Idaho appeal: Lori Vallow Daybell seeks to overturn triple murder convictions
The Idaho Supreme Court hears arguments on whether procedural errors and out-of-state evidence tainted the 2023 verdicts.
By Nathan Reed ·
Three life sentences hang in the balance as the Idaho Supreme Court hears arguments on Monday regarding Lori Vallow Daybell’s convictions for killing two of her children and a romantic rival.
The court is reviewing whether lower court judges made errors that require reversing the verdicts. Vallow Daybell’s legal team argues that the trial court denied her a speedy trial and blocked her from retaining her preferred attorney. The judge originally ruled out her choice because the lawyer had previously represented both Vallow Daybell and her husband, creating a conflict of interest.
Defense counsel also contested the admission of evidence from Arizona. Jurors in Idaho heard details about two shootings in metro Phoenix involving Vallow Daybell’s estranged husband and her niece’s ex-husband. The defense contends this out-of-state testimony confused the jury.
The Idaho case centers on the 2019 deaths of Joshua Vallow, age 7, and Tylee Ryan, age 16. Their bodies were found buried on the rural property of Chad Daybell, who married Vallow Daybell weeks after the children disappeared. The third victim was Tammy Daybell, a romantic rival whom Vallow Daybell’s new husband had previously dated.
Vallow Daybell, who holds doomsday religious beliefs and has claimed her associates were possessed by evil spirits, is currently serving three life terms in Idaho. Chad Daybell, the author of several religious novels, received a death sentence for the same three killings.
These convictions are separate from Vallow Daybell’s Arizona case. There, she was found guilty of conspiring to murder Charles Vallow and Brandon Boudreaux. Charles Vallow was shot in Chandler in July 2019 by Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox. Boudreaux was shot in Gilbert three months later but survived. Prosecutors in Arizona argued Vallow Daybell conspired with Cox to kill Charles Vallow to collect life insurance money and marry Daybell. Cox later died from a blood clot in his lungs.
Vallow Daybell is also appealing her two life sentences from the Arizona convictions.
Source: ClickOnDetroit WDIV
