Lori Vallow trial – update: Cult mom’s cousin speaks out after Chad Daybell’s chilling ‘dream’ revealed
Lori Vallow’s cousin has spoken out about how the murders surrounding the so-called “cult mom” tore their family apart.
Megan Eyden’s interview with NewsNation came at the end of the third week of Ms Vallow’s trial in Boise, Idaho, where she is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, and her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy.
Ms Eyden revealed that family tension first arose two months before the children vanished, when Ms Vallow’s fourth husband Charles was shot dead by her brother Alex Cox in Arizona in July 2019.
She shared her fear that if the family had held Ms Vallow and Cox accountable at the time, JJ and Tylee may still be alive.
During the latest testimony in the bombshell case - which multiple murders, unexplained deaths and cult beliefs - the court heard how Mr Daybell allegedly had a dream about his wife Tammy dying “before she turned 50”.
“He said her time was coming up and him and Lori were going to do things they committed to do for God,” Ms Vallow’s friend David Warwick testified.
Key points
Chad Daybell’s chilling ‘dream’ about wife’s death
JJ vanished after ‘knocking over picture of Christ’
Lori Vallow’s chilling response to question about missing daughter
Cult mom told friend her husband needed to die to prepare for Second Coming
Lori Vallow trial hears emotional prison call with surviving son
Shocked court hears how JJ was found buried in red pyjamas
Lori Vallow went to Burger King minutes after brother killed husband
18:30 , Rachel Sharp
Lori Vallow went to Burger King minutes after her brother Alex Cox shot and killed her fourth husband Charles Vallow, jurors heard in court this week.
Charles Vallow was shot dead by Cox at Ms Vallow’s home in Chandler, Arizona, in July 2019. Cox claimed he shot Charles in self-defence because he tried to attack him with a baseball bat. Ms Vallow is now charged with conspiracy to murder Charles in Arizona.
Detective Cassandra Ynclan, with the Chandler Police Department in Arizona, testified about Ms Vallow’s lack of concern for her husband when he was shot dead. She told the court how Ms Vallow claimed she did not witness the shooting but heard a gunshot and saw Charles on the ground.
She left the scene and took JJ to school, stopping off at Burger King on the way. She returned around an hour later.
A firefighter who responded to the scene also testified that no one had performed CPR on Charles before his arrival.
Who is doomsday cult mom Lori Vallow?
16:30 , Rachel Sharp
Lori Vallow was once seen as a doting mother.
Now, she is on trial for the murders of her two youngest children and the ex-wife of her new husband Chad Daybell in a chilling case with a doomsday cult at its core.
The 49-year-old mother-of-three is charged with the murders of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, who vanished without a trace in September 2019.
Almost one year later, their bodies were found buried on the grounds of Mr Daybell’s property in Idaho.
She is also charged with the first-degree murder of Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell who died suddenly one month after the children’s disappearance.
But who really is Lori Vallow and how did she end up here? Read more below:
Lori Vallow: Who is the ‘cult mom’ on trial for her children’s murders?
Key revelations from Lori Vallow’s trial:
14:30 , Rachel Sharp
“Cult mom” Lori Vallow is currently on trial in a case that has shocked the nation with its bizarre doomsday cult ties and the tragic deaths of almost everyone close to the mother-of-three and her new husband Chad Daybell.
The 49-year-old is charged with the murders of her children Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven, and Tylee Ryan, 16, and conspiracy to murder Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.
JJ and Tylee vanished without a trace back in September 2019, with their mother refusing to reveal their whereabouts to authorities for many months.
One month after they were last seen alive, Tammy – an otherwise healthy 49-year-old – died suddenly and Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell soon jetted off to Hawaii to get married on the beach.
In June 2020, the remains of JJ and Tylee were found buried on the grounds of Mr Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho, and the doomsday cult couple were eventually charged with murder.
Prosecutors allege that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell conspired with Ms Vallow’s brother Alex Cox to murder Tammy, JJ and Tylee as part of their bizarre cult beliefs – but also for financial purposes so that they could collect Tammy’s life insurance money and the children’s social security and survivor benefits.
After lengthy delays – due to the pandemic and Ms Vallow’s admission into a mental health facility – her trial is finally under way in a courtroom in Boise, Idaho.
Here are the key revelations from the trial – so far:
Cult beliefs and charred remains: Key revelations from Lori Vallow’s murder trial
LISTEN: Audio from 19 April trial
12:30 , Rachel Sharp
Vallow and Daybell were planning new life in Hawaii – without children
10:30 , Rachel Sharp
The doomsday couple was planning to embark on a new life together in Hawaii – without any children.
In court this week, jurors were shown an email sent by Chad Daybell to a realtor in Hawaii in November 2019, just days after the couple wed on a beach there.
In the email, he said that they were looking for a home for a couple “with no pets or children”.
“We are interested in seeing this property. Would the owners be interested in leasing this property to a clean couple with no pets or children? Please let us know. Thank you,” he wrote.
Lori Vallow confronted by best friend about JJ lies in secret recording
08:30 , Rachel Sharp
A phone call between “cult mom” Lori Vallow and her former best friend was played in court during her ongoing trial for the murders of two of her children.
The trial of Ms Vallow, 49, continues at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, almost three years after she was charged with killing her son Joshua “JJ” Vallow and daughter Tylee Ryan and conspiring to murder her doomsday preacher’s husband Chad Daybell’s first wife.
On Thursday, prosecutors played a phone conversation between Mr Daybell, Ms Vallow and her then-best friend Melanie Gibb, who was on the stand testifying for the state. In the early December 2019 call, which she recorded secretly, Ms Gibb delved into the couple’s bizarre cult beliefs and later confronted them for asking her to lie to the police about JJ’s whereabouts.
Read the full story:
Lori Vallow confronted by best friend about JJ lies in secret recording
‘Grand theft timeline’ revealed
06:30 , Rachel Sharp
During the trial this week, several law enforcement officials testified about what was described as “the grand theft timeline” – revealing the alleged financial motive for the killings.
Jurors heard how, in the months surrounding the murders, there were several suspicious changes to the social security payments meant for Tylee and JJ.
Tylee’s father – and Lori Vallow’s second husband – Joseph Ryan died in 2018 and so the teenager was eligible for the benefits.
On 16 August 2019, Tylee’s social security benefits were changed so that they would be paid into her mother’s bank account instead of her own. Three days later, Ms Vallow and Tylee opened a joint bank account.
Days later – on 31 August – Ms Vallow moved Tylee and JJ to Rexburg, Idaho, to where Chad Daybell lived. On 8 September,Tylee was last seen alive.
A similar pattern was presented to jurors with JJ’s finances. After Charles Vallow’s death, his son JJ began receiving social security payments. Ms Vallow began receiving the payments into her bank account on her son’s behalf in September. Days later, prosecutors say JJ was killed.
Even after the deaths of JJ and Tylee, Ms Vallow allegedly continued to collect the social security payments.
Ms Vallow’s accounts were then used to pay for flights for herself and Mr Daybell.
Jurors also heard how Mr Daybell made a life insurance claim for Tammy Daybell just days after she died in October 2019. He ultimately received $400,000 in benefits from it.
Who was Tammy Daybell?
04:30 , Rachel Sharp
Tammy Daybell was Chad Daybell’s first wife who he allegedly murdered in October 2019.
In October 2019, Tammy called 911 after a man allegedly shot at her in the driveway of her home. She took to Facebook to describe the incident.
Just 10 days later, Tammy died suddenly in her sleep at the age of 49. Her death was initially ruled natural causes and Mr Daybell declined an autopsy.
But following the disappearance of Tylee and JJ, law enforcement officials grew suspicious. Her body was exhumed for an autopsy, with officials finding she actually died by asphyxiation.
Now, Mr Daybell is charged with her murder while both he and Lori Vallow are charged with conspiring to murder her.
Lori Vallow trial hears emotional prison call with surviving son Colby Ryan
02:30 , Rachel Sharp
On day six of testimony in the trial of “cult mom” Lori Vallow, the jury heard a recording of a phone call between the defendant and her eldest son from the early months of her incarceration.
Colby Ryan, Ms Vallow’s son from her second marriage, was called a witness for the prosecution. He is her only surviving child following the murders of daughter Tylee, 16, and adopted son JJ, 7, in September 2019.
In the emotional call between mother and son, Ms Vallow refused to switch on her camera, while Mr Ryan demanded to know whether Jesus had really told her to murder his siblings.
Read the full story:
Lori Vallow trial hears gut-wrenching prison call with surviving son Colby Ryan
Who was Charles Vallow?
01:30 , Rachel Sharp
Charles Vallow was Lori Vallow’s fourth husband. The couple married in 2006 and adopted JJ together.
In July 2019, Ms Vallow’s brother Alex Cox shot and killed Charles at Ms Vallow’s home in Chandler, Arizona.
Cox claimed that he shot Charles in self-defence when he tried to attack him with a baseball bat. However, Cox did not perform CPR on Vallow and waited 43 minutes to call police.
At the time, the case was closed as self-defence but, after it was reopened, investigators found that Cox and Ms Vallow allegedly conspired to kill Vallow.
His death came after he had warned – in divorce filings and police complaints – that he feared his wife would kill him and that she believed she was a god preparing for a second coming.
Ms Vallow is now facing charges in Arizona of conspiring to murder Charles.
Who was Alex Cox?
Saturday 22 April 2023 00:45 , Rachel Sharp
Alex Cox was Lori Vallow’s brother – who mysteriously died in December 2019.
Cox is also Ms Vallow and Chad Daybell’s alleged accomplice and co-conspirator in the murders of Tylee, JJ andTammy.
He also shot dead Ms Vallow’s fourth husband Charles Vallow in July 2019.
In December 2019 – just as Tammy’s body was being exhumed by authorities – Cox died suddenly aged 51.
His death has been ruled natural causes, with indications of a blood clot wedged in the arteries of his lungs. However, the overdose drug Narcan was also found in his system.
Napping in court, three words and typing too loudly: Bizarre moments from Lori Vallow’s murder trial
Saturday 22 April 2023 00:00 , Rachel Sharp
New harrowing and bizarre details about the cult beliefs which allegedly drove – or excused – Lori Vallow to kill continue to come to light during her murder trial in Ada County Courthouse.
But, beyond the trial testimony, there’s also been some bizarre happenings taking place inside the courtroom:
Bizarre moments from Lori Vallow’s murder trial
Lori Vallow believed husband was possessed by demon called Ned Schneider
Friday 21 April 2023 22:30 , Rachel Sharp
Lori Vallow’s friend testified that the cult mom believed her fourth husband Charles Vallow was possessed by demon called Ned Schneider.
April Raymond said she met Ms Vallow at a church in Hawaii in 2016 – when she was married to Charles Vallow – and became very close. In February 2019, she said that Ms Vallow called her and asked if she and Tylee could stay with her because she was leaving Charles.
Ms Raymond testified that Ms Vallow told her that Charles was possessed by a demon.
“Charles was already dead and a demon was using his body as a host. The demon’s name was Ned Schneider,” she said.
Ms Vallow allegedly said she knew he was no longer Charles because he looked “shorter”.
She also allegedly told Ms Raymond that she was “done with JJ”.
Ms Vallow told her that she was the leader of the 144,000 and was there to “gather” her so she too could be saved.
Cult beliefs, hazmat suits and charred remains: Key revelations from Lori Vallow’s murder trial so far
Friday 21 April 2023 21:45 , Rachel Sharp
“Cult mom” Lori Vallow is currently on trial in a case that has shocked the nation with its bizarre doomsday cult ties and the tragic deaths of almost everyone close to the mother-of-three and her new husband Chad Daybell.
The 49-year-old is charged with the murders of her children Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven, and Tylee Ryan, 16, and conspiracy to murder Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.
JJ and Tylee vanished without a trace back in September 2019, with their mother refusing to reveal their whereabouts to authorities for many months.
One month after they were last seen alive, Tammy – an otherwise healthy 49-year-old – died suddenly and Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell soon jetted off to Hawaii to get married on the beach.
In June 2020, the remains of JJ and Tylee were found buried on the grounds of Mr Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho, and the doomsday cult couple were eventually charged with murder.
Prosecutors allege that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell conspired with Ms Vallow’s brother Alex Cox to murder Tammy, JJ and Tylee as part of their bizarre cult beliefs – but also for financial purposes so that they could collect Tammy’s life insurance money and the children’s social security and survivor benefits.
After lengthy delays – due to the pandemic and Ms Vallow’s admission into a mental health facility – her trial is finally under way in a courtroom in Boise, Idaho.
Here are the key revelations from the trial – so far:
Cult beliefs and charred remains: Key revelations from Lori Vallow’s murder trial
WATCH: More disturbing testimony coming out of the Lori Vallow trial
Friday 21 April 2023 21:00 , Rachel Sharp
Who was Joshua 'JJ’ Vallow?
Friday 21 April 2023 20:15 , Rachel Sharp
Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, was the adoptive son of Ms Vallow and Charles Vallow.
The couple adopted the boy when he was around a year old. Charles Vallow’s sister Kay Woodcock was JJ’s biological grandmother.
JJ, who had autism, was last seen alive on 23 September 2019.
His remains were found buried on Mr Daybell’s property in Idaho in June 2020, his body wrapped in duct tape and a plastic bag.
Lori Vallow trial: Who are the key players?
Friday 21 April 2023 19:30 , Rachel Sharp
In a courtroom in Idaho, “doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow is now on trial for the murders of her two youngest children and her lover’s wife.
Prosecutors say that she conspired with lover Chad Daybell and brother Alex Cox to kill her children JJ and Tylee and Mr Daybell’s wife Tammy as part of their doomsday cult beliefs – but also so they could collect life insurance money and the kids’ social security and survivor benefits.
It’s a bizarre and tragic case that has shocked the nation over the last few years – and which is now playing out in court for the first time as Ms Vallow stands trial in Boise, Idaho.
Here are the key players in the sprawling case:
Who are the key players in Lori Vallow’s trial?
Who was Tylee Ryan?
Friday 21 April 2023 18:45 , Rachel Sharp
Tylee Ryan was Lori Vallow’s daughter from her third marriage to Joseph Ryan.
She was just 16 when she was last seen alive on 8 September 2019, in photos captured at Yellowstone National Park with JJ, her mother, and her uncle Alex Cox.
For months, Ms Vallow refused to say where Tylee and her brother JJ were.
In June 2020, Tylee’s remains were found on Chad Daybell’s property in Idaho. Her body had been dismembered, burned and buried on his pet cemetery.
Who is Chad Daybell?
Friday 21 April 2023 18:00 , Rachel Sharp
Chad Daybell, 54, is a self-published author who wrote doomsday books loosely based on the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
He was also a professional cemetery sexton and ran a podcast based on his doomsday teachings.
He married his first wife Tammy in 1990 and they founded Spring Creek Book Company together in Utah – the company which published his doomsday books.
The couple had five children together and moved to Salem, Idaho, in 2015.
Among his teachings, he claimed he could teleport, could see into the future and see dead people, and that he and Ms Vallow were part of the chosen 144,000.
He is also charged over the triple murders and is due to stand trial separately at a later date. He has pleaded not guilty.
He has not been charged over Charles Vallow’s death – but prosecutors in Arizona said this was only because they didn’t think the charges would stick.
Who is doomsday cult mom Lori Vallow?
Friday 21 April 2023 17:15 , Rachel Sharp
Lori Vallow was once seen as a doting mother.
Now, she is on trial for the murders of her two youngest children and the ex-wife of her new husband Chad Daybell in a chilling case with a doomsday cult at its core.
The 49-year-old mother-of-three is charged with the murders of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, who vanished without a trace in September 2019.
Almost one year later, their bodies were found buried on the grounds of Mr Daybell’s property in Idaho.
She is also charged with the first-degree murder of Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell who died suddenly one month after the children’s disappearance.
But who really is Lori Vallow and how did she end up here? Read more below:
Lori Vallow: Who is the ‘cult mom’ on trial for her children’s murders?
REMINDER: Court on break
Friday 21 April 2023 16:30 , Rachel Sharp
Lori Vallow’s trial is on a one-day break on Friday, with testimony set to resume in court on Monday.
Judge Boyce announced on Thursday that the trial will resume at 8.30am MT on Monday, as the case is moving faster than expected.
Follow here to catch up on everything you’ve missed about the bizarre, tragic case so far.
RECAP: What happened in court yesterday? Chad Daybell’s ‘raccoon’ text
Friday 21 April 2023 15:45 , Rachel Sharp
On Thursday, jurors heard about a chilling text Chad Daybell sent to his wife Tammy Daybell on the day after Tylee was last seen alive.
Tylee was last seen on 8 September 2019 at Yellowstone National Park.
On 9 September, Mr Daybell sent his wife this text: “Well, I’ve had an interesting morning! I felt I should burn all of the limb debris by the fire pit before it got too soaked by the coming storms.
“While I did so, I spotted a big racoon [sic] along the fence. I hurried and got my gun, and he was still walking along. I got close enough that one shot did the trick. He is now in our pet cemetery. Fun times!”
Months later, in June 2020, Tylee’s remains were found buried in the pet cemetery on the Daybell’s property.
RECAP: What happened in court yesterday? Chad Daybell’s chilling ‘dream'
Friday 21 April 2023 15:00 , Rachel Sharp
On Thursday, jurors heard about a chilling dream that Chad Daybell claimed he had about his wife Tammy Daybell dying.
Lori Vallow’s former friend David Warwick testified that Mr Daybell told him he dreamt “Tammy was going to pass away by the time she was 50”.
“I asked him how his marriage was with Tammy and if she was a good wife and he said he had no complaints and she was a good wife,” he told the court.
“He said her time was coming up and him and Lori were going to do things they committed to do for God.”
Tammy died sudenly on October 19 2019 aged 49.
She would have turned 50 in about six months’ time.
RECAP: What happened in court yesterday? JJ’s last known sighting
Friday 21 April 2023 14:15 , Rachel Sharp
On Thursday, Lori Vallow’s former friend David Warwick testified about the last time he saw JJ alive.
Mr Warwick said he and his wife Melanie Gibb visited Ms Vallow in Rexburg, Idaho, over a weekend in September 2019.
JJ was there for most of the weekend but then, on the morning they left, was nowhere to be seen.
Ms Vallow allegedly told him that JJ had “an episode and knocked over a picture of Christ”.
“We went downstairs to say goodbye and Lori was there and she just said that JJ had an episode,” he said.
“She said he was out of control and she could not control him and so she had Alex come get him… She said that he climbed the cabinets and the fridge and the upper cabinets and pushed over her picture of Christ.”
Full timeline of ‘doomsday cult mom’s’ mystery case
Friday 21 April 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp
Rachel Sharp compiled this timeline of the tragic and bizarre case:
Timeline of the Lori Vallow Daybell case
Everything we know about the Lori Vallow Daybell ‘doomsday cult’ murder trial
Friday 21 April 2023 12:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Rachel Sharp delves into the deeply disturbing tale of suspected murders, unexplained deaths and apocalyptic cult beliefs about killing zombies which surrounds Lori Vallow and her doomsday author husband Chad Daybell.
What we know about the Lori Vallow Daybell ‘doomsday cult’ murder trial
Revealed: Vallow’s chilling response to question about missing daughter
Friday 21 April 2023 12:00 , Oliver O'Connell
A former friend of Lori Vallow has revealed the “cult mom’s” chilling response after being confronted about her missing teen daughter.
Here’s what she said:
Lori Vallow’s chilling response to question about missing Tylee revealed
Vallow ‘upset’ after trial hears grisly details about crime scene
Friday 21 April 2023 11:30 , Oliver O'Connell
During the first week of testimony, “cult mom” Lori Vallow suddenly left the room where she is standing trial for the murders of her daughter and son after the court heard graphic details on how the children’s remains were recovered in a pet cemetery.
Here’s what happened:
Lori Vallow abruptly leaves court after trial hears grisly details about crime scene
JJ vanished after ‘knocking over picture of Christ'
Friday 21 April 2023 11:00 , Rachel Sharp
On Thursday, Lori Vallow’s former friend David Warwick testified about the last time he saw JJ alive.
Mr Warwick said he and his wife Melanie Gibb visited Ms Vallow in Rexburg, Idaho, over a weekend in September 2019.
JJ was there for most of the weekend but then, on the morning they left, was nowhere to be seen.
Ms Vallow allegedly told him that JJ had “an episode and knocked over a picture of Christ”.
Mr Warwick also told the court that Mr Daybell claimed he had dreamed about Tammy dying “before she turned 50”.
‘You ripped my heart out’ son tells Vallow
Friday 21 April 2023 10:30 , Oliver O'Connell
On day six of testimony in the trial of “cult mom” Lori Vallow, the jury heard a recording of a phone call between the defendant and her eldest son from the early months of her incarceration.
Colby Ryan, Ms Vallow’s son from her second marriage, was called a witness for the prosecution. He is her only surviving child following the murders of daughter Tylee, 16, and adopted son JJ, 7, in September 2019.
In the emotional call between mother and son, Ms Vallow refused to switch on her camera, while Mr Ryan demanded to know whether Jesus had really told her to murder his siblings.
Read more...
Lori Vallow trial hears gut-wrenching prison call with surviving son Colby Ryan
Court hears Vallow confronted by best friend in secret recording
Friday 21 April 2023 08:30 , Oliver O'Connell
A phone call between “cult mom” Lori Vallow and her former best friend was played in court during her ongoing trial for the murders of two of her children.
Last week, prosecutors played a phone conversation between Mr Daybell, Ms Vallow and her then-best friend Melanie Gibb, who was on the stand testifying for the state. In the early December 2019 call, which she recorded secretly, Ms Gibb delved into the couple’s bizarre cult beliefs and later confronted them for asking her to lie to the police about JJ’s whereabouts.
Andrea Blanco reports.
Lori Vallow confronted by best friend about JJ lies in secret recording
Why is Lori Vallow being tried separately from Chad Daybell?
Friday 21 April 2023 06:30 , Oliver O'Connell
The pair are accused of the same crimes but will be tried separately, Graig Graziosi explains why.
Lori Vallow to be tried separately from husband Chad Daybell over children’s murders
Lori Vallow claims to have an alibi for when her children were murdered, where was she?
Friday 21 April 2023 04:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Ahead of her trial, the so-called “Doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow offered up an alibi for the murders of her two children, claiming she was somewhere else when they died in her brother’s apartment – and bizarrely adding that her husband and alleged co-conspirator Chad Daybell may or may not have been with her at the time.
Andrea Blanco reports.
‘Doomsday cult mom’ Lori Vallow claims new alibi in murder of her two children
