Current:Home > ContactLori Vallow Daybell to be sentenced for murders of her 2 youngest children -FinanceMind
Lori Vallow Daybell to be sentenced for murders of her 2 youngest children
Poinbank Exchange View
Date:2025-04-11 00:08:03
An Idaho mother is set to learn her fate after being convicted in the murders of her two youngest children.
Lori Vallow Daybell will return to court in eastern Idaho's Fremont County on Monday for a sentencing hearing, according to Boise ABC affiliate KIVI-TV. She faces up to life in prison without parole. In March, before the trial began, a judge granted the defense's motion to dismiss the death penalty in her case.
Lori and her husband, Chad Daybell, were both charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the 2019 deaths of her two youngest children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua "J.J." Vallow. The children were last seen alive in September 2019 and were reported missing by extended family members that November. Their remains were found on Chad's property in Fremont County in June 2020, according to authorities.
MORE: Juror in murder trial of Lori Vallow Daybell breaks silence
The couple were also charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Chad's ex-wife, 49-year-old Tamara Daybell, who died of asphyxiation of in October 2019, less than a month before Lori and Chad married. Chad was also charged with his former wife's murder.
Both Lori and Chad pleaded not guilty to their charges. In April, a Fremont County judge allowed their cases to be tried separately, with Lori's first and Chad's expected to start at a later date.
Lori was deemed fit to stand trial last year following a 10-month stint at an Idaho mental health facility. Her defense attorneys had said they did not plan to raise a mental health defense at the guilt-phase portion of the trial.
MORE: Lori Vallow Daybell found guilty in murder of her 2 children
During Lori's six-week trial, prosecutors argued that she and her husband thought the children were zombies and murdered them. Chad has authored many religious fiction books and is Lori's fifth husband. The couple both reportedly adhered to a doomsday ideology, with Lori at one point claiming she was "a god assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ's second coming in July 2020" and didn't want anything to do with her family "because she had a more important mission to carry out," according to court documents obtained by ABC News.
The defense characterized Lori as a devoted mother who loved her children and Jesus, but that all changed near the end of 2018 when she met Chad.
Prosecutors argued that Lori set a plan for the children's murder in motion in October 2018 "using money, power and sex," and that she and her husband "used religion to manipulate others." Lori was additionally charged with grand theft related to Social Security survivor benefits allocated for the care of her children that prosecutors said were appropriated after they were reported missing and ultimately found dead. Meanwhile, Chad was additionally charged with two counts of insurance fraud related to life insurance policies he had on Tamara for which prosecutors said he was the beneficiary.
MORE: A string of family deaths surround tragedy of Lori Vallow’s children
Prosecutors also shared photographs of Lori and Chad dancing on a beach during their wedding in Hawaii when her children's bodies were buried in his backyard.
In May, a 12-member jury reached a verdict after two days of deliberations, finding Lori guilty on all charges. The defense declined to comment on the verdict at the time.
ABC News' John Capell and Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
veryGood! (4888)
Related
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Appeals court halts order barring Biden administration communications with social media companies
- Gov. Moore Commits Funding for 67 Hires in Maryland’s Embattled Environment Department, Hoping to Fix Wastewater Treatment Woes
- EPA Announces $27 Billion Effort to Curb Emissions and Stem Environmental Injustices. Advocates Say It’s a Good Start
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- As Russia bombs Ukraine ports and threatens ships, U.S. says Putin using food as a weapon against the world
- Fracking Wastewater Causes Lasting Harm to Key Freshwater Species
- Twice as Much Land in Developing Nations Will be Swamped by Rising Seas than Previously Projected, New Research Shows
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Lisa Vanderpump Has the Best Idea of Where to Put Her Potential Vanderpump Rules Emmy Award
Ranking
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Adrienne Bailon-Houghton Reveals How Cheetah Girls Was Almost Very Different
- As Enforcement Falls Short, Many Worry That Companies Are Flouting New Mexico’s Landmark Gas Flaring Rules
- What Denmark’s North Sea Coast Can Teach Us About the Virtues of Respecting the Planet
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Minnesota Has Passed a Landmark Clean Energy Law. Which State Is Next?
- Texas Environmentalists Look to EPA for Action on Methane, Saying State Agencies Have ‘Failed Us’
- A Rare Plant Got Endangered Species Protection This Week, but Already Faces Threats to Its Habitat
Recommendation
Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
What Denmark’s North Sea Coast Can Teach Us About the Virtues of Respecting the Planet
NOAA warns X-class solar flare could hit today, with smaller storms during the week. Here's what to know.
Flood-Prone Communities in Virginia May Lose a Lifeline if Governor Pulls State Out of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
Get 4 Pairs of Sweat-Wicking Leggings With 14,100+ 5-Star Amazon Reviews for $39 During Prime Day 2023
Jenna Ortega's Historic 2023 Emmys Nomination Deserves Two Snaps
Environmental Advocates Protest Outside EPA Headquarters Over the Slow Pace of New Climate and Clean Air Regulations