Idaho Supreme Court Hears Lori Vallow Daybell's Appeal in Triple Homicide

The Idaho Supreme Court convened on Monday to review the conviction of Lori Vallow Daybell in the deaths of her two children and her former romantic interest. She is seeking to overturn her guilty verdicts for the murders of Joshua "JJ" Vallow, Tylee Ryan, and Tammy Daybell. Tammy Daybell was the wife of Chad Daybell, who married Vallow Daybell weeks after the killings.

Vallow Daybell faces three life sentences in Idaho for these crimes. Her husband, Chad Daybell, received a death sentence for the same three homicides. The children disappeared in 2019. Investigators discovered their remains buried on rural Idaho property owned by Chad Daybell. He is an author of religious novels focused on apocalyptic prophecies. Vallow Daybell has stated that her doomsday beliefs led her to think certain people were possessed by evil spirits.

Her legal team raised three main arguments during the appeal hearing. They contended that the lower court denied her a speedy trial. The lawyers also argued that the judge improperly barred their chosen attorney. The judge cited a conflict of interest because that lawyer had represented both Vallow Daybell and her husband. Finally, the defense claimed the trial should have excluded evidence regarding two separate shootings in metro Phoenix.

The Phoenix incidents involved Charles Vallow, Vallow Daybell's estranged husband, and Brandon Boudreaux, her niece's ex-husband. Charles Vallow was shot by Vallow Daybell's brother, Alex Cox, in Chandler in July 2019. Cox claimed self-defense, a stance investigators later questioned. About three months later, a gunman fired at Boudreaux in Gilbert, narrowly missing him as he drove to his home.

Prosecutors in Arizona stated that Vallow Daybell conspired with Cox to kill Charles Vallow to collect his life insurance and marry Chad Daybell. Cox was identified as the shooter who targeted Boudreaux. He later died from a blood clot in his lungs. Vallow Daybell was convicted in Arizona for conspiring to murder both men. She received two life sentences for those convictions and has filed a separate appeal in that state.