'Cult mum' Lori Vallow's brother speaks out for first time since trial
Lori Vallow Daybell's brother hasn't spoken to her in four years — not since the string of killings that turned their family's world upside down.
But the events of 2019 are still etched into Adam Cox's brain, as well as that of Vallow Daybell's uncle, Rex Conner.
For the first time since the historic trial in May 2022, Adam spoke out about his "cult mom" sister in an exclusive interview with East Idaho News.
On July 11, 2019, Adam and Lori's brother Alex Cox shot and killed Lori's then-husband Charles Vallow.
Adam and Charles had been concerned about Vallow Daybell's mental state — and Adam believes that event might have sent her over the edge.
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Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty of murdering her children, 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan (FBI)
The booking photo of Lori Vallow (Ada County Sheriff's Office/AFP)Soon thereafter, Adam got into a massive argument with his parents over Alex and Lori, who he believed needed help.
His family cut him off, then refused to talk to him after Lori's children went missing in September that year.
"My first instinct when I heard they were missing was that the kids were dead," he said.
Sometime in 2018, while still married to Charles, Lori, who grew up as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, met her fifth and current husband Chad Daybell, a doomsday cult author.
She reportedly became infatuated with his teachings and started to subscribe to a spirit rating system that attributed those around them with light or dark labels.
Adam Cox and Rex Conner spoke out about Lori Vallow Daybell's trial for the first time last week since May 2022 (East Idaho News)Chad's teachings alleged that certain people, including her 7-year-old son Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, were "zombies," meaning that evil spirits had possessed them.
To free their souls from "limbo," Lori could only do one thing — kill them.
Sometime in September 2019, Lori and her brother Alex, who later died that December, took JJ and Tylee to Yellowstone National Park.
That was the last time anyone saw them until their bodies were unearthed in Chad's yard in Salem, Idaho, on June 9, 2020.
Lori was put on trial and found guilty of murdering them as well as conspiring to murder Chad's first wife, Tammy, and grand theft.
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The podcast Adam Cox and Rex Conner made has been a 'therapeutic' journey for them (Tony Blakeslee/AP/REX/Shutterstock)The proceedings lasted 28 days, and it took jurors about seven hours to unanimously arrive at their verdict.
She's also charged with conspiring to murder Charles in Arizona as well as her former nephew-in-law, Brandon Boudreaux, though that case has not yet been tried in Arizona courts. Lori had reportedly referred to Charles as a "zombie" in conversations with friends.
Now, a year after the historic trial and four years after the year that forever changed their lives, Adam and Rex are ready to speak out about the case.
They released a 10-episode podcast titled "Tylee and JJ's Silver Linings" on Friday, which is designed to "fill the holes in a case that doesn't make any sense."
A self-published book will be released by Adam Cox and Rex Conner by July 31 (Getty Images)In some ways, recording it has been "therapeutic" for them and allowed them to find a tiny semblance of closure.
"This is a story and a case that doesn’t make any sense (but) there are so many people at different levels of pain that we would like to just try to help those going through that," Adam said of the podcast.
"I know every family has problems, has issues, has division and people don’t talk to each other. I just feel like that’s such a bad thing to do," Adam said. "A lot of families like to sweep things under the rug and never talk about it again. Those are the kinds of things that I want to present to other people … and I would try to hope that we can help with that."
Adam and Rex are also planning to publish a book ahead of Lori's sentencing on July 31.
Chad also faces charges in JJ's and Tylee's murders, and his trial is scheduled for April 2024.
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