Lori Vallow Daybell is requesting a new trial as she appeals her convictions in the killings of her two children and for conspiring to kill her husband’s former wife.
Vallow Daybell’s attorney appeared before the Idaho Supreme Court on Monday, November 2, when the court heard an appeal to overturn her convictions, per KSL-TV.
In 2023, Vallow Daybell, who has doomsday religious beliefs, was convicted of killing her son, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, and 16-year-old daughter, Tylee Ryan, according to the Associated Press. Following the children’s disappearances in 2019, their bodies were found buried on an Idaho property belonging to her then-new husband, Chad Daybell.
Lori was also found guilty of conspiring to kill Chad’s first wife, Tammy Daybell, in connection with her death.
Lori ultimately received three life sentences in Idaho for the deaths of Joshua, Tylee and Tammy, per the Associated Press. Chad was sentenced to death in connection with the murders.
While Chad was on trial, Lori’s niece testified Lori and Chad were a part of a “doomsday cult,” per ABC affiliate KTVX.
Lori was separately handed two life sentences in Arizona in 2025 after she was convicted of a conspiracy to kill her ex-husband, Charles Vallow, and her niece’s husband, KSL-TV reported. Charles was fatally shot in Lori’s home while the niece’s husband survived a separate shooting.
Lori’s attorney has contended in Lori’s appeal heard by the Idaho Supreme Court that she was denied a speedy trial and deprived of her right to retain counsel of her choosing, per the Associated Press. The lawyer also argued that a lower court shouldn’t have allowed Idaho jurors to hear information on the separate Arizona shootings against Charles and her niece’s husband, Brandon Boudreaux, who survived after a shot missed him.
Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, fatally shot Charles in July 2019 after Charles had filed to divorce Lori, the outlet reported. Cox claimed he killed Charles in self-defense.
Prosecutors argued Lori plotted with her brother to kill Charles to obtain Charles’ life insurance policy money when she had been dating Chad. Cox, who was also accused of opening fire on Boudreaux, has since died due to a blood clot.
During Lori’s appeal, judges asked whether overturning her verdict could result in her facing the death penalty in the event of a retrial, per NewsNation.
The court hasn’t reached a final decision on the appeal.
