Current:Home > MarketsLori Vallow Daybell to be sentenced for murders of her 2 youngest children -ValueCore
Lori Vallow Daybell to be sentenced for murders of her 2 youngest children
View
Date:2025-04-14 18:38:07
An Idaho mother is set to learn her fate after being convicted in the murders of her two youngest children.
Lori Vallow Daybell will return to court in eastern Idaho's Fremont County on Monday for a sentencing hearing, according to Boise ABC affiliate KIVI-TV. She faces up to life in prison without parole. In March, before the trial began, a judge granted the defense's motion to dismiss the death penalty in her case.
Lori and her husband, Chad Daybell, were both charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the 2019 deaths of her two youngest children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua "J.J." Vallow. The children were last seen alive in September 2019 and were reported missing by extended family members that November. Their remains were found on Chad's property in Fremont County in June 2020, according to authorities.
MORE: Juror in murder trial of Lori Vallow Daybell breaks silence
The couple were also charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Chad's ex-wife, 49-year-old Tamara Daybell, who died of asphyxiation of in October 2019, less than a month before Lori and Chad married. Chad was also charged with his former wife's murder.
Both Lori and Chad pleaded not guilty to their charges. In April, a Fremont County judge allowed their cases to be tried separately, with Lori's first and Chad's expected to start at a later date.
Lori was deemed fit to stand trial last year following a 10-month stint at an Idaho mental health facility. Her defense attorneys had said they did not plan to raise a mental health defense at the guilt-phase portion of the trial.
MORE: Lori Vallow Daybell found guilty in murder of her 2 children
During Lori's six-week trial, prosecutors argued that she and her husband thought the children were zombies and murdered them. Chad has authored many religious fiction books and is Lori's fifth husband. The couple both reportedly adhered to a doomsday ideology, with Lori at one point claiming she was "a god assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ's second coming in July 2020" and didn't want anything to do with her family "because she had a more important mission to carry out," according to court documents obtained by ABC News.
The defense characterized Lori as a devoted mother who loved her children and Jesus, but that all changed near the end of 2018 when she met Chad.
Prosecutors argued that Lori set a plan for the children's murder in motion in October 2018 "using money, power and sex," and that she and her husband "used religion to manipulate others." Lori was additionally charged with grand theft related to Social Security survivor benefits allocated for the care of her children that prosecutors said were appropriated after they were reported missing and ultimately found dead. Meanwhile, Chad was additionally charged with two counts of insurance fraud related to life insurance policies he had on Tamara for which prosecutors said he was the beneficiary.
MORE: A string of family deaths surround tragedy of Lori Vallow’s children
Prosecutors also shared photographs of Lori and Chad dancing on a beach during their wedding in Hawaii when her children's bodies were buried in his backyard.
In May, a 12-member jury reached a verdict after two days of deliberations, finding Lori guilty on all charges. The defense declined to comment on the verdict at the time.
ABC News' John Capell and Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
veryGood! (26224)
Related
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- I’m a Shopping Editor. Here’s What I’m Buying From the Amazon Big Spring Sale: $6 Beauty Deals and More
- U.S. drops from top 20 happiest countries list in 2024 World Happiness Report
- New civil complaints filed against the Army amid doctor's sexual assault case
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Who is Mark Robinson? The GOP nominee for North Carolina governor has a history of inflammatory remarks
- Federal appeals court order puts controversial Texas immigration law back on hold
- Darkness from April's eclipse will briefly impact solar power in its path. What to know.
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- On 20th anniversary of Vermont teen Brianna Maitland’s disappearance, $40K reward offered for tips
Ranking
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Caitlin Clark behind increased betting interest in women’s college basketball
- What Anne Hathaway Has to Say About a Devil Wears Prada Sequel
- What Anne Hathaway Has to Say About a Devil Wears Prada Sequel
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Mega Millions jackpot reaches $977 million after no one wins Tuesday’s drawing
- North Carolina county boards dismiss election protests from legislator. Recounts are next
- Blinken adds Israel stop to latest Mideast tour as tensions rise over Gaza war
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Reports: Authorities investigate bomb threat claim at MLB season-opener in South Korea
Rams QB Jimmy Garoppolo says he 'messed up' exemption leading to PED suspension
What to know about Cameron Brink, Stanford star forward with family ties to Stephen Curry
'Most Whopper
Georgia bill could provide specific reasons for challenging voters
AP documents grueling conditions in Indian shrimp industry that report calls “dangerous and abusive”
Things to know about the risk of landslides in the US