to finish out her life sentences.
After several delays, the trial began on Monday with jury selection. Opening statements are slated for next week and the trial is expected to last until May 9 with Judge Justin Beresky overseeing the proceedings in Maricopa County.
“We’ve waited over four horrific years for her [Lori Vallow] to face trial of murdering my sweet, kind, generous, loving and dearest brother Charles Vallow. Your justice is finally coming,” Charles’ sister Kay Woodcock wrote on social media after Lori was extradited from Idaho to Arizona in 2023.
Woodcock, who was also the grandmother of Lori’s slain seven-year-old son JJ Vallow, has been fighting for justice for years. “Another huge step forward! We are grateful those justice wheels do indeed turn,” she wrote.
Charles’ death was the first step in a wider plot by Lori and her current husband, alleged cult leader Chad Daybell, to rid their lives of “obstacles” as they termed their spouses and her children, according to text message evidence presented at her trial last year for the murders of young JJ and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.
In May 2023, Lori was found guilty of the children’s murders and of conspiring to kill her husband’s former wife, Tammy Daybell. She was sentenced to three life terms.
Now, the saga that has gripped the nation since Tylee and JJ went missing in 2019 is taking another major turn.
The spotlight has shifted to Arizona, the site of an earlier chapter in the trail of death allegedly left by Lori and Chad during their plunge into dangerous Doomsday beliefs.
Lori will be tried in two separate cases in Arizona on two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, according to indictments unsealed shortly after extradition.
In one case, court records show that Lori, along with her brother Alex Cox, are accused of conspiring to kill her former husband Charles, who was shot and killed in July 2019.
In the months leading up to his death, Charles told local police he was concerned that Lori may hurt him or their children.
