Lori Vallow Daybell.Photo: Tony Blakeslee/East Idaho News
Lori Vallow Daybell— the Idaho mother accused of murdering her two children and conspiring to murder her fifth husband’s first wife — iscurrently on trial in Boise, Idaho, and prosecutors say the evidence is stacked against her.
During the nearly month-long trial, Lori’s former friends, her surviving son and the police officer who found her children’s remains on husbandChad Daybell’s property have taken the stand and revealed key pieces of evidence in the case.
Lori, 49, is charged with murdering her childrenJoshua “J.J.” Vallow, 7, andTylee Ryan, 16, and conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell, 49.
Lori and Chad — an author who wrote about religious doomsday scenarios —married in Hawaii on November 5, 2019, two weeks after Tammy, Chad’s first wife, died. Chad is also charged in connection with the deaths of J.J., Tylee and Tammy and has pleaded not guilty. He will be tried separately.
Here are some key pieces of evidence revealed during Lori Vallow Daybell’s trial:
1. Her Internet Search History
According to Rexburg Police Det. David Stubbs, in October of 2019, a search history from an email account associated with Lori searched for wedding dresses in Hawaii,East Idaho Newsreports.
“What also caught my attention was this was being looked at on the same day as Tammy’s funeral,” Stubbs testified, the outlet reports.
On Oct. 19, 2019, Chad reported the death of Tammy, saying she had gone to bed with a cough and didn’t wake up. The manner of death was initially ruled as “natural causes,” but now authorities believe she was murdered, and both Lori and Chad are charged in connection with her death.
A July 21, 2019 search showed that the user also looked up: “gerber life policy” and “life insurance for children – the Grow-Up Plan,“East Idaho Newsreports. According toGerberLife.com, The Grow-Up Plan is “a whole life insurance policy for a child that builds cash value.”
Stubbs also said the user looked at wedding rings on Aug. 25, 2019 and ordered two, the outlet reports. At this time, Tammy and Chad were still married.
Other searches include, “sell service dog” and “Service Dogs for Sale” on July 26, 2019 and “Kennedy Elementary Rexburg Idaho phone number” and “define possess” on Sept. 20 of that year.
J.J., who had an autism diagnosis, had a service dog when he was alive.WTHR-13reports that on July 22, Lori sent an email asking to return J.J.’s service dog to the company that trained it.
Now, Lori is charged in Arizona with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with Charles' death. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges against her and will be tried at a separate time.
2. Lori’s Reaction to Her 4th Husband’s Death
During the second week of testimony, Chandler, Ariz., homicide detective Cassandra Ynclan took the stand and saidLori didn’t show emotionat the scene where Charles was killed.
Ynclan was the one who gave the death notification to Lori, she testified.
“She didn’t have much of a reaction,” Ynclan said, recounting her encounter with Lori on July 11, 2019, Cox shot and killed Charles, 62.
“She appeared calm, very non-emotional … At one point she was laughing,” the detective added.
“Unemotional. I would say, not upset,” said Ynclan. “The conversation revolved around Tylee and her school and Tylee’s future plans. She was almost nonchalant about the conversation.”
Charles and Lori Vallow.
Cox was never charged in connection with Charles' death. In December of 2019, Cox died at his Arizona home of a heart attack.
3. Conversations With Chad Daybell
As police searchedChad’sproperty for the remains of J.J. and Tylee, Lori and Chad spoke on the phone — and their conversation was recorded and played at Lori’s murder trial on April 12.
“They are searching the property,” Chad told her. “There was a search warrant.”
Later in the call, Lori asked if investigators were inside Chad’s home.
“No, they are out on the property,” Chad responded.
“Are they seizing stuff again?' Lori asked.
Chad responded: “They are searching… We’ll see what transpires.”
Lori asks if she can do anything for her husband.
“I’m feeling pretty calm,” responded Chad, who then told Lori that he loved her.
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David Warwick, the husband of Lori’s former friend, took the stand on April 20 and described a weekend that he spent at Lori’s apartment in September 2019 with his wife. He said this was the last time he saw J.J. alive and said he saw Chad — who was still married to Tammy — multiple times during the weekend.
Chad told Warwick that Tammy was a good wife but, “He said that her time was coming up and that him and Lori were going to do the things they committed to God,” Warwick said on the stand.
Chad Daybell, at left, with Tammy Daybell.
“We are interested in seeing this property,” Chad wrote. “Would the owners be interested in leasing this property to a clean couple with no pets or children?”
4. Lori Laughed During Jailhouse Phone Call with Surviving Son
Ryan then asks his mother if she is hiding from him. She responds that Ryan had not wanted to talk to her, to which Ryan says: “Probably because you murdered my siblings.”
“I have prayed for you in my worst moments,” Ryan says during the call. “I have prayed for my siblings who you swore to me were OK. I thought I could trust you. I thought that you were a completely different person.”
“You’ve known me your whole life,” Lori says.
“I don’t know a murderous mother,” Ryan responds.
“You’ve lied to me more times than I can count about this,” Ryan says.
Lori responds, “They think they know what happened. They think they know who is responsible. One day you will know what actually happened.”
Ryan then asks, “Is this funny?”
“I love you,” Lori responds. “I always will. One day you will understand. I don’t have anything else to say. You weren’t there. Summer wasn’t there … [J.J. and Tylee] know exactly what happened. They love me and they are still together. They know the truth. Go ahead and judge me. I’m the one that knows.”
The emotional phone call continues, and at one point, Ryan yells, “The kids are found buried in your new husband’s backyard!”
“My siblings, my whole family, my dad — everyone is gone except my mom and you’re in jail because of it,” Ryan says during the call.
5. Lori Said J.J. Had ‘Evil Spirit’ in Him Before He Disappeared and Tylee Became ‘Dark’
On April 13, Lori’s former friendMelanie Gibbtestified that Lori had told her both of her children had “dark” spirits.
According to Gibb, Lori believed that people existed on a scale of “light” and “dark” — with those that “signed contracts” with Jesus Christ being light and those who did the same with Satan as dark.
Gibb said that Lori told her in September 2019 that J.J. had become “dark” that month, and that Tylee had become dark earlier that year.
Gibb also testified that when she visited Lori in Rexburg, Idaho, in September 2019, Lori allegedly told her that J.J. had an evil spirit in him — saying that her husband, Chad, had told her so.
“She let me know that J.J now had an evil spirit in him,” Gibb testified. “She learned it the day before.”
Lori’s trial is ongoing.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
