Lori Vallow Indicted on Murder Conspiracy Charges in Arizona for Attempted Killing of Niece's Ex
Lori Vallow Daybell has been indicted on murder conspiracy charges in Arizona related to an alleged botched murder plot that had targeted her niece's former husband.
A Maricopa County grand jury handed down the indictment in connection with the 2019 incident, in which prosecutors say the “doomsday cult” mom conspired to kill her niece’s husband, Brandon Boudreaux, the Associated Press reported. She was initially charged in February 2022, per Fox 10 Phoenix.
The indictment, which is still under seal, was handed down days after Vallow Daybell’s guilty verdict in the murders of her two youngest children, 7-year-old Joshua “J.J.” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. Prosecutors say she killed her kids because she believed they'd turned into zombies.
Prosecutors say Vallow Daybell and her late brother Alex Cox had decided that "at least one of them or another would engage in conduct constituting the offense of first-degree premeditated murder" of Boudreaux, who was married to Vallow Daybell’s niece, Melani Pawlowski, at the time.
Lori Vallow Daybell stands and listens as the jury's verdict is read at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho on Friday May 12, 2023. Photo: AP Photo/Kyle Green
On Oct. 2, 2019, Alex Cox allegedly opened fire on Boudreaux near his house after he’d returned home from the gym. Boudreaux survived the incident.
Boudreaux testified about the harrowing experience at Vallow Daybell’s Ada County trial last month.
"The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has made the state of Idaho aware of our intent to prosecute the defendant in Arizona for charges stemming from these submittals," the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said in a statement announcing Vallow Daybell’s indictment, the East Idaho News reported.
“After the defendant is sentenced and transferred to the Idaho Department of Corrections, at the request of MCAO, the extradition process will begin. The extradition can take from several weeks to several months.”
'Doomsday Cult' Mom Lori Vallow Daybell Found Guilty of Murdering Children, Conspiring To Kill Lover's Wife
The indictment marks the second time Vallow Daybell has been indicted in Arizona. She’s already facing murder charges for the 2019 death of her ex-husband Charles Vallow, who was also shot to death by Cox at Vallow Daybell’s Chandler home. Cox maintained he opened fire in self-defense. He was never charged in direct connection with Charles Vallow’s death and died of natural causes in December 2019.
Chad Daybell enters the court during his preliminary hearing in Fremont County on Monday, August 3, 2020. Photo: Post Register/ John Roark/POOL
In addition to the murders of her two youngest children, Vallow Daybell was also convicted of conspiring to murder her current husband Chad Daybell's wife, Tammy Daybell, who also died in October 2019. Lori and Chad were married just weeks later.
Vallow Daybell is still awaiting sentencing in the case. She’s expected to be extradited to Arizona in the coming weeks or months to face the new murder conspiracy charges, according to prosecutors.
Chad Daybell, is also currently awaiting trial on murder charges related to the deaths of J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan. He’s pleaded not guilty.
