'Cult mum' trial hears victim cause of death and 'plot to cast out evil spirits'
As the trial of 'cult mum' Lori Vallow Daybell gets underway, prosecutors have suggested motives, shown graphic photos and described a complex plot which involved efforts to cast out evil spirits in the triple murders with which she is accused.
Lori Vallow Daybell, along with husband Chad Daybell, has been charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, murder and grand theft in connection with the deaths of her two youngest children - seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.
The pair have also been charged in connection with the death of Chad Daybell's previous wife, Tammy Daybell.
After intense questioning in order to select a jury, the trial got underway on Monday, April 10, with first day of arguments in Boise, Idaho.
The trial was moved from Rexburg, where the children's bodies were found, to Boise in an attempt to put together a jury with less in depth knowledge of the case or judgements of Vallow Daybell.
Teen 'kept as slave, starved and beaten' sues adoptive parents and authorities
Lori Vallow Daybell glances at the camera during her hearing in Rexburg, Idaho in 2020 (AP)Prosecutors told the court on the first day that Vallow Daybell "used money, power and sex to get what she wanted."
Vallow Daybell, 49, and Chad Daybell, 54, were charged together, but a judge made the decision to sever the cases. Both have pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy and grand theft charges.
JJ was Vallow Daybell's youngest son - her grandnephew who she had adopted with fourth husband Charles Vallow in 2013. Tylee was the middle child, with Vallow having an elder son, Colby.
Children nowhere to be seen
Tylee was last seen alive on September 8, 2019, just before her 17th birthday, at the entrance to Yellowstone National Park along with Lori, JJ, and Lori's brother Alex, according to a photo obtained by Rexburg Police Department.
On November 26, an alarm was raised by the grandparents, Larry and Kay Woodcock, who had not had contact with the children in months. Lori never reported her youngest two children as missing, prosecutors said on the first day of trial.
A boy looks at a memorial for Tylee Ryan and Joshua 'JJ' Vallow in Rexburg (AP)Lori told police JJ was staying with a friend, Melani Gibb, in Arizona. At first, Melani covered for the couple at their behest, however she later confronted them asking why she was asked to lie to police, recording the conversation due to her growing suspicion.
On November 27, a search warrant was obtained to enter Lori and Chad's Idaho townhouse while they were absent. No signs of the children or their wheraebouts were found.
In December, police formally announced JJ and Tylee as missing saynig their disappearance could be linked to the death of Chad Daybell's wife prior to Lori Vallow Daybell, Tammy.
Only a 'mass of bone and tissue' remained
In January, Chad's Salem home was searched by authorities. Cell phones, computers, journals, documents and medication were all recovered and sent to an FBI lab for analysis. In June, after Vallow Daybell was arrested in Hawaii, a second search was carried out at Chad's home in Salem.
It was during this search that authorities uncovered the human remains on the property. A few days later, they were confirmed to be those of Tylee and JJ.
Heidi Klum, 49, admits wanting fifth child and says she's 'waited a long time'
A picture of Tylee Ryan (L) and J.J. Vallow is seen on a fence opposite the property where their bodies were found in 2020 (Getty Images)As the trial continues, a detective who helped unearth the children's bodies is expected to take the stand on the second day, Tuesday April 11. Rexburg Police Detective Ray Hermosillo has testified during previous court proceedings about how investigators discovered the children's bodies and the condition of the remains. His testimony is expected to last a full day.
Tylee's body had been burned, according to Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake, leaving behind only "a mass of bone and tissue" as well as some DNA on a pickaxe and shovel. JJ's hands and head had been bound in duct tape, with his body wrapped in rubbish bags.
Chad's previous wife Tammy had died months earlier, in October 2019, from what was initially believed to be natural causes, with it believed she had died in her sleep after coming down with an illness.
However, when authorities learned Chad and Lori had married just two weeks following his first wife's death, they became supsicious. As the search for the missing children continued, police had Tammy's body exhumed.
Chad Daybell appears during a court hearing in St. Anthony in 2020 (AP)An autopsy revealed that she had, in fact, died of asphyxiation caused by somebody else, according to Blake. As she spoke, Blake showed the jury graphic photos of shallow graves, the children's remains and Tammy Daybell's body.
Ruthless woman or loving mother?
She told jurors that all three victims were killed because they were obstacles to Vallow Daybell's romantic and financial goals. "Remember, the defendant will remove any obstacle in her way to gt what she wants, and she wanted Chad Daybell," Blake said.
Defense attorney Jim Archibald presented jurors with a contrasting picture of Vallow Daybell. He described her as a "kind and loving mother to her children" who happened to have a particular interest in religion and Biblical prophesies involving the end of the world.
"Some people care less about Biblical prophesies, some people care a lot about it," Archibald said. "Thankfully in this country, we get to worship as we choose."
This courtroom sketch, from left, depicts Madison County prosecutor Rob Wood, Lori Vallow Daybell and defense attorney Jim Archibald during opening statements of Vallow Daybell's murder trial (AP)Archibald reminded jurors that Vallow Daybell is presumed innocent, saying the criminal charges themselves - which accuse Vallow Daybell of either directing, encouraging, assisting or participating in the murders - show prosecutors don't truly understand what happened in the case.
"Did she kill, or did she assist, or did she encourage, or did she direct? THey aren't sure," he said.
Archibald also pointed out that Vallow Daybell's religious beliefs only began to change after meeting Chad. He was a religious author whose fictional books focused on the apocalypse, as well as being based off beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS).
Lightness, darkness and 'zombies'
After meeting Chad Daybell, Lori Vallow Daybell reportedly became fixated with him and his 'doomsday cult' teachings. Vallow Daybell was enthralled by the belief system, and became increasingly fixated on a newfound "purpose", and on Chad.
The belief system of Chad's 'doomsday' cult is a key aspect of the complicated case. Friends and family intervewed by police in relation to the deaths have described the belief system.
Wreaths and stuffed animals make up a memorial to Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow on a fence opposite the property where their bodies were found (Getty Images)They said as many as 10 people were part of the loose religious group, who reportedly med to pray, drive out evil spirits and seek revelations from "beyond the spiritual veil".
A police report had said the couple believed in reincarnation, and that Ms Vallow Daybell was in fact a "Goddess" sent to bring the second coming of Christ.
Blake pointed out the beliefs veered toward the extreme to jurors, explaining some of those beliefs. The Daybells reportedly used a special scoring system to determine whether people were good or evil.
Each person was assigned a number fo indicate how many times they had lived before, as well as whether they had made contact with God or Satan.
'Cult' mom Lori Vallow and husband Chad DaybellTeachings referred to people as "light" or "dark", with a gradiant in between. It also referenced "zombies" - people who had died and their bodies had been possessed by evil spirits, according to a police report.
The group would spend time praying to try and eradicate the zombies, and believed if they were successful the possessed person would physically die - freeing their soul from "limbo".
Blake said they eventually began teaching friends that once the evil spirits were strong enough, people became a "zombie" and the only way to free them was to kill them.
Another belief of the group that was once a person became "exalted" they could no longer be held responsible for their actions on earth. According to their report, friends of Vallow Daybell told investigators: "Because Lori was already 'exalted', she would often slam her hand on the counter and state, "Doesn't count for me!""
Friends of Vallow Daybell are expected to testify that she said the children and Tammy Daybell were "dark" before their deaths, according to Blake.
A picture of J.J. Vallow is seen on a fence opposite the property where his body was found (Getty Images)At least one friend told police that Vallow Daybell called both children "zombies" before they disappeared, according to police records.
"The common theme was the body has to be destroyed," Blake said. "The defendant and Chad used their self-proclaimed religious teachings to justify their actions to others - their actions from affair to murder."
Grandma breaks down on witness stand
JJ Vallow's grandmother, Kay Woodcock, was the first witness to take the stand following opening arguments. When showed a picture of JJ by Madison County prosecutor Rob Wood, she broke down in tears.
Woodcock said Vallow Daybell was once a "doting mother," but her opinion of the defendant changed after Charles Vallow filed for divorce in early 2019. After Charles Vallow died, once-regular phone calls and visits with JJ dropped off, she said.
This courtroom sketch depicts Kay Woodcock, the grandmother of Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, the first witness to take the stand (Lisa C Cheney/AP/REX/Shutterstock)She only had contact with JJ three times after his father died, Woodcock said, in short FaceTime video calls. The last call happened the month before JJ was last seen alive, she said. It only was about 35 seconds long.
In it, she said JJ had said "hi Mama, hi Papa" his nicknames for his grandparents, before saying: "Gotta go, Mama. Gotta go, Papa. Bye!"
Shootings
Prosecutors say Lori and Chad planned to use life insurance money from Tammy Daybell's death, and that Vallow Daybell had continued to collect and spend her children's social security and survivor benefits after they died.
Tylee's father, Joseph Anthony Ryan Jr., died after he and Vallow Daybell divorced years earlier. JJ's father, Charles Vallow, who Vallow Daybell was married to when she met Chad, was fatally shot by Vallow Daybell's brother, Alex Cox.
As a result of this shooting, Vallow Daybell is also facing charges in Arizona in connection with her fourth husband's death, however she is yet to enter a plea.
Cox told police the shooting was in self-defense, but died a few months later and was never charged.
Another witness took to the stand, testifying he was the target of a shooting in October 2019.
This courtroom sketch depicts Brandon Boudreaux, who was previously married to Lori Vallow Daybell's niece, testifying during Vallow Daybell's murder trial (Lisa C Cheney/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Brandon Boudreaux was formerly married to Vallow Daybell's niece, Melani Pawlowski. He said Pawlowski looked up to Vallow Daybell, and the women began going to religious meetings together.
He described how his then wife became increasingly religious, fixated on the idea that the world was set to end.
The pair divorced in 2019, with Boudreaux saying he was driving to his new rented home when someone parked near his driveway in a Jeep Wrangler shot at him, with the bullet shattering his car window.
He said he recognised the Jeep as being one that had belonged to Tylee. Though Vallow Daybell has not been charged with the shooting attempt against Boudreaux, prosecutor Rachel Smith said the shootings were all part of the same plan to "cause the death of multiple people in her world."
The trial continues.
- The Doomsday Mother, a true crime book on this case by New York Times bestselling author John Glatt and published by Mirror Books, is on sale now: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doomsday-Mother-Crime-Best-Selling-Author/dp/1915306280]
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
