Lori Vallow Daybell has been sentenced to life in prison for the murders of her two youngest children and her husband’s previous wife. The case gained national attention due to her bizarre beliefs, including claims that her children were “zombies” and that she was a goddess with a mission to prepare for the apocalypse.
Murder and Investigation
Vallow Daybell was found guilty in 2023 of killing her children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, along with Tammy Daybell, the former wife of her husband, Chad Daybell. The children were last seen alive in September 2019, and their bodies were discovered in Chad Daybell’s backyard in the summer of 2020.
Tammy Daybell was murdered in October 2019, just weeks before Lori and Chad got married.
Sentencing and Future Trials
The judge sentenced Vallow Daybell to three consecutive life sentences. Meanwhile, Chad Daybell is still awaiting trial for the murders.
In addition to this case, Vallow Daybell faces two other charges in Arizona:
- Conspiring with her brother, Alex Cox, to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.
- Plotting to kill her niece’s ex-husband.
Background and Relationship with Chad Daybell
Vallow Daybell’s beliefs took a dark turn after meeting Chad Daybell, a self-published author who wrote books about the end of the world, inspired by Mormon teachings.
They believed in past lives and that they had been married before in other lifetimes. Chad also convinced Lori that she was a “sexual goddess” chosen to help him gather 144,000 followers for Jesus’ return.
Mysterious Deaths and Alex Cox’s Role
- In July 2019, Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed Charles Vallow. He claimed self-defense and was never charged. Cox later died of natural causes.
- After Charles’ death, Lori moved to Idaho with her children and Cox to be closer to Chad Daybell.
- Weeks after the children disappeared, Chad’s wife, Tammy, was also killed. Lori and Chad married just two weeks later.
Claims of Innocence
In a recent Dateline interview, Vallow Daybell denied any involvement in her children’s deaths. She even blamed Tylee, her 16-year-old daughter, for JJ’s death.
Her defense attorney argued that there was no direct evidence linking her to the murders and that she was a loving mother who was manipulated by Chad’s strange religious beliefs. However, the jury found her guilty, leading to her life sentence.
