Judge sentences Lori Daybell to life in Arizona trials: 'Wake of destruction'

Lori Daybell was sentenced to two life sentences in Arizona on Friday for conspiring with her late brother to kill her fourth husband, who was fatally shot in 2019, and her niece's ex-husband, who survived a failed drive-by shooting that same year.

Daybell was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in two separate trials in Maricopa County this spring. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years for each conviction, to be served consecutively, the judge said..

"In the face of such profound damage, a long prison sentence is not merely a punishment, it is a necessary affirmation that our society values justice, protection and the sanctity of human life," Judge Justin Beresky, who presided over both trials in Phoenix, said before handing down the sentences.

The so-called "doomsday mom" is already serving multiple life sentences after being convicted in 2023 of murdering two of her children. Prosecutors in the Idaho trial argued that she and her current husband, Chad Daybell, thought the children were possessed zombies and murdered them in 2019 so that they could be together. She was also found guilty of stealing Social Security survivor benefits allocated for the care of her children after they went missing.

Similarly, prosecutors in Maricopa County argued that she conspired with her brother to kill her estranged husband of 13 years, Charles Vallow, so she could get his $1 million life insurance policy and be with Chad Daybell, an author of religious fiction books whom she married four months after the deadly shooting.

Prosecutors further said she invoked their "twisted" religious beliefs as justification for the murder and gave her brother "religious authority" to kill Vallow because they believed he was possessed by an evil spirit they referred to as "Ned."

In the first of her Arizona trials, Lori Daybell argued that her brother, Alex Cox, shot Vallow in self-defense in her home in Chandler, Arizona, in July 2019.

She was then found guilty in a second trial of scheming with Cox to kill Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of her niece. Three months after Vallow's killing, Boudreaux called 911 to report that someone driving by in a Jeep shot at his vehicle outside his home in Gilbert, Arizona, missing his head by inches.

Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that Boudreaux continued to live in fear following the failed attempt on his life, wondering if Cox would "return to finish the job."

Cox died from natural causes later in December 2019.

Lori Daybell, 51, did not take the stand or call any witnesses in either trial, in which she represented herself. In her closing statement, she argued that her family has been struck by tragedy and that she did not conspire to commit any crime.

In remarks ahead of the sentencing, Maricopa County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Treena Kay disputed Lori Daybell's repeated claims that this was a "family tragedy."

"A family tragedy does not involve the intentional killing of a person," Kay said. "A family tragedy does not involve working with an accomplice to commit first-degree premeditated murder. And a family tragedy does not involve conspiring with others to kill."

She said Lori Daybell's motives were the same ones usually seen in murder cases: money and sex, saying that the deaths of Vallow and Boudreaux would have financially benefited her and her niece, respectively.

"Although this defendant denies it, her text messages and her own actions show that these were her motives," Kay said.

Lori Daybell continued to maintain her innocence in remarks ahead of the sentencing.

"I want everyone to know that I mourn with all of you. I am sorry for your pain. Losing those close to you is painful, and I acknowledge all of the pain, and I do empathize, I feel it, too," she said. "If I was accountable for these crimes I would acknowledge it."

She claimed she was prevented from presenting her side in the trials, which the judge said was "not true."

"When she says that she couldn't get a fair trial in Maricopa County, that is not the truth," Beresky said ahead of handing down the sentence.

She also questioned the necessity of additional life sentences on top of the multiple life sentences she's serving in Idaho. "Now I will serve seven life sentences -- will that be enough? Will that be enough?" she asked.

To that point, the judge said, "Justice demands not only recognition of the pain inflicted, but a firm response that upholds the dignity of every victim harmed by the actions of someone who has shown blatant disregard for humanity."

He said she has "left a wake of destruction" across multiple states and the "amount of contemplation, calculation, planning, manipulation that went into these crimes is unparalleled in my career."

"Your powers of manipulation are profoundly destructive, one that undermines trust, distorts truth and can erode the very foundations of healthy relationships and society," he said. "The impact of your manipulation has been devastating, insidious and far-reaching and perhaps still unknown."

The sentencing hearing comes after failed attempts at getting new trials on both counts. After being convicted of conspiring to kill Vallow, she also unsuccessfully tried to remove Judge Beresky from the case, claiming he was biased against her.

She frequently clashed with the judge while representing herself during the trials. During the second trial, Beresky at one point removed her from the courtroom after she became combative during discussions about her character. The judge had warned that if she referred to herself as having "great character," that could open the door for the state to introduce evidence to rebut that character, including regarding her previous convictions in Idaho.

Both Lori and Chad Daybell were found guilty of first-degree murder for the deaths of her children in separate trials in Fremont County, Idaho. Joshua "J.J." Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, went missing months after Charles Vallow was killed. Their remains were found on an Idaho property belonging to Chad Daybell in June 2020 following a monthslong search.

They were also found guilty of conspiring to kill Chad Daybell's first wife, Tamara Daybell, who died in October 2019 -- two weeks before Lori and Chad Daybell married in Hawaii. Chad Daybell was found guilty of murdering her.

Lori Daybell is currently serving life in prison without parole, while Chad Daybell was sentenced to death for the three murders and now awaits execution on Idaho's death row.

Several of Lori Daybell's relatives addressed the court ahead of the sentencing. In grief-stricken, at times angry remarks, they touched on the loss of Vallow as well as his nephew JJ, whom he and Lori Daybell had adopted, and Tylee, a child from Lori Daybell's third marriage.

Her eldest son, Colby Ryan, from her second marriage, remembered Vallow as a generous man.

"My father, Charles Vallow, cared for his family. He took care of our family, and he made sure we had a good life," Ryan said.

He said his mother told him Charles Vallow had died from a heart attack, before he learned the truth, and spoke about the pain of losing his father and then his siblings.

"I'm here to tell you the effect that this has had on me. In simple terms, each one of my family members was taken from us all in one swoop," Ryan said.

Regarding his mother, he said it "must be a very sad life to smile your way through all the pain you've caused."

"Rather than being able to acknowledge the pain that she has caused, she would rather say that Charles, Tylee and JJ's deaths were a family tragedy and not her evil doing," he said. "Quite frankly, I believe that Lori Vallow herself is the family tragedy."

One of Vallow's sisters, Susan Vallow, said the day her brother died "changed my life forever."

"My brother's death was a deliberate act of evil and self-seeking financial gain. Your greed has caused so much pain to this day," she said virtually.

Kay Woodcock, another one of Charles Vallow's sisters and JJ's biological grandmother, read a letter she wrote from the perspective of JJ in court.

"I can't be here to read this letter, because I am dead. I was murdered by the defendant Lori Daybell, or as I used to call her, mom," she read. "See, there are a whole lot of tragedies that have happened to my family, and all of them are the result of my mom's actions."

Vallow "never would have let her hurt me, and I know he died protecting me," the letter said.

"I should be 13 years old now, but I'm forever seven," she read.

At the end of the letter, she screamed at Lori Daybell, "I trusted you!" before breaking down in tears.

Her husband, Larry Woodcock, his anger visceral, called Lori Daybell a "narcissist, psychopath, delusional murderer."

"You're nothing, murderess," he said. "I can't stand you."

Following remarks by several members of his family, including his siblings and current wife, Boudreaux addressed how the attempted murder has impacted him.

"The betrayal by someone connected to my family has left me battling overwhelming emotions over the years," he said, his voice shaky. "I felt fear, paranoia. I lived with constant vigilance, loneliness, regret, sadness, depression, anger, heartache and embarrassment."

He said he has chosen to forgive Lori Daybell so he can be a better father, husband, son, neighbor and friend. "But I had never seen any remorse or acknowledgement from Lori," he said.