Lori Vallow trial - live: ‘Cult mom’ leaves court suddenly amid harrowing testimony on JJ and Tylee’s corpses

The high-profile trial of “doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow is now underway in Boise, Idaho.

Ms Vallow, 49, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft in connection to the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, and son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven.

Tylee and JJ were last seen alive in September 2019. Their bodies were found buried on Ms Vallow’s new husband Chad Daybell’s property in Idaho in June 2020.

Ms Vallow is also charged with conspiracy to murder Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell, who died suddenly in her sleep in October 2019.

Ms Vallow has pleaded not guilty to all charges in a dramatic case spanning a string of murders, unexplained deaths and bizarre cult beliefs about killing zombies.

On Tuesday the court heard graphic testimony about the discovery of the corpses of her children in shallow graves on Mr Daybell’s property.

Before further evidence could be heard after lunch, a visibly upset Ms Vallow requested to be excused for the remainder of the day as further graphic evidence would be shown in court. Judge Steven Boyce denied the request.

Key points

• Lori Vallow charged with murder of son, daughter and husband’s first wife

• Prosecutors say murders were spurred by doomsday cult beliefs

• ‘Cult mom’ also charged with ex-husband’s murder in Arizona

• Slain son’s grandparents can attend trial, judge rules

21:41 , Oliver O'Connell

There are no further questions from the prosecution for Hermosillo and Judge Boyce calls a 15-minute break “due to the evidence just published”.

Cross-examination will begin after the break.

21:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Hermosillo says: “It was very easy to identify that boy on the table as the one we had been looking for, for the last eight months.”

21:34 , Oliver O'Connell

GRAPHIC

At the autopsy on 11 June the bag in which JJ had been wrapped was opened.

Hermosillo explains in extremely blunt terms how the young boy, still in red pajamas and a night-time diaper, had been bound at the arms and legs with duct tape which also covered his mouth. White plastic covered his head.

Photos from the autopsy are shown in court and admitted into evidence.

Larry Woodcock quietly sobs. People in the gallery are crying. Some of the jurors are visibly emotional.

Lori does not look up.

21:19 , Oliver O'Connell

GRAPHIC

Lori is not looking at the screen as the photos are shown. A jaw bone and the top of a skull are visible and are pointed out by Hermosillo.

21:17 , Oliver O'Connell

GRAPHIC

More photos of the pet cemetery where the children were buried are submitted. Hermosillo remembers the difference in the soil as they dug into rotting flesh and charred bone.

The pictures get more and more graphic.

21:08 , Oliver O'Connell

The next exhibit entered into evidence is a chart of names and photos of people to label key figures in what many would agree is a tangled case.

These include:

• Lori Vallow

• Charles Vallow

• Alex Cox

• Tylee Ryan

• JJ Vallow

• Chad Daybell

• Tammy Daybell

• Melani Pawlowski

A timeline of key dates in the investigation is also included:

Lori Vallow: A timeline of mystery deaths surrounding the ‘doomsday cult mom’

21:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Rexburg Police Department Detective Hermosillo returns to the stand.

Lori Vallow stands as the jury is brought in but does not look up and has had her arms crossed for most of the time.

Judge Boyce denies Vallow’s request to be absent for next portion of testimony

20:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Boyce reviews state criminal laws and says that while a defendant is required to be present for all stages of their trial, a defendant can waive their right to be present under certain circumstances.

Nevertheless, he denies her request to leave.

The jury is being brought back in for the continuation of the evidence, which is expected to be graphic.

20:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence attorney Archibald says Lori wishes to waive her right to be present for the remainder of the afternoon. He says it was emotional this morning and Lori has fragile mental health.

“It was an emotional day.”

Arguing for the prosecution, Attorney Lindsey Blake says the state of Idaho has the right for the defendant to be present at their trial.

The state requests that they are allowed to conduct an inquiry with Lori on the record about her wish not to be present. Blake says the state would want to state to the jury in closing arguments that she was not present for this portion of the trial.

Vallow asks to be excused from court for remainder of the day

20:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Boyce says legal issues came up off the record. He’s been advised of a situation that needs to be argued outside presence of the jury.

It is a request from Lori Vallow regarding evidence — she wants to waive her presence and not be in court for the remainder of the day.

20:47 , Oliver O'Connell

Lori Vallow returns to the courtroom and is shackled back to the floor a the defence table. Her face is red and she appears to have been crying.

Also back in court — absent this morning — is Kay Woodcock, JJ’s grandmother and the trial’s first witness. She joins her husband Larry Woodcock, who has been present throughout.

Judge Boyce returns to the bench.

20:41 , Oliver O'Connell

The prosecution and defence teams have returned to the court but Lori Vallow has not.

20:34 , Oliver O'Connell

Still unclear what is happening, but both the prosecution and defence teams are in and out of the room.

20:27 , Oliver O'Connell

Lots of people in the room say that Lori had been or was crying.

Reporter Lauren Steinbrecher says: “Her eyes looked watery and her cheeks red.”

Nate Eaton, news director of East Idaho News, notes: “Lori Daybell appeared upset this afternoon. I’ve seen her in multiple court hearings, in Hawaii, face-to-face at the Rexburg Airport — I’ve never seen upset/sad before today.”

GiGi, of Pretty Lies and Alibis, tweets: “We are all a buzz wondering what is up. Many saw Lori crying.”

20:08 , Oliver O'Connell

Bother legal teams reentered the courtroom without Lori and another 30-minute recess has been called.

20:01 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence attorneys Archibald and Thomas return to the courtroom and appear to call over the prosecution. They all head to the back chambers.

19:58 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury has not yet returned.

The upcoming evidence is expected to be graphic.

19:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Court was about to resume but defence attorney John Thomas asked for some time to speak with Lori who appeared visibly upset. Court is in recess again.

Lori left the courtroom with her attorneys to have a private discussion.

Court to resume shortly

19:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Lori Vallow has returned to the courtroom and has been seated.

18:44 , Oliver O'Connell

There is a brief sidebar before Judge Boyce calls the lunch break.

Court will resume at 12.45pm (MT).

18:42 , Oliver O'Connell

Hermosillo says after seeing the crown of a head, the team cut through the black plastic, under which they saw white plastic which they cut through as well. In the picture he points to pieces of hair that are visible.

In the next picture, the dirt is fully removed from the plastic and Hermosillo shows the court the shape of a body in a plastic bag. He says JJ was removed from here and he helped lift the body from the site.

According to reporters in the courtroom, JJ’s grandfather Larry Woodcock bent over wiping his eyes, Lori appears to show no emotion and largely looks down. Some of the jurors look uncomfortable.

18:35 , Oliver O'Connell

One of the photos shows the wood paneling removed from where JJ’s body was found. There is a change in soil colour and a round black plastic object. Hermosillo notes that the smell was pungent at this point.

18:29 , Oliver O'Connell

Photos from the day of the search of the Daybell property are entered into evidence showing the short and long grass, the tree near where JJ was found, and the fire pit where the bone fragments and teeth of Tylee were discovered.

Lori has been looking straight at Hermosillo during his testimony.

18:18 , Oliver O'Connell

Digging in the area had to be stopped as it got late, but the scene was secured with crime scene tape. The fire department brought in large lights.

The search continued the next day (10 June). Teeth were discovered in the grave.

The bodies were taken to the Ada County Coroner’s office as there are no facilities in eastern Idaho for autopsies.

18:12 , Oliver O'Connell

GRAPHIC

A moist section of dirt was targeted in the “pet cemetery” area of the property defined by a statue of a dog.

As the digging continued, burnt flesh and charred bones were found. The smell was so bad so the team took turns.

“Eventually we uncovered bits and pieces of Tylee, whom we assumed was Tylee, that had been burned. There were pieces of bone, charred flesh, just globs of flesh that were falling apart.”

Hermosillo says more burnt flesh and bone was found in a green bucket that had melted.

“It was kind of deformed and the flesh and bone was all kind of stuffed in that melted bucket.”

Eventually, they located a partial human skull.

18:06 , Oliver O'Connell

Hermosillo tells the court he went over to the tree and pond area where there was a shorter section of grass and dirt compared to the rest of the area. A team began removing the top layer of soil.

“As they began to remove the top layer of soil, it exposed three large rocks. At that point, there was a strong odor that through my training I knew was a decomposing body.”

Beneath the rocks were large pieces of wood. As more soil was removed, a round black object was uncovered protruding through the earth.

It “appeared to be the crown of a head” and more excavation revealed a small body wrapped in plastic.

Once the plastic was slit open there appeared to be human hair.

At that moment the body was discovered, Hermosillo was told that Chad Daybell was leaving the area at a high rate of speed. Police pulled him over and took him into custody.

The body was taken to the morgue and he returned to Daybell’s house and more excavations began.

17:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Hermosillo tells the court he was assigned to sift through the area around the firepit.

“While we were sifting through the firepit, there were a lot of people going to the pond area under the tree so we were called over to assist in that location,” he says.

An aerial view of the property is entered into evidence after a brief objection is overruled.

17:47 , Oliver O'Connell

Questioning now moves on to 9 June 2020, the day in which the bodies of Tylee and JJ were discovered.

Hermosillo tells the court that police went to Chad Daybell’s house and his son Mark opened the door and said his dad was still asleep.

Officers went to Chad’s room, he sat up in bed and officers said they were there to serve a search warrant. Chad got dressed and then walked downstairs with the officers to the kitchen.

Chad sat down and read the search warrant, before asking if he or his kids needed to leave. He was told that they did not. Police informed him that they did not have to leave.

The FBI arrived and investigators marked out different search areas in the backyard. Meanwhile, Chad sat in the driveway on the phone looking back over his shoulder.

Hermosillo says that in that direction were the tree and pond area.

17:38 , Oliver O'Connell

An iCloud account belonging to Lori Vallow is admitted as evidence.

Hermosillo says he reviewed the account and based on photos and other files contained in it, he confirms it belongs to Vallow.

The prosecution asks to admit the last photos of Tylee and Alex in Yellowstone and of JJ on the couch at Lori’s apartment.

17:27 , Oliver O'Connell

Court returns from the mid-morning break and more photos are entered into evidence. They show the grey Jeep Wrangler with Texas plates.

Hermosillo remains on the stand.

17:01 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is now on a 15-20 minute mid-morning break.

17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Hermosillo is asked what “proof of life” is and answers it would be any documentation that would prove someone is still alive.

The last date he is aware of “proof of life” of Tylee Ryan is from 8 September 2019 based on a photo of her taken at Yellowstone.

The last date of “proof of life” for JJ is 22 September 2019 based on a photo of JJ sitting on a couch in Lori’s front room.

16:59 , Oliver O'Connell

There was an action filed for JJ and Tylee in Madison County. Hermosillo wrote the affidavit. Lori was ordered to produce the kids to Rexburg PD.

Meanwhile, Lori and Chad were found in Hawaii through cell phone data and tips from the hotline.

Chad and Lori were in Kauai and Hermosillo and other officers went there to assist local police in issuing a court order on 25 January 2020.

Rexburg PD also assisted Kauai Police in issuing a search warrant on Daybell's rental vehicle and their condo.

At the condo it appeared as if two adults were living there. There was no evidence of clothing, medication, or toys belonging to the children.

16:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Hermosillo is asked what the next step in the investigation was. He replies that they contacted the FBI and to try and locate Lori, Chad, and the kids.

Rexburg PD also contacted Colby Ryan, Lori’s oldest son. He told them he had not spoken to his sister Tylee in a while.

There was no response from Chad and Lori’s phone.

There was no call from Lori to report her children as missing. On 11 December the police reported the children as missing.

16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Another image shown to the court shows two silencers found inside the garage, another shows knives that were found near some rifles. A handgun was also found in a tub in the garage.

The next image shows a Halloween mask that was found on top of a plastic Walmart bag in side of which were rope and duct tape.

Alex Cox’s active passport was also found inside the garage as well as books written by Chad Daybell.

16:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Among the other items found in the apartments were Hazmat-style suits and preparedness bags with emergency kits, a camouflage suit, ammunition, guns, silencers, and black trash bags full of clothes and papers.

16:29 , Oliver O'Connell

Hermosillo notes about the empty closets: “Normally when people go on trips and plan to come home, they don’t take all their belongings from their closet. This caught our attention because there was nothing in the closet other than empty hangers.”

16:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Several toys, and items belonging to JJ were found in the search, including a prescription medication.

Police also found several guns in the garage of apartment 175, as well as several Army-type knives, and empty magazines for various weapons.

“There were things of that nature in the garage that caught our eye,” Hermosillo says.

Also in apartment 175, they found a rental agreement for a storage unit in Rexburg, and a search warrant was obtained for that as well.

Several pictures taken that day are admitted as evidence.

16:24 , Oliver O'Connell

Questioning of Hermosillo resumes.

The detective says he contacted Gilbert police that evening and reported that they still did not know where JJ was. Another detective then reached out to Melanie Gibb to see if JJ was with her, and she said he was not.

On 27 November, police obtained a search warrant for the apartments of Lori, Alex, and Melani Boudreaux. They started with Lori’s and had to break down the front door.

They found a furnished apartment with dishes in the sink and food in the refrigerator and pantry, as well as toiletries upstairs in the bathroom.

It looked like somebody had lived there, Hermosillo says, “except there were no clothes on any of the hangers. All of the hangers were empty.”

16:08 , Oliver O'Connell

No warrant was obtained that day because Lori returned a call and agreed to open her door to talk with Detectives Ball and Dave Stubbs.

This encounter with Lori was captured on the detectives’ bodycameras.

There is an objection from the defence that describing the body camera footage is hearsay. A sidebar with Judge Boyce.

16:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Hermosillo called Detective Ron Ball and said he was concerned about JJ’s whereabouts. Other detectives were sent to the apartment building and they began knocking on doors at the complex trying Lori’s home and that of her niece Melani Boudreaux.

There was no answer and officers remained on the scene in case they returned while Hermosillo went to the prosecutor’s office to obtain a search warrant.

16:03 , Oliver O'Connell

Hermosillo said Daybell began driving off in his car and he stopped him and asked him about the last time he saw JJ and how he knew Lori.

Daybell said he hardly knew her and met her a couple of times.

“We knew Chad and Lori had married two weeks prior to my contact with him,” Hermosillo tells the court.

The wedding had been on 5 November, approximately three weeks after the death of Tammy Daybell.

16:01 , Oliver O'Connell

On 25 November a welfare check is requested by Gilbert PD detective Ryan Pillar and the following day Rexburg police go to Lori’s townhome.

Hermosillo says that day he sees Alex Cox and Chad Daybell at the property unloading a pickup truck and tells them why he was there.

Both Daybell and Cox looked at each other blankly so he asked again where JJ was. Cox said JJ was with his grandma Kay Woodcock, but Hermosillo said that was unlikely as she had called for the welfare check.

Hermosillo describes both Cox and Daybell as acting weird. They told him Lori Vallow was in apartment 107 and both claimed not to have her number.

“I assumed he was lying because I knew they were close.”

He knocked on the door of apartment 107 and there was no answer.

15:56 , Oliver O'Connell

Hermosillo says he became involved in the investigation on 1 November 2019 when he was contacted by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office that there was a Jeep in Rexburg that was possibly involved in a homicide in Gilbert.

He spoke with Gilbert PD about the Jeep and they asked him to find the vehicle and recover it. Rexburg PD was also asked to conduct surveillance on Lori Vallow’s apartment. They observed both Chad Daybell and Lori but did not see either a teenage girl or a young boy.

The Jeep was seized on 4 November and Gilbert police came to Rexburg on 18 November to serve a warrant on the vehicle’s data information system. It was at this point that Hermosillo became away of Tylee and JJ and the concerns that family had not heard from them in a while.

New witness: Detective Ray Hermosillo

15:52 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Steven Boyce has entered the courtroom and the jury is brought in.

Detective Ray Hermosillo is sworn in.

He has been a detective with Rexburg Police Department for four years and before that was on patrol and was a patrol supervisor.

His law enforcement career spans 22 years all of which has been with the Rexburg PD.

15:44 , Oliver O'Connell

John Prior, Chad Daybell’s attorney, is in the courtroom again this morning.

Here’s why they are not being tried together:

Lori Vallow’s husband asks to stand trial without her in wake of Netflix series

Court about to get underway for day two of the trial

15:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Lori Vallow is seated with her defence team as court is expected to get underway soon.

The next testimony to be heard by the jury is expected to be from Detective Ray Hermosillo, who was a key part of the Rexburg investigation when JJ and Tylee were missing.

Yesterday in court: Prosecution says Vallow was driven by ‘money, power and sex’ to murder kids

15:02 , Oliver O'Connell

“Cult mom” Lori Vallow was driven by “money, power and sex” to murder her two children and her new husband’s then-wife, prosecutors told her murder trial – as jurors were shown graphic images of the children’s charred and buried remains.

Read more:

Lori Vallow was driven by ‘money, power and sex’ to murder kids, prosecutor says

Yesterday’s court sketches

14:27 , Oliver O'Connell

Court sketch artist captures the opening statements from the state’s prosecution and Lori Vallow’s defence, as well as the testimony of Kay Woodcock, grandmother to JJ, and Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of Lori’s niece, Melani.

Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow’s doomsday cult beliefs

13:45 , Rachel Sharp

At the centre of the string of alleged murders and mystery deaths surrounding Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow stands the couple’s bizarre doomsday cult.

Chad Daybell ran a publishing company that put out books about apocalyptic scenarios loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Lori Vallow followed his books for some time, before the pair finally met in person at a religious conference in Utah in October 2018.

At this point, investigators say their relationship became romantic.

And as their relationship grew more intense, so too did their apocalyptic beliefs.

Ms Vallow allegedly believed she was a god-like figure chosen to carry out the work of 144,000 believers.

Multiple friends cited in police reports say that the couple believed they could drive out evil spirits and seek revelations from “beyond the spiritual veil”.

Ms Vallow even believed she could teleport between Arizona and Hawaii, according to court documents.

But – most chillingly – the couple allegedly believed that people, including JJ and Tylee, had become “zombies”.

They allegedly had a scoring system for ranking how far people’s souls had gone from good to evil.

The only way to then rid an individual of the zombies would be for them to die, according to documents.

Prosecutors believe that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell used these beliefs to further their plots to kill JJ, Tylee and Tammy.

ICYMI: Lori Vallow’s husband asks to stand trial without her

13:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Chad Daybell, the husband of so-called “cult mom” Lori Vallow has requested to face his own trial for the murder of her two children, rather than in conjunction with his wife.

Lori Vallow’s husband asks to stand trial without her in wake of Netflix series

Former friend says ‘doomsday cult mom’ saw her children’s murders as ‘mercy’

12:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Speaking in an exclusive interview with NewsNation, a former friend of Ms Vallow, who asked to only be identified as “Jess,” said that the murder suspect believed she needed to “kill her children’s [possessed] bodies” to give them a chance to go to heaven.

Andrea Blanco reports.

Lori Vallow saw her children’s murders as ‘mercy’, former friend says

ICYMI: Brandon Boudreaux breaks down on the stand

11:03 , Rachel Sharp

During an emotional first day of testimony on Monday, Brandon Boudreaux broke down on the witness stand on Monday as he testified about the moment he had to identify JJ’s remains.

Mr Boudreaux spoke about the moment that he learned JJ and Tylee’s remains had been found. He said he travelled to Idaho and met with JJ’s grandparents Larry and Kay Woodcock.

He sobbed as he revealed that he had to identify the remains of JJ.

Mr Boudreaux was married to Lori Vallow’s niece Melani Pawlowski for ten years from 2008 and they have four children together.

However in 2018 he said things changed when Ms Pawlowski became more involved in the doosmday cult with Ms Vallow and Chad Daybell.

They divorced and he was living in a new home when one day he was the victim of a failed shooting attempt.

On 2 October 2019 – days after JJ and Tylee vanished and days before Tammy was killed – Mr Boudreaux said someone shot at him from a jeep parked near his home.

The vehicle had a Texas licence plate and no spare wheel on the back. The back window was open and he saw a gun with a silencer emerge.

His window then shattered and he heard a gunshot. Accelerating, he called 911 and parked near a public pool. The jeep came around the corner and he tried to follow it, but the 911 dispatcher told him to park in front of his house and wait for police to show up.

Earlier: Vallow loses bid to ban slain son’s grandparents from her murder trial

10:15 , Oliver O'Connell

“Cult mom” Lori Vallow failed in her bid to bar the grandparents of her slain son from her murder trial and his grandmother took the stand as the first witness for the prosecution.

Lori Vallow loses bid to ban slain son’s grandparents from murder trial

What you need to know as ‘cult mom’ Lori Vallow faces trial

08:15 , Oliver O'Connell

It looked every inch the fairytale wedding.

Dressed in white with pink flower garlands around their necks, the bride and groom couldn’t have looked happier as they exchanged vows on a paradise beach in Hawaii.

Photos captured the apparently blissful day as they toasted their nuptials, embraced and she danced to him playing the guitar.

But, behind the photos, something much more disturbing was going on.

Her two children had not been seen alive in two months.

His wife of three decades – the mother of his five children – had died suddenly just two weeks earlier.

And her husband had been shot dead by her brother (who would also soon be dead) not long before.

Rachel Sharp explores the backstory of the Lori Vallow case.

Lori Vallow case summary: Doomsday cult, mystery deaths and kids in a pet cemetery

Prosecution says Vallow was driven by ‘money, power and sex’ to murder kids

06:15 , Oliver O'Connell

“Cult mom” Lori Vallow was driven by “money, power and sex” to murder her two children and her new husband’s then-wife, prosecutors told her murder trial – as jurors were shown graphic images of the children’s charred and buried remains.

Read more:

Lori Vallow was driven by ‘money, power and sex’ to murder kids, prosecutor says

Vallow claims new alibi in murder of her two children

04:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The so-called “Doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow has finally offered up an alibi for the murders of her two children, claiming she was somewhere else when they died in her brother’s apartment – and bizarrely adding that her husband and alleged co-conspirator Chad Daybell may or may not have been with her at the time.

Rachel Sharp has the details.

‘Doomsday cult mom’ Lori Vallow claims new alibi in murder of her two children

A timeline of the trail of mystery deaths surrounding the ‘doomsday cult mom’

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

More than three years after her children were last seen alive, “doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow is about to finally stand trial for their murders.

Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 8, vanished without a trace in September 2019, sparking a multi-state search while their mother appeared carefree – marrying her new husband Chad Daybell on a beach in Hawaii.

The children’s bodies were finally discovered nine months later buried in a pet cemetery on Mr Daybell’s property in Idaho.

Their disappearances and deaths mark only part of a dramatic case that spans a deeply disturbing pattern of murders, unexplained deaths and bizarre cult beliefs about killing zombies.

Now, Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell are charged in Idaho with JJ and Tylee’s murders, as well as the murder of Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.

Ms Vallow is also separately charged in Arizona with conspiring to murder her fourth husband Charles Vallow, with the help of her now-deceased brother Alex Cox – who mysteriously also died three months after the children’s disappearance.

The doomsday couple – who are yet to turn on each other – were due to stand trial together in Idaho but the cases have now been severed.

Here’s a timeline of everything you need to know:

Lori Vallow: A timeline of mystery deaths surrounding the ‘doomsday cult mom’

Lori Vallow trial hears how Chad Daybell’s first wife died

Tuesday 11 April 2023 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The cause of death of Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy has finally been revealed as “cult mom” Lori Vallow’s high-profile murder trial gets underway in Idaho.

In opening statements in Ada County Courthouse on Monday morning, Fremont County prosecutor Lindsey Blake told jurors that Tammy, 49, died by asphyxiation – and not peacefully in her sleep as was originally claimed.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Lori Vallow trial hears how Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy was killed

Monday 10 April 2023 22:14 , Oliver O'Connell

Brandon’s testimony concludes and he is released from his subpoena.

Judge Boyce suggests court breaks for the day before another witness. No one objects.

The trial will continue at 8.30am MT tomorrow (10.30am ET).

Monday 10 April 2023 22:12 , Oliver O'Connell

Asked why he was asked to identify JJ’s remains, he said it was because he was family.

“I think I was as close to JJ as Larry and Kay. We were all family.” Brandon says they may have asked Larry but “it was a pretty overwhelming task to do.”

Monday 10 April 2023 22:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Thomas moves onto the Jeep Wrangler involved in the shooting and asks how far away Brandon was from the car. He replies that the distance was about 20-30 feet.

Thomas also clarifies with Brandon that he saw the silencer but not a flash, which he confirms, and that he knows the shot came from the jeep and nowhere else.

“I was looking straight at it.”

Monday 10 April 2023 22:06 , Oliver O'Connell

In cross-examination, Mr Thomas asks Brandon about the Google searches he did about Chad Daybell.

He is also asked about his marriage to Melani and said they were not having problems in 2018, and divorce wasn’t talked about until June 2019.

Thomas asks Brandon why Melani would think he was a homosexual.

“She told me God had told her I was a homosexual,” he replies.

Thomas follows up by asking Brandon about a video a friend posted on Facebook of him at The Pink Pony — a club in Alabama.

Brandon says that came up because he asked Melani to give him evidence that he was a homosexual and she pointed to the video.

Monday 10 April 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Brandon is asked where he was when he learned the bodies of JJ and Tylee had been found, he chokes up.

“I was in my parent’s home in their garage. It was the day before my wedding.”

After getting married, Brandon went to Rexburg on 11 June 2020. He met with Larry and Kay Woodcock and was asked by police to identify JJ’s body.

Monday 10 April 2023 21:56 , Oliver O'Connell

After the shooting, Brandon says he had some beliefs about who did it and he became concerned.

He remembered emails Charles had sent him before he died about the religious group Melani was in. Most of the emails came from a man named Chad Daybell.

Brandon says “in my gut, something felt wrong.”

He contacted law enforcement after he did a Google search for Chad Daybell’s name and found Tammy Daybell’s obituary. After talking with police, he realized nobody had seen JJ or Tylee for some time.

Monday 10 April 2023 21:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Brandon met with detectives and recalled that Tyleee had a jeep that Charles had bought her with Texas plates. He had the vehicle ID number from insurance documents he had prepared for the Vallows, so he passed that along to detectives.

Monday 10 April 2023 21:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Brandon tells the court about the events of 2 October 2019.

After dropping two of his children at school, he took another to daycare and the youngest to Melani’s house.

Brandon then went to the gym and exercised before returning to his new home. He says only about five people knew where he was living including Melani.

When he turned onto the street he no lived on he noticed a jeep parked there with a Texas licence plate and no spare wheel on the back. The back window was open and he saw a gun with a silencer emerge.

His window then shattered and he heard a gunshot. Accelerating, he called 911 and parked near a public pool. The jeep came around the corner and he tried to follow it, but the 911 dispatcher told him to park in front of his house and wait for police to show up.

Monday 10 April 2023 21:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Boyce overrules the objection and allows Brandon to proceed with his testimony.

He warns the state that they must show what they have alleged, that there was a common scheme and plan.

The jury is brought back in.

Court resumes

Monday 10 April 2023 21:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is back in session and JUdge Boyce will hear the objection outside of the presence of the jury.

The state believes this is part of a common scheme or plan and Lori and her conspirators conspired to kill JJ, Tylee, and Tammy. To remove obstacles for their plan. The shootings at and killing of spouses was part of this scheme or plan.

Monday 10 April 2023 21:13 , Oliver O'Connell

In June 2019, Brandon, Melani and their children went to Utah to stay at Melani’s parents’ home.

While they were there, Brandon’s grandfather died unexpectedly on 23 June.

His mother called to tell him about the death and Melani said she would not go to the funeral.

“She didn’t want anything to do with it.”

Saying he would accept she wouldn’t go, Melani said God had revealed to her that Lori’s computer was hacked and an argument went on for hours.

She accused Brandon of being homosexual and other things. She went to sleep and he was overwhelmed. He texted Charles and Lori frustrated. Lori didn’t text back, but Charles got in touch.

Brandon went to a counsellor and spoke with his bishop about the situation. He tears up while saying this was the last time he spoke with Charles.

He never saw Tylee or JJ again, and he and Melani used a mediator to get a divorce.

Brandon moved into a rental property and custody arrangements became complicated as Melani said she was scared of him.

On 2 October 2019, someone shot at him in front of his house.

There is an objection from the defence and after a sidebar, the afternoon break is called.

Monday 10 April 2023 21:04 , Oliver O'Connell

“It just got more bizarre,” says Brandon, telling the court he got a call from Charles in January 2019 that Lori was accusing Charles of infidelity, and had removed money from his account.

“It seemed like it went from 0 to 100 really quick.”

Melani was adamant that they would not take sides if Lori and Charles split up.

During this time JJ would spend a lot of time at Brandon’s house playing with his son. He was very high energy and it was a lot of work but worth it.

Monday 10 April 2023 20:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Brandon says the last Christmas his family spent with Charles and Lori was in 2018. Other people were there, including Melanie Gibb and her family.

He says everything felt different and the relationships were “not very close”.

In his own marriage, Melani had never been very interested in attending church and he would for them to go. In late 2018 she suddenly started to get “really passionate” about going and about certain ideas.

Melani would attend “firesides” with Lori — meetings not sponsored by the church.

“She was coming home with different ideas about what she was going to do to be a faithful member of the church.”

Melani made it clear that the firesides were “her thing and was very clear I was not welcome to come.”

She also began to go to temple “every single day — which is a little extreme” and she became fixated on the end of the world.

Monday 10 April 2023 20:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Brandon tells Smith he spent a lot of time with Lori’s side of the family and at one time he lived with Lori and Charles and got to know the children well.

He becomes emotional when he says that one of his sons was close to JJ, who he recalls loved travelling.

Moving on to Tylee, the court hears that he baptised her into the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints when she was eight years old.

His ex-wife Melani saw Lori as a mother figure and wanted to be like her. He and Charles got on well.

New witness: Brandon Boudreaux

Monday 10 April 2023 20:44 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Brandon Boudreaux. He was married to Melani Pawlowski, Lori’s niece, for ten years from 2008. They have four children.

He is questioned by Rachel Smith of the prosecution team.

Monday 10 April 2023 20:42 , Oliver O'Connell

Cross-examination of Kay is brief and she notes that finding the Amazon account and email was like “divine intervention” or “God’s hand”.

She steps down from the witness stand.

Monday 10 April 2023 20:33 , Oliver O'Connell

In cross-examination, John Thomas confirms with Kay that she had JJ as a temporary placement when his birth parents could not care for him.

She and Larry knew it would be a struggle for them to raise JJ themselves, but thought Lori and Charles would give him a more stimulating environment in a more appropriate home for a baby.

JJ had autism but this was not diagnosed by then, however, he had difficulties, Kay says.

Monday 10 April 2023 20:29 , Oliver O'Connell

Having accessed Charles’s Gmail account after his death she found a lot of emails linked to an Amazon account with an address in Rexburg, Idaho.

The browsing history of the Amazon account included searches for a beach wedding dress, bathing suits, men’s large-size white linen top and pants, and malachite wedding rings.

These searches had been made in early October and she knew that Tammy Daybell had died on 19 October. The wedding was being planned prior to Tammy’s murder.

She met with Rexburg police in January 2020 and talked to as many media outlets as she could to raise awareness about the missing children.

Later she learned of the marriage of Lori and Chad, and then on 9 June 2020 of the discovery of the bodies in his backyard in shallow graves.

Direct examination of Kay concludes.

Monday 10 April 2023 20:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Kay explains that she and her husband Larry met with law enforcement after the death of Charles as they were very concerned about JJ’s well-being.

They did not hear from him after 10 August 2019 and hired a private investigator as they did not know where Lori was.

She says she was concerned “because Lori didn’t want him anymore”.

Monday 10 April 2023 20:19 , Oliver O'Connell

Kay gets emotional after she is handed a picture of JJ, that she took.

Rob Wood asks who that is.

“Our beautiful grandson JJ,” she tearfully replies adding that it has always been one of her favourite photos of him.

Monday 10 April 2023 20:10 , Oliver O'Connell

JJ’s birth certificate is entered as Exhibit 1 as his final decree of adoption.

Jury returns

Monday 10 April 2023 20:02 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury has returned from lunch and is seated.

Kay Woodcock is back on the stand to continue her testimony and is reportedly staring at Lori Vallow during a sidebar.

First court sketches of day released

Monday 10 April 2023 19:56 , Oliver O'Connell

Lori Vallow was driven by ‘money, power and sex’ to murder kids, prosecutor says in trial opening statement

Monday 10 April 2023 19:15 , Graeme Massie

Jurors were also shown chilling photos of the remains of Tylee and JJ after they were found buried in the pet cemetery on Chad Daybell’s property in Idaho.

Rachel Sharp has the story.

Lori Vallow was driven by ‘money, power and sex’ to murder kids, prosecutor says

Jury have been sent out to lunch

Monday 10 April 2023 18:59 , Graeme Massie

Break in court proceedings as jury sent out for lunch, while lawyers tackle issue with papers witness has brought with her.

Grandmother explains when she last saw JJ

Monday 10 April 2023 18:51 , Graeme Massie

Kay Woodcock told the jury that she last saw JJ on the weekend of 17 May 2019 in Louisiana where there was a pizza party to celebrate his birthday before he returned home to Houston, Texas.

Witness says Lori contacted her after Charles death

Monday 10 April 2023 18:48 , Graeme Massie

Ms Woodcock says that after the death of Charles, Lori contacted her about his life insurance policy. the jury was told that Charles had told Ms Woodcock he wanted to take Lori off it and put her on it and use the money to raise JJ if anything happened to him.

Witness says son could not care for JJ when born

Monday 10 April 2023 18:25 , Graeme Massie

Ms Woodcock says her son Todd and his girlfriend Mandy Leger could not take care of JJ when he was born at 30 weeks and had drugs in his system.

Jury was told that when the Vallows adopted JJ, whose original name was Canaan, they moved to Chandler, Arizona, and his name was changed to Joshua Jaxon Vallow, nicknamed “JJ.”

State calls first witness

Monday 10 April 2023 18:19 , Oliver O'Connell

The state’s first witness is Kay Woodcock, grandmother to JJ Vallow.

Her son, Dennis Todd Trahan, is JJ’s biological father.

She is being questioned by Rob Wood.

Lori Vallow trial hears how Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy was killed

Monday 10 April 2023 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The cause of death of Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell has finally been revealed as Lori Vallow’s high-profile murder trial got under way in Idaho.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Lori Vallow trial hears how Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy was killed

Monday 10 April 2023 17:40 , Oliver O'Connell

The defence concludes its opening statement and the court goes on a recess.

Monday 10 April 2023 17:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Archibald also stresses that the jury’s focus is on the actions of Lori and not those of Alex and Chad.

He notes that Lori was in her apartment when JJ and Tylee died at the home of her late brother Alex Cox and was in Hawaii when Tammy died.

Monday 10 April 2023 17:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Archibald reads the indictment again to the jury to make clear what they are being asked to judge.

“Did she kill or did she assist or did she encourage or did she command? They [the prosecution] aren’t sure what happened — but they want you to be sure.”

He emphasises that the state has the burden of proving Lori guilty “beyond reasonable doubt”.

“If after all the evidence or lack of evidence, you have a reasonable doubt, you must find her not guilty.”

Monday 10 April 2023 17:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Archibald paints a picture of Lori as a responsible mother who adopted JJ, a child with special needs, after his biological parents were unable to care for him.

“The evidence will show Lori was a kind and loving mother. The evidence will show Lori had an interest in religion — especially the end of times. Some people could care less about biblical prophecies, some people care a lot about it,” says Archibald.

He tells the jury: “We haven’t been able to agree on what happened to these children, how did they die, when they died. That’s where you come in.”

Defence attorney Jim Archibald gives opening statement

Monday 10 April 2023 17:27 , Oliver O'Connell

“This is a difficult case, a case we will not be able to settle without you. That’s why you’ve been called to help,” defence attorney Jim Archibald tells the jury.

He says he has been assigned 27 murder cases over his 32-year career.

Archibald gives some background on Lori. She was born in California and has lived in Texas, Hawaii, Arizona, and Idaho.

“She believes in life after death and that she will see her deceased family again.”

Monday 10 April 2023 17:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Blake wraps up the prosecution’s opening statement by showing photos of the hands of JJ after he was found bound in front of him, and of Tammy after her body was exhumed. Tylee’s body was burned and had no hands.

A photo is then shown of Chad and Lori’s hands held together with their wedding rings.

Tammy Daybell was killed by asphyxiation prosecutor reveals

Monday 10 April 2023 17:18 , Oliver O'Connell

Blake says Tammy Daybell died “at the hands of another and died of asphyxiation,” according to Utah medical examiner. This is the first time that information was made public.

After Tammy died, Alex Cox said, “I hope I’m not their fall guy” (referring to Chad and Lori). Alex died the day after he said that.

Monday 10 April 2023 17:16 , Oliver O'Connell

Prosecution says 9 October 2019 was a significant day. Tammy was shot at by an unknown person (believed to be Lori’s brother Alex Cox). Lori is later overheard saying “he can’t do anything right,” and upset.

Blake says after Tammy died, Lori met Chad’s kids and they were “all over each other.”

Chad told his children that Lori had a young daughter who recently died but there was no mention of JJ and Lori never said anything.

Blake talks about the malachite wedding rings that were ordered before Tammy died and how Chad and Lori exchanged those rings on the beach in Hawaii.

Monday 10 April 2023 17:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Lori began convincing people JJ was a zombie and they believed her. She told a friend April Raymond that when she got divorced that JJ would live with Charles.

Lori told people she was on a religious mission to gather the 144,000.

They manipulated people to not question their actions. When their actions didn’t line up with their teachings all the time so those beliefs changed over time to accommodate that.

Blake says when Alex Cox — who would do anything Chad and Lori asked — first moved to Rexburg, he texted Lori and set the wifi password to “too many kids.”

Lori responded, “Funny.”

Monday 10 April 2023 16:57 , Oliver O'Connell

“This case actually starts in October 2018. That’s when the defendant met Chad Daybell for the very first time.”

Lori and Chad designated themselves as biblical figures named “James and Elena.”

Monday 10 April 2023 16:56 , Oliver O'Connell

Crime scene photos are shown to the court of how the remains of Tylee and JJ were found as well as an autopsy photo of Tammy Daybell.

“The missing children, the sudden death of Tammy, the quick marriage of Chad and the defendant left so many questions for those still grieving the loss of Tammy and those still wondering 24/7 about the whereabouts of the children.”

“They were dancing on a sunny beach in Hawaii as Tylee and JJ were in shallow graves.”

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