Vallow–Daybell doomsday murders
The Vallow–Daybell doomsday murders are a series of killings—including child murder, filicide and spousal murder—committed by an American couple, Lori Vallow Daybell from Chandler, Arizona and Chad Daybell from Rexburg, Idaho, who led a Mormon religious group described by the media as a "doomsday cult". The case was set in motion when Lori Vallow's daughter, Tylee Ryan (aged 16), and younger adopted son, Joshua Jaxon "J. J." Vallow (aged 7), disappeared respectively on September 9 and September 23, 2019. The children were found buried in shallow graves in Rexburg, on June 9, 2020. Tylee and J.J.'s remains were located in the backyard of Chad Daybell, who was Lori Vallow's lover at the time of their deaths and had become her husband by the time their bodies were found. The case also involved the killings of Lori's previous husband Charles Vallow and of Chad's wife Tammy Daybell, as well as the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux, one of Lori's relatives. Lori's brother Alex Cox,[a] who is believed by authorities to have participated in the crimes, died before he could be brought to justice.
| Vallow–Daybell doomsday murders | |
|---|---|
| In chronological order : killing of Charles Vallow (pending trial), disappearances and murders of Tylee Ryan and J. J. Vallow (judged), shooting of Brandon Boudreaux (pending trial), murder of Tammy Daybell (judged) | |
| Date | July through October 2019 |
| Location | |
| Caused by | Unknown (Tylee), asphyxiation (J. J. and Tammy) and shooting (Charles) |
| Lead figures | |
| Casualties | |
| Death(s) | Tylee Ryan, J. J. Vallow, Tammy Daybell, Charles Vallow |
| Arrested | Lori Vallow Daybell (February 20, 2020) and Chad Daybell (June 9, 2020) |
| Charged |
|
At the time of the children's disappearances, Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), though their beliefs had significantly deviated from mainstream Mormonism.[2][3] Chad Daybell was an apocalyptic author and publisher who claimed to have visions from the future and to have lived through multiple past lives, and prophesied the world would end in July 2020. Lori Vallow had come to share her lover's fringe religious beliefs: she became convinced that she was a deity destined to play a role in the coming apocalypse and that her family was getting in the way of her mission.[4]
Tylee was last seen alive at Yellowstone National Park on September 8, 2019, while J.J. was last seen alive on September 22, 2019. In November 2019, police questioned Lori about J.J.'s whereabouts and welfare. Lori claimed that J.J. was staying with her friend Melanie Gibb in Arizona, Lori's previous residence before moving to Idaho in late August 2019. However, Gibb denied this claim. Lori and Chad then vacated their homes in Idaho and left for Hawaii. As police searched for J.J., they discovered that Tylee was also missing.[5] The children's case soon attracted media attention, as the Daybells refused to cooperate with law enforcement.
Even before the children's remains were found, investigations revealed that their disappearances had been preceded and followed by a string of suspicious deaths and events. Lori's estranged fourth husband, Charles Vallow, was shot and killed in July 2019 by her brother, Alex Cox, who claimed self-defense; Cox later died in December 2019 due to a blood clot. In October 2019, Brandon Boudreaux, the then-estranged husband of Lori's niece, was shot at from a vehicle registered to Charles Vallow. That same month, Tammy Daybell, Chad's wife, was attacked in her driveway. She died 10 days later on October 19 under what was initially recorded as 'natural causes'. Chad and Lori married two weeks after Tammy's death. After Tylee and J.J.'s disappearance became known, Tammy's body was exhumed by law enforcement officials,[6][7][8] revealing that she had been asphyxiated.[9]
On February 20, 2020, Lori was arrested in Kauai, Hawaii, and charged with desertion and non-support of her children. She was extradited to Idaho two weeks later. On June 9, 2020, police discovered the remains of Tylee and J.J. during a search at Chad's home.[10][11] Chad was immediately arrested on charges of destruction or concealment of evidence.[12][13] On May 25, 2021, Lori and Chad were charged with the first-degree murders of Tylee, J.J., and Tammy, the indictment accusing them of using religious beliefs to justify their crimes.[14] Prosecutors said that Lori and Chad had conspired with Alex Cox to murder Tylee, J.J. and Tammy, as part of their apocalyptic beliefs but also to collect life insurance money and the children's Social Security benefits.[15]
Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell were tried separately. On May 12, 2023, Lori was found guilty of all charges related to the killings of her children and Tammy Daybell:[16] on July 31, 2023, she was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. She has also been charged in Arizona related to the death of Charles Vallow and the shooting of Brandon Boudreaux. On May 30, 2024, Chad was also found guilty of all charges.[17] On June 1, 2024, he was sentenced to death.[18]
Background
Chad Daybell
Chad Daybell | |
|---|---|
 Daybell's 2020 mugshot | |
| Born | Chad Guy Daybell August 11, 1968 |
| Other names | "Doomsday Dad"[3][19] "Doomsday Prophet"[20] |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Brigham Young University (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | author, publisher |
| Organization(s) | owner and co-founder of Spring Creek Book Company |
| Spouses | Tamara Douglas (m. 1990; died 2019)Lori Vallow (m. 2019) |
| Children | 5 |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder Conspiracy to commit murder Grand theft Insurance fraud |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
Date apprehended | June 9, 2020 |
Chad Guy Daybell was born on August 11, 1968, Provo, Utah,[21] to a Mormon family; he grew up in Springville.[3] He married Tamara "Tammy" Douglas (May 4, 1970 – October 19, 2019) in Manti, Utah, on March 9, 1990. They had five children: Garth, Emma, Seth, Leah and Mark.[21]
Chad graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a B.A. in journalism[21] and worked for a time as a copy editor for the Standard-Examiner in Ogden.[3][22] At various times during and after his studies, he supported himself by working as a gravedigger,[23] then as the cemetery sexton for Springville.[24]
Writing and publishing career
Chad's first religion-themed novel, An Errand for Emma, was published in 1999 by Springville-based Cedar Fort, Inc.,[25] and he eventually left his job at the cemetery to focus on his writing. In 2001, he published One Foot in the Grave, a non-fiction book that chronicled his experiences working in cemeteries.[22]
In 2004, Chad founded with his wife Spring Creek Book Company,[26] which he used to self-publish his beliefs regarding the end times as well as other religion-themed books aimed at a Latter Day Saint audience.[27] In 2007, local newspaper The Springville Herald described the company as being "one of the leading LDS publishers."[26]
By the end of the 2000s, the Daybells faced financial problems. At that time, Chad's publishing business provided an annual income of approximately $2,000. Both spouses had to work part-time to supplement that income,[28] with Chad being employed again as a cemetery sexton.[23] Eventually, Chad salvaged his company and found an audience among people concerned by the Second Coming of Jesus,[29] becoming a popular author and speaker in some radical Mormon circles.[2]
Chad's novels often depicted apocalyptic situations and dystopian futures, and featured characters based on his own family.[30][31] A recurring theme in his memoirs and novels was a supernatural voice giving instructions and advice to him or to his characters.[3] He claimed that he had had two near-death experiences that allowed him to receive supernatural visions from "beyond the veil".[3] He commented: "I don't fictionalize any of the events portrayed [in my books]. I'm really not that creative… My torn veil allows information to be downloaded into my brain from the other side. The scenes I am shown are real events that will happen."[31]
Chad published dozens of fiction and non-fiction books, by himself or other authors,[29] notably end-of-days clairvoyant Julie Rowe.[32] Chad helped disseminate Rowe's doomsday prophecies which caused in 2015 some Mormons to prepare for the end of the world,[2] prompting the LDS Church to issue a call for calm and to stress that it did not endorse Rowe's views.[33]
Chad was also a regular contributor to "Another Voice of Warning" (AVOW), a Latter Day Saints paid forum where he would discuss his near-death experiences and thoughts on the future.[2]
Religious radicalization
Over time, Chad's religious beliefs became increasingly extreme and focused on "visions" and "end-time" events.[34] Jason Gwilliam, the husband of Tammy's sister, said that Chad's religious views had started changing around 2006–2007, as he became "hyper-focused on preparing for end of times". Around 2010–2011, Chad started claiming he had visions about how the end of the world would occur. In 2013-2014, he began prophesying there would be earthquakes, war and destruction in the Americas.[35]
During Chad's association with Julie Rowe, both claimed to have a close connection to the "spirit world" due to their near-death experiences: they prophesied a foreign invasion of the United States, plagues and an economic collapse. In the course of the 2010s, Rowe, and Chad as her publisher, were particularly popular among Mormon "preppers" who believed the end of the world to be imminent and considered regrouping in tent cities to await doomsday.[2]
Suzanne Freeman, another author published by Chad, later said that she had stopped working with him in the 2010s over concerns about his radicalization and his deviation from Latter Day Saint teachings, and after becoming convinced that his beliefs about the coming apocalypse were dangerous.[29]
In 2015, Chad claimed he heard the "voice" telling him to relocate to Rexburg, Idaho. He and Tammy moved there from Springville that June.[36] Chad said that he had had a vision that Utah would be devastated by an earthquake in 2015.[37] He tried to convince the Gwilliams to go to Idaho too. In 2016, he sent Jason a letter telling him again to move to Idaho because the earthquake would occur in Utah within three years.[35]
Lori Vallow Daybell
Lori Vallow Daybell | |
|---|---|
 Daybell's 2020 mugshot | |
| Born | Lori Norene Cox June 26, 1973 Loma Linda, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Lori Norene Lagioia Lori Norene Ryan Lori Norene Vallow Lori Ryan Vallow Lori Ryan Daybell "Doomsday Mom"[38][39] "Cult Mom"[12][15] |
| Citizenship | American |
| Spouses | Nelson Yanes (m. 1992, divorced)William Lagioia (m. 1995; div. 1998)Joseph Anthony Ryan Jr. (m. 2001; div. 2005)Leland Charles Anthony Vallow (m. 2006; died 2019)Chad Daybell (m. 2019) |
| Children |
|
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder Conspiracy to commit murder Grand theft |
| Criminal penalty | 3 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole |
Date apprehended | February 20, 2020 |
Lori Ryan Daybell,[b] also referred to as Lori Vallow Daybell, was born Lori Norene Cox on June 26, 1973, in Loma Linda, California[47] and grew up in a Mormon family.[48] She worked for some time as a hairdresser.[28] In 2004, she was a contestant in the Miss Texas beauty pageant.[49]
First marriages
In 1992, at the age of 19, Lori married her high school boyfriend Nelson Yanes, but the marriage ended in divorce shortly afterwards.[50]
In October 1995, Lori married William Lagioia when she was 22 years old.[51] They had a son named Colby in 1996, before divorcing in 1998.[36]
In 2001, Lori married Joseph Anthony Ryan Jr., who legally adopted Colby.[36] The couple's biological daughter, Tylee, was born in 2002. They divorced in 2005.[36] Lori and Ryan had a bitter custody battle, during which Lori accused Ryan of sexually assaulting Tylee and Colby. Ryan eventually lost equal custody.[52] In 2007, Lori's brother, Alex Cox, attacked Ryan, claiming he had been abusive to Lori and the children. Cox served 90 days in jail for the incident.[1] In 2022, Colby claimed during an interview that as a child, he had been sexually assaulted by Ryan.[53]
In 2018, Ryan was found dead in his apartment. The cause of death was determined to be arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Lori was notified as his next of kin.[54]
After Lori was arrested in 2020, and after a recording surfaced in which Lori mentioned wanting to kill Ryan "like the scripture says. Like Nephi killed", police reviewed Ryan's death. Nothing was found to suspect foul play.[55]
Marriage with Charles Vallow
In February 2006, Lori married Leland Charles Anthony Vallow, commonly going by the name Charles, in Las Vegas, Nevada.[36] Charles, who was a lifelong Catholic, converted to the LDS Church for Lori. Charles had two sons from a previous marriage.[56]
In 2013, Lori and Charles adopted Charles' grandnephew, Joshua Jaxon "J.J." Vallow,[57] as the boy's birth parents were unable to care for him. Because of his biological parents' substance abuse, J.J. was born with drugs in his system and spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit.[58][59] As a baby, he was taken care of by his grandparents Kay and Larry Woodcock for nearly a year before being adopted by Charles.[60] He was eventually diagnosed with autism.[61]
In late 2014, the couple moved from Arizona to Kauai, Hawaii. They returned to Arizona about two years later.[36]
Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell meet
Around 2015, Lori became interested in Chad Daybell's Standing in Holy Places series of books.[62] In 2017–2018, she became increasingly invested in radical religious beliefs, reading books about near-death experiences and listening to podcasts by excommunicated Mormons.[63]
In October 2018, together with Melanie Gibb and Zulema Pastenes whom she had recently befriended, Lori attended a "Preparing a People"[c] event. There, she met Chad Daybell for the first time.[62][65][66] Gibb and Pastenes both said that Lori had behaved in a very flirtatious manner with Chad at the conference.[67][68] Chad claimed to Lori that they had been married in multiple previous lifetimes. They started communicating privately afterwards.[65]
After their initial meeting, Lori's husband went on a business trip, giving her the opportunity to hold a small overnight gathering at her home. Chad and Gibb were among the attendees, with Chad captivating Lori and the group by sharing his Mormon-influenced,[69] but unique beliefs. Lori developed a strong attachment to Chad and his teachings.[65]
On December 5, 2018, Chad and Lori appeared together on the Preparing a People[70] podcast episode "Time to Warrior Up". The two were featured in several other episodes.[36]
A religious group formed around Chad and his teachings:[71] Chad and Lori told their followers that they belonged to the "Church of the Firstborn"[d] of which Chad was the leader.[66][72] The group included Lori's niece, Melani Boudreaux,[e][39] Melanie Gibb,[77] Lori's brother, Alex Cox,[78] and Zulema Pastenes, who eventually became Alex's girlfriend and then wife.[66] Gibb also co-hosted a radical religious podcast with Lori.[36]
Lori and Chad's beliefs
Reincarnation - which is not accepted by the LDS Church - played a key part in Chad's religious views.[2] He claimed to have lived 31 previous lives[65] on different planets[2] and that Lori had lived 21 separate lives, five of which coincided with his own experiences on Earth. Lori eventually told Melanie Gibb that she and Chad were sealed due to their previous marriages in their past lives, despite their respective spouses being still alive. When Gibb suggested that Chad and Lori should divorce their spouses, Lori told her they were "not allowed to" because of information they were receiving "from the other side of the veil".[65]
Chad also claimed to be a reincarnation of James the Less, that Lori had been James' wife under the name "Elena", and that in other past lives Lori had been Mary French the great-grandmother of Joseph Smith, as well as the wife of the prophet Moroni.[2][66][79] According to Chad, past lives were "multiple probations" on Earth. This belief is shared by some Mormon fundamentalist groups who consider that such "probations" are necessary for one to reach exaltation.[79]
Chad categorized people as "light" or "dark," based on his assigning them an affiliation with Jesus Christ or Satan.[65][80] Chad and Lori employed a unique "scoring system" for good and evil, assigning every person a rating from "light" to "dark".[81] According to their belief system, "dark" people were possessed by evil spirits.[82] The group often joined in "castings", ceremonies where they would try to cast away evil spirits through prayers and scripture readings.[77] They claimed that in some cases "possessed" people could become "zombies", and that the only way to banish a zombie was to kill the person.[78] Seven women within the group, including Lori and Zulema Pastenes, called themselves the "seven gatherers" and would do "castings" together, sometimes via Zoom.[83]
Chad and Lori also scored people on a "vibration" scale, and deemed those having enough "vibrations" to possess special powers, or to be translated.[81] Their beliefs also included teleportation[84] and "dark and light portals".[85] Chad claimed that he could create such supernatural "portals", which he used to "interact spiritually" with Lori,[65] receive revelations and travel to other realms.[81]
Chad predicted that the world would come to an end on July 22, 2020.[86] He told his followers that he was guided by angels and could see hidden truths, while Lori claimed to have direct communications with God and Jesus.[87] Lori came to believe that she was an "exalted goddess" with visionary powers, and that she and Chad were destined to lead the 144,000 people who would survive when the world ended.[63] Zulema Pastenes later told investigators that Lori believed that, as an exalted being, she couldn't be held responsible for her actions on Earth.[81]
Lindsay Park, executive director of the Sunstone education foundation, commented that these beliefs could be categorized as Mormon fundamentalism (though without the polygamy aspects) or "Mormon fanfic", as they took the fundamental tenets of the LDS Church and rewrote them to the extreme.[88] Journalist Leah Sottile, who wrote When the Moon Turns to Blood about the case, said that Chad and Lori had been active "at the fringes, the far right fringes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", and were able to meet due to an "ecosystem of extremism" that exists in those circles.[89]
Killing of Charles Vallow
Charles Vallow | |
|---|---|
| Born | Leland Charles Anthony Vallow August 17, 1956 |
| Died | July 11, 2019 (aged 62) |
| Cause of death | Shooting |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | McNeese State University |
| Occupation(s) | Semi-professional baseball player, Financial consultant |
| Spouse(s) | [90] Cheryl Wheeler (m. 1992; div. 2003)Lori Ryan (m. 2006) |
| Children | Nicholas Charles (Cole), Zachary Chase (Zach), and Joshua Jaxon Vallow (J. J.) |
| Parent(s) | El and Tilda June Vallow |
| Notes | |
By February 2019, Lori reportedly informed Charles that "she no longer cared about him or J.J.". She then vanished for 58 days.[57] The same month, Charles filed for divorce, citing threats to his life, as well as the theft of his truck and US$35,000 from their joint bank accounts.[93] According to Charles' filing, Lori had told him that he was possessed by a "dark spirit" called "Ned Schneider",[94] that she was "a God assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ's Second Coming" which would happen in July 2020, and that she would murder him if he got in the way of her mission.[86]
Charles sought a protective order against Lori at the advice of his attorney.[93] He withdrew the petition one month later, saying he "wanted to try to make the marriage work."[36] Nevertheless, Charles had become so worried by Lori's actions that in February 2019, he changed his $1 million life insurance policy so the beneficiary would be his sister Kay rather than his wife. Lori was unaware of this until after Charles' death.[95]
Arizona police detectives later retrieved text messages between Chad, Lori and her brother Alex Cox which referred to Charles as "Ned" or "Hiplos", the names of the "spirit" said to possess him.[96] Lori told members of her religious group that her husband had become a "zombie". Several followers repeatedly joined to pray for Charles' demise.[81]
Having discovered his wife's affair with Chad Daybell, Charles Vallow confronted Lori about it. Eleven days before his death, he sent an email to Tammy Daybell to inform her that their spouses were cheating.[81] Evidence later showed that Tammy had opened and deleted the message, and blocked Charles' email address.[97] On July 1, 2019, Charles told Lori that he planned to meet Tammy in person. At that point, Lori and Chad were communicating constantly with burner phones.[98]
On July 11, 2019, Charles went to pick up J.J. at Lori's home in Chandler, Arizona. Alex Cox was present. An altercation occurred and Cox shot and killed Charles,[1][99] later claiming self-defense. Cox alleged that he had confronted Charles about abusing his sister and retrieved his gun in response to being struck with a bat.[84][100] Tylee told the police that she had witnessed part of the incident, but had run away from the house with J.J. before the shooting.[101] No charges were pressed.[84][102] Neighbors reported that later that day, they heard a pool party with "loud music" at Lori's home.[36] Cox told Zulema Pastenes that he did not feel bad because he had killed a "zombie".[66]
Before Charles' death, his attorneys stated he had been primarily concerned for J.J.'s safety and well-being, as the boy needed a consistent routine due to his special needs.[93] Charles was also concerned for Tylee, but he was unable to include her in the filings as she was not his biological daughter, nor had he filed to legally adopt her, and thus he had no legal standing.[36]
Days after Charles' death, Chad sent Lori a love story in the form of a series of text messages. The story, which investigators called a "romance novel", told the meeting of "James" and "Elena" – the names Chad substituted for himself and Lori – and gave a detailed description of their sexual relationship.[103][104]
Disappearances of Tylee and J.J.
Tylee Ryan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Tylee Ashlyn Ryan September 24, 2002 |
| Disappeared | September 9, 2019 (aged 16)[f] |
| Cause of death | Murder (method undetermined due to state of remains) |
| Body discovered | June 9, 2020 Rexburg, Idaho, U.S. |
| Citizenship | American |
| Parents |
|
Joshua Jaxon "J. J." Vallow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Canaan Todd Trahan[106] May 25, 2012 |
| Disappeared | September 23, 2019 (aged 7)[g] |
| Cause of death | Murder by asphyxiation |
| Body discovered | June 9, 2020 Rexburg, Idaho, U.S. |
| Citizenship | American |
| Parents |
|
By the end of August, Lori relocated to Rexburg, Idaho with her children. Alex Cox also moved there.[103] Just before moving to Idaho, Lori sold J.J.'s service dog.[107]
While Lori and her children resided in Rexburg, neighbors noticed J.J.'s erratic behavior as Lori often left him outside without adult supervision for long periods of time. When confronted about this, Lori did not mention that J.J. was autistic but told neighbors that he was "her niece's drug baby".[59]
Tylee was last seen on September 8, 2019, at Yellowstone National Park with her brother J.J., her mother Lori, and her uncle Alex Cox.[36] She was never enrolled at any school in Idaho, even though her mother had claimed she was attending BYU-Idaho.[103]
On September 17, 2019, a doorbell video captured J.J. playing with a friend, the last known footage of him.[108] He last attended Rexburg's Kennedy Elementary School on September 20. On September 22, Melanie Gibb and her boyfriend, David Warwick, were staying at Lori's home. Around 10:30 p.m, Warwick saw Alex Cox take J.J., who was sleeping, upstairs to his bedroom. This was J.J.'s last confirmed sighting. On the next morning, J.J. was absent: Lori told Gibb and Warwick that J.J. had been misbehaving so Alex Cox had picked him up.[109]
On September 23, J.J. had an unexcused absence from school.[110] The next day, Lori informed Rexburg Elementary School that she would now be homeschooling J.J.[111] In the months that followed her children's disappearances, Lori kept collecting the Social Security Survivor benefits that each received after the death of their respective father.[112]
In October 2019, two Venmo payments were made from Tylee's account to her older half-brother, Colby Ryan, with love-expressing messages attached, which was the last time Colby had heard from Tylee. When he expressed concern towards Tylee via text, he received responses from her cell phone indicating she was safe but too busy to talk.[36] After repeated calls to Tylee went unanswered, Colby became more worried.[113]
Brandon Boudreaux[85] and Melanie Gibb[80][114] later said that Lori and Chad were convinced Tylee and J.J. were "possessed" and had become "zombies".[115] Zulema Pastenes testified that Chad had told his followers that J.J. would die soon, only to come back as Colby's son.[66]
The FBI uncovered text messages in which Lori and Chad discussed Tylee and J.J.'s "possession" and mentioned "a perfectly orchestrated plan to take the children". A text exchange between Lori and Alex Cox mentioned "working on Z's", referring to zombies.[116]
Shooting of Brandon Boudreaux
On October 2, 2019, Brandon Boudreaux, the estranged husband of Lori's niece Melani, was shot at from a Jeep while driving home in Gilbert, Arizona. The bullet missed Boudreaux's head by inches. Boudreaux, who had been close to Charles and Lori Vallow's family, recognized the Jeep as a vehicle used by Tylee Ryan. The Jeep drove away, but Boudreaux could give its license plate number to the police who identified it as being registered to Charles Vallow.[61][117]
Melani had become very involved in her aunt's religious activities during 2018 and had insisted that she and her husband buy food stockpiles for the end of the world.[61] During the summer of 2019, she had demanded a divorce, which was not yet finalized when Boudreaux was shot at.[118] Boudreaux said he had been blindsided by the divorce request,[39] which he blamed on Melani's involvement in her aunt's "cult".[36]
After it became known that Tylee and J.J. were missing, Boudreaux was convinced that Charles' death, the children's disappearance and the attempt on his life were all connected to Lori's religious group.[118]
In February 2020, Boudreaux filed a court document claiming that the attempt on his life was motivated by insurance money, that the gunman was probably Lori's recently deceased brother Alex Cox, and that Melani was likely aware of Tylee and J.J.'s whereabouts.[39]
By tracking Alex Cox's cell phone data, investigators later found that Cox had searched on the Internet for directions to Boudreaux's address and had been present near Boudreaux's home during the hours before the shooting. On that day, Cox and Lori had communicated several times. Lori had later made Internet searches about a shooting in Gilbert, Arizona.[119]
Murder of Tammy Daybell
Tammy Daybell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tamara Douglas May 4, 1970 |
| Died | October 19, 2019 (aged 49) |
| Cause of death | Murder by asphyxiation |
| Resting place | Springville, Utah |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Brigham Young University |
| Occupation(s) | Computer teacher, school librarian, financial manager and graphic designer for Spring Creek Book Company |
| Organization(s) | Tammy Douglas Daybell Foundation, established after her death, for library and literacy programs in Utah and Idaho |
| Spouse | Chad Daybell (m. 1990) |
| Children | Garth, Emma, Seth, Leah and Mark Daybell |
| Parent(s) | Ronald and Phyllis Cooper Douglas |
| Notes | |
In February 2019, Chad had told his neighbors, Todd and Alice Gilbert, that he had had a vision that Tammy would pass away before her 50th birthday.[123]
On October 9, 2019, Tammy reported being shot at in her driveway by a masked man with what she thought was a paintball gun. The man pulled the trigger several times, but the gun was apparently unloaded. Police believed this to be a prank and could not identify the man.[36]
Ten days later, Tammy was found dead in her home, apparently from natural causes. Chad claimed that she had retired the previous night "with a terrible cough" and died in her sleep.[124] He said that Tammy had been experiencing low blood pressure, seizures, and negative reactions with homeopathic medicines, though nothing in her medical records supported this.[98]
Tammy's funeral was organised in Utah three days after her death. Alice Gilbert later said she had been surprised that the funeral came so soon, and felt like it had been "planned". The Gilberts also testified that, unlike his children, Chad did not seem devastated and had acted in a "businesslike" manner.[123] Chad's sister-in-law, Heather Daybell, said that Chad's behavior at Tammy's funeral did not ring true and that he "just didn't seem upset".[125] Jason Gwilliam said that he felt Chad was "not crying but trying to cry."[35] During the service, Chad mentioned in his talk that Tammy suffered from depression, commented that she was not easy to live with[98] and called her "lazy".[126]
According to police reports, Chad Daybell received life insurance payouts after Tammy's death totaling US$430,000 (equivalent to about $512,000 in 2023).[28]
Tammy's body was not autopsied initially due to Chad's refusal and the coroner's acceptance of his decision. However, after Tammy's body was exhumed and autopsied, it was determined that she had been asphyxiated by someone else. The autopsy results, completed by February 2021, were not publicly revealed until April 2023 during Lori Vallow Daybell's trial.[9][36]
Investigators later uncovered text messages between Chad and Lori, claiming that Tammy was in "limbo" and possessed by a spirit named "Viola".[127] At some point, Chad and Lori told their followers that Tammy had become a "zombie".[66]
Alex Cox's phone was located near the Daybells' residence on October 9, four hours before Tammy was shot at.[128] It pinged again in the same area ten days later, on the night Tammy died.[129] Police found at Cox's home an AR-15 that resembled the description Tammy had made of the supposed paintball gun. Cox had made several Internet searches about the use of an AR-15 and on how a Grendel round would impact a Dodge Dakota, which was the car the Daybells owned.[130] Prosecutors later said the "paintball gun" spotted by Tammy on October 9 was a real gun,[131] that may have jammed or misfired,[130] and that the shooter was probably Alex Cox.[131] Zulema Pastenes testified that she had been with Lori and her niece Melani to do a "casting" on the night Tammy was attacked in her driveway. At some point during that night, Lori talked with someone on the phone and became very angry, calling the other person "idiot, moron, stupid". After hanging up, she commented: "idiot can't do anything by himself".[66]
Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow's marriage and flight
Chad introduced Lori to his children the day after Tammy's funeral.[132] One week after Tammy's death, he also told Todd and Alice Gilbert that he had found the woman he would marry. Days later, Chad brought Lori to meet the Gilberts. Alice Gilbert described the situation as "awkward", with Chad and Lori laughing and giggling, and being very affectionate to each other, more than Gilbert had seen Chad be with Tammy. Chad also mentioned that Lori "recently had a daughter who had passed away".[123] Chad later told Tammy's sister that he and Lori had bonded over their recently dead spouses and that Lori had no children, so they would be "empty nesters".[133]
Chad and Lori were married in Hawaii on November 5, 2019, two weeks after the death (not yet known by others to be a killing) of Tammy,[134] and two months after Tylee and J.J. were murdered (a fact also not yet known by others, who did not even know that the children were missing).[36] Apart from his children, Chad did not inform his family beforehand. Chad's mother discovered that he and Lori were married upon meeting Lori.[34][125]
Investigators later found in Lori's Web history that she had ordered a pair of wedding rings in August 2019, several months before Tammy's death, and that she had searched for wedding dresses on the day of Tammy's burial.[135]
On November 26, police visited Lori's townhouse in Rexburg for a welfare check on J.J. at the request of his grandmother – Charles Vallow's sister, Kay Vallow Woodcock. A police detective initially found Chad and Alex Cox at Lori's home. Both men acted suspiciously, with Alex Cox (not knowing that it was Kay who had requested the welfare check) claiming that J.J. was with his grandmother and Chad (whom the detective knew was married to Lori) saying that he was a friend of Alex and that he "hardly knew" Lori.[136] Police later reached Lori, who claimed that J.J. was in Arizona with her friend Melanie Gibb.[36] However, when contacted by police, Gibb stated that J.J. had not been with her for several months.[137] That night, a neighbor observed Lori and Alex Cox packing a truck outside her home.[138] The following day, when the police and FBI arrived to search the house, it was abandoned. Chad's home was also searched by investigators.[138]
Lori and Chad returned to Hawaii, where they resided in a gated community in Princeville, Kauai,[139] living off the money Chad had received from his wife's life insurance.[28] While searching for a home in Hawaii, Chad had written in an application that the couple had no children.[140]
Investigations
Prosecutors in Idaho became involved in the case when police requested a warrant for locating the Jeep from which Brandon Broudeaux had been shot at in Arizona.[141] On December 6, 2019, Melanie Gibb contacted the police, revealing that both Lori and Chad had called her separately on November 26 and had asked her to tell police that J.J. was with her.[137] Police efforts to locate J.J. led to the discovery that Tylee was also missing.[142] A connection was made between the investigations in Idaho and those in Arizona.[141] Law enforcement agencies intensified their inquiries about the children's whereabouts, as well as Chad and Lori's departure from Idaho. It was also decided to further investigate Tammy's death: her body was exhumed for an autopsy on December 11.[9][36]
On December 20, the Rexburg Police Department announced that the children were officially missing and asked the public's assistance in locating them. Investigators expressed concern for the children's safety, asserting that they were not with Chad and Lori and that Lori had refused to cooperate with the investigation, opting to leave the state with Chad instead. The police also announced that the children's disappearance could be linked to Tammy Daybell's "suspicious death". The next day, police announced Lori and Chad as "persons of interest".[36]
The case soon received national coverage, with family and friends describing Chad and Lori's "cult-like" beliefs in interviews and on social media posts.[118] On December 23, 2019, the Daybells released statements through a Rexburg attorney, who said that "Chad Daybell was a loving husband and he has the support of his children in this matter”, adding that Lori was a “devoted mother” who “resents assertions to the contrary” and that the "allegations" would be addressed "once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor".[36]
Colby Ryan, J.J.'s grandparents Larry and Kay Woodcock, and Chad Daybell's brother Matt, issued messages asking the Daybells to return the children. On January 7, 2020, the Woodcocks held a press conference in Rexburg offering a $20,000 reward for the children's return or for any information leading to them.[36][103]
On January 25, 2020, after Lori and Chad were located in Kauai, law enforcement agents served them with a court order requiring Lori to "physically produce" within five days Tylee and J.J. to the Idaho Department of Welfare or to the Rexburg Police Department.[36] The next day, police seized the couple's rental car and searched their rental townhome in Princeville,[103] where they found Tylee's debit card and J.J.'s iPad.[143] Also on January 26, the Daybells were confronted over the children's disappearance by East Idaho News journalist Nate Eaton: they refused to answer questions.[103]
In February 2020, authorities focused on a storage locker in Rexburg that had been rented by Lori in October 2019. They discovered belongings linked to Tylee and J.J., including clothing, bikes, and photographs. These items had been left behind when Lori abruptly left Rexburg in late November 2019. Video footage captured Lori and Alex Cox moving items to and from the locker before her departure.[144]
Death of Alex Cox
On November 24, 2019, Chad Daybell gave Alex Cox a "patriarchal blessing", which he had no standing to give in the LDS Church,[145] saying that Alex had assisted him and Lori "in ways that can never be repaid". Chad called Alex a prophet and a hero[146] and predicted he would have a future as a "messenger of the Lord". The recording of this "blessing" was later found by investigators on Lori's iCloud account.[145]
Alex Cox died on December 12, 2019.[147] His death was attributed to blood clots and high blood pressure.[148][149]
The day before his death, Cox had been informed by Lori and Chad that Tammy Daybell's body was going to be exhumed. Zulema Pastenes later testified that Cox had told her he was worried about being Lori and Chad's "fall guy".[150]
Arrests and criminal charges
Lori's arrest
On February 20, 2020, Lori was arrested in Hawaii by the Kauai Police Department.[151] On March 5, 2020, she was extradited back to Idaho.[152]
Lori faced charges in Madison County, Idaho, including two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children, as well as three misdemeanors. Her bail was initially set at $5 million,[151] but was later lowered to $1 million after her extradition to Idaho. In May, Lori appeared in court in Rexburg to request a further reduction of her bail, which was denied.[153] Multiple local bond companies were reportedly unwilling to work with her.[154]
After Lori's arrest, Chad returned to Idaho. He tried to convince the Gilberts to put their home up for bond to get Lori out of prison, claiming that Jesus had given him this idea. When Alice Gilbert asked him about the children and confronted him on what he had said about Lori's daughter being dead, Chad answered that it was a custody issue. He added at some point that Tylee "didn't like people" and didn't like him, using the past tense.[123]
Discovery of the children's remains and Chad's arrest
On June 9, police found human remains buried in the backyard of Chad's home during a search of the premises.[155] The bodies were found in an area the Daybell family called the pet cemetery, as it had been used to bury their cats and dogs.[156] As the property was being searched, Chad phoned Lori in jail to warn her about the situation. After police found and began to unearth the bodies, he tried to drive off from the scene, but was chased down and apprehended.[157] He was arrested for obstruction or concealment of evidence. The next day, his bail was set at $1 million.[12][13]
Authorities had decided to search Daybell's property after tracking Alex Cox's cell phone. On September 9, 2019, the day after Tylee's last verifiable sighting, Cox's phone had pinged in the middle of the night at Lori's home, then in the morning at Daybell's home. In the morning of September 23, the day after J.J.'s was last seen, Cox's phone had again pinged at Daybell's property.[158] The FBI also intercepted a September 9 text conversation between Chad Daybell and his wife: Chad told Tammy he had shot a large raccoon after finding it in their backyard that morning, and buried it in their "pet cemetery". Investigators found that suspicious, as raccoons are normally nocturnal animals.[159]
On June 10, the Woodcock and Ryan families confirmed that the human remains found on Chad's property were those of Tylee and J.J.[160] This finding was officially confirmed by Rexburg police on June 13.[11][161][162] Tylee's body was burned and her hands had been cut off; J.J.'s body was wrapped in plastic.[163][164] Unlike Tylee, J.J. had been buried with great care, under rocks and wooden planks.[165]
It was determined that J.J. had been asphyxiated with a plastic bag and duct tape over his mouth.[166] Due to the state of her remains, Tylee's cause of death could not be determined and was ruled a "homicide by unspecified means".[163][167] Tylee's bones were fractured in several places, from which forensic examiners deduced that someone had attempted to dismember her. Her DNA was found on a pickaxe and a shovel seized at Daybell's home.[163][168] Alex Cox's fingerprints and Lori's hair were found on the plastic and duct tape on J.J.'s remains.[166]
In August, Chad Daybell was excommunicated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the basis of his religious teachings,[169] which the media has later described as a "doomsday cult".[170]
Charges
On July 2, 2020, prosecutors dropped two charges against Lori related to desertion and nonsupport of dependent children, and instead charged her with obstruction or concealment of evidence regarding her children's remains.[171]
On July 17, in light of the two felony counts against Lori having been dropped, her bond was lowered by Madison County judge Michelle Mallard. The bond was set at $50,000 for each charge, totaling $150,000. It was further noted that Chad would still need to post $1 million in Fremont County to be released from jail.[171]
On May 25, 2021, Chad and Lori were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for the deaths of Tylee, J.J. and Tammy, as well as grand theft by deception regarding the children. Lori was also charged with grand theft related to her children's Social Security Survivor benefits. Chad faced an insurance fraud charge related to Tammy's life insurance policy.[172]
In June 2021, Lori was indicted by a grand jury in Maricopa County, Arizona on one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for the death of Charles Vallow.[173][174] Police documents read that "the evidence shows that Charles' death was a planned event and necessary to prevent Charles and others from confronting Lori about her extreme religious beliefs when he came to town. (...) The death of Charles Vallow was also necessary in order for Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow to marry and fulfill their religious prophecy".[96]
In July 2021, prosecutors in Maricopa County decided not to prosecute Chad Daybell in connection with the death of Charles Vallow, citing "no reasonable likelihood of conviction".[175]
In September 2021, Chad Daybell's children issued a statement defending their father's innocence and claiming he had been "fooled in the worst, most deadly way possible" by Lori Vallow.[176]
In 2022, Lori was indicted by a grand jury on one count of first-degree premeditated murder related to claims that she conspired with her brother to kill Brandon Boudreaux.[174] Prosecutors believe that Lori hoped to access Boudreaux's money through her niece.[61]
Trials
A jury trial for the Madison County charges against Lori was initially set for January 25–29, 2021.[171] On May 27, 2021, Lori was found incompetent and unfit to stand trial, and her case was stayed.[177] On April 11, 2022, she was deemed competent to stand trial after mental health treatment.[178] On October 6, 2022, after Lori's attorney filed several motions, Judge Steven W. Boyce issued an order indicating the case was suspended until her competency to stand trial could be determined.[179] On November 16, she was once again found competent.[180]
Lori and Chad both pleaded not guilty to all charges in Idaho.[181] Their cases were split in March 2023,[182] at Chad's request.[183] The reasons were that Chad had waived his right to a speedy trial and his attorneys said they needed more time to review DNA evidence.[182] Chad's attorneys also cited the "mutually antagonistic nature of the defendants' positions".[183] Since Lori had not waived her right to a swift trial, the court ruled that her case would proceed as planned.[182]
Lori
On March 21, 2023, the judge removed the death penalty from Lori Vallow Daybell due to newly uncovered DNA evidence, discovered too close to the trial to be tested and admitted into court.[184]
Lori Vallow Daybell's trial began on April 3, 2023, in Boise, Idaho.[181] She did not testify in her own defense. Her lawyers did not call any witnesses, while the prosecution called about 60 people to testify.[185][186]
In the light of the evidence that pointed to Alex Cox's direct involvement in the murders, prosecutors stated that Lori Vallow Daybell had "groomed" and "manipulated" her brother to participate in her crimes.[129] Lori's sister Summer Shiflet testified that Alex had suffered brain damage in a car accident and that his decision-making was "stuck at a teenage level".[187] Zulema Pastenes said that Alex was entirely under the influence of Chad and Lori, who had convinced him that he was a reincarnated warrior of God and that "the only reason he had come to Earth was to protect Lori".[87] In his closing argument, Lori's attorney Jim Archibald depicted her as being under Chad Daybell's psychological control.[188]
On May 12, 2023, Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty of all criminal charges.[189] On July 31, 2023, she was sentenced to consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for, respectively, the murder of Tylee, the murder of J.J., and the conspiracy to commit murder charge of Tammy, in addition to fines and restitution for the grand theft charges.[190]
Judge Boyce said that Vallow Daybell had murdered her children to "remove them as obstacles and to profit financially", by choosing "the most evil and destructive path possible" and going down "a bizarre, religious rabbit hole" to justify their killings.[191]
Before her sentencing, Lori made her first public statement since her arrest. She said that she had been speaking to Jesus, as well as to her children and to Tammy who were "happy and extremely busy" in heaven. She also stated: "Jesus Christ knows that no one was murdered in this case. Accidental deaths happen, suicides happen, fatal side effects from medications happen."[191]
In November 2023, Lori was extradited to Arizona to face her two conspiracy charges there. She pleaded not guilty to both.[174][192] In February 2024, her trial was scheduled to begin on August 1, 2024, though the judge mentioned that it may be moved at a later date due to the amount of evidence to process.[193]
Chad
On November 9, 2023, Chad Daybell's legal team filed three motions to remove the death penalty in his murder trial. The final motion stated that Lori had "manipulated" Chad "through emotional and sexual control" and that Chad had "lesser culpability than his co-defendant, who did not face the death penalty".[194] The motions were denied in December.[195]
Chad Daybell's trial opened on April 10, 2024.[196] In his opening statement, prosecutor Rob Wood depicted him as a man motivated by "sex, money and power" and craving for significance, who saw his spouse and Lori's children as obstacles to his rightful destiny. Chad's attorney John Prior painted him as a religious man who had been "lured" into an inappropriate relationship by Lori Vallow: his statement also focused on Alex Cox's history of violence and his role as "Lori's protector".[14]
On May 16, Chad's defense team filed a motion for acquittal after it appeared that an amended indictment had incorrectly listed J.J. Vallow's death as having occurred between September 8–9, 2019 instead of September 22-23. Judge Boyce ruled that this clerical error was not ground for acquittal.[197][198]
Two of Chad's children, Emma and Garth, testified in their father's defense and said their mother had been experiencing health problems and "was getting tired extremely easily".[199] On the contrary, three former colleagues of Tammy Daybell said that she seemed healthy and energetic up until the day before her death.[143] Tammy's sister also testified that Tammy had seemed fine when she visited her on October 14, 2019.[98]
Chad did not take the stand.[200] During the closing arguments, prosecutor Lindsey Blake summarized the evidence that pointed to Chad's crucial role in coordinating and giving a religious justification to the murders. Prior painted Lori and Alex Cox as the true culprits, stating that Lori had been motivated by greed, that she had manipulated Chad all along and that Chad would likely have been her next victim.[98]
On May 30, 2024, the jury found Chad guilty of first degree murder and conspiracy in the deaths of Tammy, Tylee and J.J. He was also found guilty of grand theft by deception related to the children's killing and of insurance fraud related to Tammy's. The Woodcocks expressed their satisfaction at the verdict. Larry Woodcock commented, about Chad and Lori's crimes: "What did they accomplish? Nothing. What did they do? They destroyed families."[201][202] It was confirmed that the prosecution would seek the death penalty for Chad.[203]
At his sentencing hearing, Chad chose not to present any mitigation evidence.[204] On June 1, 2024, he was sentenced to death.[18][205] For the insurance fraud charges, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, each to run concurrent to death and to the restitution of $130,000 plus $300,000. Since Chad had been deemed indigent, no fines were added to the insurance fraud sentence.[205]
Tammy Daybell's extended family, Matt and Heather Daybell, as well as the Boudreaux, Cox and Shiflet families issued statements expressing their relief at the end of the trials and their thoughts for the victims, and praising the work of law enforcement, prosecution team, judge and jurors.[206]
Depictions in the media
In 2021, Lifetime Movie Network released a dramatization of the Lori Vallow story as a made-for-TV movie titled Doomsday Mom, also marketed as Doomsday Mom: The Lori Vallow Story starring Lauren Lee Smith as Lori Vallow, Marc Blucas as Chad Daybell, Linda Purl as Kay Woodcock, and Patrick Duffy as Larry Woodcock.[207][208]
In 2022, Netflix released the three-episode documentary series entitled Sins of Our Mother, mostly centered from the perspective of her surviving child and Tylee's older brother, Colby.[209]
The story of the case was the subject of the 2022 book When the Moon Turns to Blood by investigative journalist Leah Sottile.[210]
See also
Notes
References
External links
- Eaton, Nate (February 13, 2020). ""Keith Morrison previews Dateline special on Daybell case that is 'nothing like anything else' he's ever seen"". East Idaho News. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- Staff, Eastidahonews.com (January 30, 2023). "The latest timeline in the cases of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell". East Idaho News. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- Kathryne Teurfs, Lauren Turner Dunn, Chelsea Narvaez, Michelle Singer. "What did Lori Vallow Daybell do? A full timeline of the "doomsday mom" case". CBS News. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
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