Jury Selection Begins in Lori Vallow-Daybell Murder Trial – Here’s What You Need to Know

It has been several years since Lori Vallow-Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, were indicted of murder charges after a series of suspicious deaths in their respective families. Vallow is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, a count of conspiracy to commit murder, and two counts of conspiracy. 

The two counts of first-degree murder are for the death of her children – 7-year-old JJ Vallow (who she adopted with Chad) and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan (who she shared with ex-husband Joseph Ryan). She’s also connected to the deaths of ex-husband, Charles Vallow, and Daybell’s ex-wife, Tammy Daybell

She was arrested in February 2020 and indicted of the charges in May 2021, but was ordered to receive treatment in a state mental facility after a judge ruled her not fit to stand trial. She was declared ‘restored to competency’ in April 2022 and was ruled fit to stand trial, with jury selection beginning on April 3, 2023.

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It all started when family members grew concerned about the welfare of JJ and Tylee in late-2019. JJ, who was 7 years old, was last seen on September 23, 2019 before being unenrolled from Rexburg’s Kennedy Elementary School. His adopted mother, Lori Vallow-Daybell was homeschooling him. 

As for 16-year-old Tylee, she was last seen on September 8, 2019 while at Yellowstone National Park. In November 2019, police started to question Lori Vallow-Daybell and Chad Daybell about her childrens’ whereabouts. They initially said JJ was with a family friend in Arizona, but police determined it was a lie.

By December 2019, Chad and Lori abruptly left Rexburg, Idaho and were eventually found in Hawaii in January 2020. They were ordered to provide proof of the children being alive and well, but failed to abide by the authorities’ orders. They were subsequently arrested in February 2020 and extradited to Idaho. 

Four months later, authorities executed a search of Chad’s homes and found the remains of JJ and Tylee on June 9, 2020 – JJ was buried in a pet cemetery, while Tylee was dismembered and burned in a fire pit. The couple were indicted of first-degree murder in May 2021, nearly a year after the bodies were found. 

Lori Vallow-Daybell Also Connected to Several Other Murders

In the midst of the search for JJ and Tylee, authorities decided to revisit the deaths of several others – which seemed suspicious with the newfound evidence against Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell. More specifically, authorities were revisiting the deaths of Lori’s ex-husband and Chad’s ex-wife. 

Charles Vallow was shot and killed on July 11, 2019 by Lori’s brother, Alex Cox – who claimed he did it out of self-defense. Tammy Daybell, on the other hand, passed away on October 19, 2019 of what appeared to be natural causes, but an autopsy later determined that she died by way of homicide.

Lori and Chad ended up getting married just two weeks after Tammy passed away, which raised suspicion in her death and ultimately led to Lori and Chad being charged for the murder. Several family members and ex-spouses have voiced their concern over Lori’s mental stability over the past few years. 

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Now that Lori Vallow-Daybell is fit to stand trial, her charges are finally being brought in front of a jury – which is being selected as we speak. While prosecutors originally wanted her to face the death penalty, that request was recently denied by 7th District Judge Steven Boyce in March. More details are coming!

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