Current:Home > MyLori Vallow Daybell to be sentenced for murders of her 2 youngest children -WealthRoots Academy
Lori Vallow Daybell to be sentenced for murders of her 2 youngest children
View
Date:2025-04-15 00:04:22
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! (72996)
Related
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Man sentenced to 4-plus years in death of original ‘Mickey Mouse Club’ cast member
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice in courtroom for brother’s federal sentencing for theft, bribery
- All-Star rookie Shota Imanaga's historic first half helps Chicago Cubs battle the blahs
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Man fatally shot at Yellowstone National Park threatened mass shooting, authorities say
- Why USA Basketball decided to replace Kawhi Leonard on the Olympic team
- Joe Biden has everyone worried. Let’s talk about aging, for real.
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Taylor Swift consistently pauses her European concerts for this reason
Ranking
- Sam Taylor
- Chase Daniel, ex-NFL QB: Joe Burrow angered every player with 18-game schedule remark
- Big Lots to close 35 to 40 stores this year amid 'doubt' the company can survive
- Lola Consuelos Shares Rare PDA Photos With Boyfriend Cassius Kidston
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- California man charged in 'random' July 4th stabbing attack that left 2 dead, 3 injured
- Groceries are expensive, but they don’t have to break the bank. Here are some tips to save
- Costco is raising membership fees for the first time in 7 years
Recommendation
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
This midsize Northeast city has the fastest growing rent in the nation
Here’s how to watch Biden’s news conference as he tries to quiet doubts after his poor debate
A Paradigm Shift from Quantitative Trading to AI
Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
Blake Lively Reveals the “Best Compliment” She’s Received in Her Life
DB Wealth Institute, the Cradle of Financial Elites
UN Expert on Climate Change and Human Rights Sees ‘Crucial and Urgent Demand’ To Clarify Governments’ Obligations