Lori Vallow trial - live: Friend recalls last time JJ was seen alive and Chad Daybell’s chilling death warning

The high-profile trial of “doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow continues in Boise, Idaho, where she is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, and son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven.

Tylee and JJ were last seen alive in September 2019. Their bodies were found buried on the property of Ms Vallow’s new husband Chad Daybell in June 2020.

Ms Vallow, 49, is also charged with conspiracy to murder Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy in October 2019.

She has pleaded not guilty in a dramatic case spanning multiple murders, unexplained deaths and cult beliefs.

This week, the jury heard Ms Vallow’s surviving child Colby Ryan angrily confront his mother about his siblings’ deaths in a jailhouse phone call, telling her: “You ripped my heart out!”

Testimony also explained how Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell were planning a new life together in Hawaii – without any children — and how she stoel Social Security payments intended for Tylee and JJ.

On Thursday, a friend recalled a visit to Ms Vallow in Rexburg, Idaho, including the last sighting of JJ and a chilling warning from Mr Daybell about Tammy’s death.

Key points

• 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 confronted by best friend about JJ lies and relationship with Chad Daybell

• Shocked court hears how JJ was found buried in red pyjamas

• Lori Vallow trial hears emotional prison call with surviving son

Lori Vallow: Who is the ‘doomsday cult mom’ on trial for her children’s murders?

22:52 , Andrea Blanco

Lori Vallow is a mother-of-three, a former game show contestant, a Mrs Texas Beauty Pageant and a cult follower. But is she also a killer?

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

Lori Vallow: Who is the ‘cult mom’ on trial for her children’s murders?

Court is adjourned

22:49 , Andrea Blanco

Earlier today, Judge Boyce said the trial will resume on Monday at 8.30 MT, as the case is moving faster than expected.

Prosecution shows video recorded by Det Stubbs

22:45 , Andrea Blanco

Det Stubbs obtained warrants for three apartments in Lori’s complex after his department failed to find JJ.

Inside Lori’s Rexburg apartment, investigators retrieved guns in the garage of the apartment, as well as several Army-grade knives, and empty magazines for various weapons.

Police also found Hazmat-style suits and preparedness bags with emergency kits, a camouflage suit, ammunition, guns, silencers, and black trash bags full of clothes and papers. Toys and items belonging to JJ, including prescription medication, were also found in the search.

Det Stubbs tells jurors about Lori’s false claims

22:24 , Andrea Blanco

When Melanie Gibb failed to answer calls from Arizona police regarding JJ’s whereabouts, Det Stubbs and two other officers returned to Lori’s Rexburg apartment.

Later that day, Ms Gibb reached out to law enforcement and told them JJ was not with her.

Det Stubbs testified that there was no evidence any of Lori’s relatives were trying to kill her to receive life insurance money.

He also told jurors Lori’s claims that Tylee was enrolled at Brigham Young University were false.

Court watches bodycam of Rexburg PD officers confronting Lori

22:08 , Andrea Blanco

Lori told officers with the Rexburg police department that JJ was in Arizona with her friend Melanie Gibb.

She said Kay Woodstock, JJ’s biological grandmother, had been trying to gain access to the little boy and making Lori’s life hard in the process.

In the bodycam, Lori is also heard saying that her brother in Arizona, not Alex Cox, was trying to kill her.

“Not only were we dealing with a situation where one of these individuals was possibly involved in an attempted shooting in Arizona but the individuals were being evasive and lying,” Det Stubbs testified, according to East Idaho News.

Det Stubbs also told jurors that Lori described Chad as ‘Alex’s friend,” but at the time authorities were aware they had married.

Det Stubbs tells court Rexburg PD visited Lori’s apartment in November 2019

21:46 , Andrea Blanco

The Jeep was eventually towed from the parking lot at Lori’s apartment building, but nobody reached out to police about it.

Investigators returned to Lori’s Rexburg apartment for a welfare check on JJ on 26 November 2019.

Chad and Lori seen holding hands in November 2019, court hears

21:17 , Andrea Blanco

Det Stubbs began working on the case in November 2019, when authorities in Arizona requested help from Rexburg PD to seize a Jeep linked to a murder.

The detective said he initially saw no signs of the Jeep but followed Lori and Chad.

“My observations are they were holding hands and at times talking. I witnessed Lori at times placing her hand on his shoulder as they walked toward the store,” Det Stubbs told the court, according to East Idaho News.

Moments ago, the prosecution introduced several exhibits that Det Stubb is expected to touch on during his testimony. They include insurance, credit and business records and hotel receipts.

Rexburg Police Detective Dave Stubbs takes the stand

20:58 , Andrea Blanco

Jury hears about ‘raccoon text’ Chad Daybell sent to Tammy Daybell

20:45 , Andrea Blanco

Mr Dean was asked by prosecutors about a text Mr Daybell sent to his first wife just a day after Tylee was last seen alive.

“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,” the text, which first became public during a 2020 hearing, read.

“While I did so, I spotted a big raccoon 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!”

The message was sent to Tammy Daybell on 9 September 2019. Tylee’s last sighting was the day before at Yellowstone Park.

The teen was found buried in Mr Daybell’s pet cemetery six months later.

FBI analyst helped retrieve data from devices seized from Chad Daybell’s home

20:32 , Andrea Blanco

Mr Dean first became familiarised with the case in March 2020. He helped seize and analyse devices found in Chad Daybell’s house.

Some of the data he retrieved was linked to communications from Tammy Daybell.

They stopped in early October 2019, about ten days before she died.

New witness: Benjamin Dean, FBI Intelligence Analyst

20:14 , Oliver O'Connell

The prosecution is correct, we are moving through the witnesses at a very fast rate.

Benjamin Dean works in the Salt Lake City Field Office of the FBI on a Criminal Investigation Squad.

His main job is to analyse information and make assessments on specific threats. He reviews information collected by agents in the field looking for trends and patterns in electronic devices.

New witness: Detective Bruce Mattingly, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office

20:10 , Oliver O'Connell

The first witness after lunch is Detective Bruce Mattingly of the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.

He has been a detective for six years and on 3 January 2020 was involved in a search of Chad Daybell’s home alongside other law enforcement including the FBI.

Electronic evidence was recovered from the house and taken to Salt Lake City for analysis.

No further questions but he remains under subpoena for possible questioning later in the trial.

Court resumes

20:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Steven Boyce and both legal teams huddled to discuss scheduling before the jury is brought back in.

The trial is moving quicker than expected and the prosecution proposes taking tomorrow off. The defence has no objections.

18:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Boyce calls the lunch break.

18:48 , Oliver O'Connell

In cross-examination, Rachel Smith says that while the defence team asked about dreams and visions, she wants to talk about reality, and asks who carried JJ to bed.

David says it was Alex.

Asked what Lori said about JJ the next day, he says she told him JJ was out of control and she had Alex get him, because she couldn’t handle him.

No further questions.

18:44 , Oliver O'Connell

There is another objection sustained by Judge Boyce during a discussion on the scope and audience of the podcast.

It is reiterated that it was to build faith.

“The whole purpose was to build faith and help identity stumbling blocks to faith, the fruits of faith and how involved our Father in Heaven is with each one of us.”

When David left Lori’s he wanted to visit his son in Pocatello.

Asked if he called the police after not seeing JJ before leaving, he says he saw no reason to do so as Lori was one of the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful woman, but adds that she and Chad were teaching didn’t match their character and he left Rexburg confused.

18:39 , Oliver O'Connell

David is asked about the scratch on Chad’s neck and reiterates that he was told JJ did it but he didn’t see it happen.

He also tells the court he wasn’t sure what to believe when Chad said that his wife would soon die.

Asked if he wanted to be part of the 144,000, he says it would be an honour but was not something he was seeking. He then adds that Chad wouldn’t have the authority to gather as that would lie with the prophet of the LDS Church, Russell M Nelson.

18:36 , Oliver O'Connell

There is an objection from the state that is sustained and Judge Boyce says that “we are getting away from the evidence”.

Archibald asks David to explain the difference between a nightmare and a vision. Warwick says a vision is when you’re being shown things in the future but you’re not seeing yourself - someone else is presenting it. David says his visions come from angels under God.

He is then asked about the nightmare he had while staying at Lori’s home.

David describes it as “adversarial” and coming from somewhere in the direction of the devil.

After waking from the nightmare Melanie had wanted Chad to give him a blessing — he says she was just trying to help.

Chad never came over.

18:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Archibald asks about the conference David was attending on the Rexburg trip. He replies it was a Book of Mormon conference, though not one sponsored by the LDS church, rather it was organised by someone associated with the Preparing a People organisation — a private group.

Asked about the podcast, David says it was not a moneymaking venture but instead was designed to build faith.

David says he has spoken at PAP events and shared about his “dreams and visions”, adding that he doesn’t call himself a “visionary” but others have called him that.

“I don’t call myself anything.”

He explains about his visions of “secret combinations” in England, Saudi Arabia, and Washington, DC, as well as visions of Russia and China invading the US, and the US being sacrificed for a one world government.

18:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence attorney Jim Archibald begins cross-examination.

He asks if David and Melanie’s divorces from previous marriages had been finalised when they started seeing each other. There is an objection from the state that is overruled and he says his divorce was being finalised and Melanie’s was complete.

They met through shared religious interests which is how he met Lori, Alex, Chad etc. He says Alex was a “fun-loving, humourous guy”.

18:18 , Oliver O'Connell

On Sunday 22 September 2019, they recorded the podcast in Lori’s kitchen with Melanie.

JJ was with Alex at his apartment so he wouldn’t interrupt them.

He saw JJ around 10.30pm when Alex came in the front door. JJ was asleep with his head on Alex’s shoulder. He took JJ upstairs and put him in bed. David remembers JJ wearing shorts and a T-shirt. He doesn’t remember seeing Alex leave but thinks he heard the front door open and close.

JJ was staying in Lori’s room and David was staying in JJ’s room. In the early morning hours, David says he had “one of the worst nightmares of my life. It was very real”.

Melanie came in to help him and said she wanted to get Lori to help and came back saying she couldn’t gat any response.

The next morning, David and Melanie went downstairs to say goodbye and Lori told him that JJ had "an episode" and climbed on the cabinets, on top of the fridge, and then knocked over her picture of Jesus Christ.

David says he didn’t see any signs that the cabinets were damaged and there were no marks on the stainless steel fridge. He asked to see JJ so he could give him a blessing but Lori said she had Alex come and get him.

That was the morning of Monday 23 September 2019.

No further questions.

18:12 , Oliver O'Connell

David also saw Chad at Lori’s townhome. He never saw him interact with JJ but heard they had a scuffle and his neck got scratched.

David observed that Lori and Chad were affectionate together but he knew Chad was married to someone else. He asked how Chad’s marriage was and he said he had no complaints but her time was coming up and he and Lori had things they needed to do for God.

Chad told David he had a dream three years before that Tammy was going to die by the time Chad was 50.

He again told David he was one of the 144,000 and that’s why he wanted him in Rexburg.

18:08 , Oliver O'Connell

David tells the court that later that weekend Alex took him to see 80 acres of land for sale near Chad’s home as David knew an investor who wanted to develop property in Idaho.

Chad and a realtor showed up and asked if he had any questions. He said he didn’t do business on Sundays.

18:02 , Oliver O'Connell

David says he remembered seeing Chad about four times during the trip.

Chad was trying to teach him about the gathering of the 144,000 and Satan’s power to possess people’s bodies.

David told him that Satan does not have that power. He listened but didn’t believe any of it and let Chad know that. Both Lori and Melanie were present.

Chad asked David and Melanie to meet him and Lori at a property next to a church. When there, they started describing a heavenly building next to the church — not a physical building but a spiritual one — he tried to be respectful and follow along with what they were saying, but there was no building there.

17:59 , Oliver O'Connell

The next time he met Lori was up in Rexburg, Idaho, when he and Melanie visited her at her townhome on 20-23 September 2019.

Melanie and Lori wanted to do a podcast with him and he was coming up to Idaho for a conference and to visit his son who had moved close by.

They stayed with Lori and Alex and JJ were there too. He remembers JJ playing with toys on the couch.

As he has an autistic son with Down Syndrome he tried to play with JJ but “it was like I wasn’t even there. He never acknowledged me.”

David remembers JJ engaging with Alex and going outside to play and that he seemed very happy.

There was no sign of Tylee at the house and he was told she was in college and wanted to be independent.

17:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Chad Daybell, Alex Cox, Melani Boudreaux, Zulema Pastenes, and another lady were all there as well as he and Melanie.

David had never met Chad in person but they had spoken on the phone when, a few years earlier, Chad reached out to him and wanted to write a book together.

The book never happened because David didn’t feel it was right and Chad wasn’t the one to write a book with.

David recalls of the meeting: “Lori was an amazing hostess. She was fixing food. We were having a social.”

New witness: David Warwick

17:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Rachel Smith is questioning David Warwick for the prosecution.

He explains he is married to Melanie Gibb and met Lori Vallow through her. They first met in Arizona when Lori told Melanie to bring him over in early August of 2019.

Charles had been killed the month before.

17:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Boyce says he doesn’t believe holding David in contempt of court is an appropriate response and that the conduct doesn’t rise to the level of excusing the witness.

He says the conduct was wilful and allows the defence to comment on his credibility in front of the jury.

Judge Boyce will let David testify. This triggers a sidebar conference and all the attorney leave court with the judge.

They return and David Warwick’s testimony will be heard.

17:48 , Oliver O'Connell

The counterargument from the prosecution is that they have to see if any harm was done and that he was admitted being at fault.

Archibald counters: “There’s a reason we have rules and we don’t just say, ‘Golly gee, my bad.’ He’s accessing information on the internet. His motivation is irrelevant. He purposely accessed it and not only that, accessed other articles about people in this case. There is a rule and there’s a reason we have a rule and it’s to protect the integrity of the court.”

17:34 , Oliver O'Connell

Smith aks if anything he heard would change his testimony for today.

David says no.

The defence argues that it is apparent the rule has been violated and ask that he be excluded.

17:33 , Oliver O'Connell

David says he listened to it on a YouTube channel (East Idaho News of Hidden Crime) and read other articles that day — two about Melanie and one about the marriage of Zulema Pastenes and Alex Cox.

Prosecutor Rachel Smith asks if he has listened to or watched the trial since he got his subpoena. He says only Melanie’s testimony and the article about Zulema, which he says was not about the trial.

17:27 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence attorney Jim Archibald asks if he has spoken with Melanie since her testimony and David says no, just a text that she was going home to Arizona.

He says he listened to her testimony to hear her tone of voice (somber) and not what she actually said.

17:24 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is back and the next witness is supposed to be David Warwick, Melanie Gibb’s husband of two years. However, an issue has been raised concerning the exclusionary rule that witnesses can’t listen, watch, or read any other witness testimony.

When asked, David says he listened to 45 minutes of his wife’s testimony to see who she was doing and then remembered he wasn’t supposed to and stopped.

They have a distant relationship as Melanie lives in Arizona and he lives in Utah.

David says they have not talked about the trial as she needed space.

16:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Boyce calls the morning break.

New witness: Wynn Hill, Dean of Students, BYU-Idaho

16:46 , Oliver O'Connell

Up next on the witness stand is Wynn Hill, dean of students at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg.

Lori told several people that Tylee had enrolled at BYUI and was living with friends at a dorm.

BYUI uses a student management system and Mr Hill looked up to see if Tylee ever applied or enrolled.

They were asked to look for Tylee Ryan, Tylee Cox, Tylee Vallow. She had not.

No further questions and no cross-examination.

16:42 , Oliver O'Connell

In cross-examination, Archibald asks about the enrollment process and Mr Wilson says he got the impression that Lori planned to have JJ in the school for the long-run and was surprised when she pulled him out.

The defence is again trying to show that Lori had longterm plans for JJ.

New witness: Josh Wilson, Principal, Kennedy Elementary School

16:38 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Josh Wilson, Principal of the Kennedy Elementary School in Rexburg, Idaho.

Wilson confirms JJ Vallow was a student at the school with Lori Vallow listed as his parent.

He was enrolled from 3 September 2019 to 24 September 2019.

The last day JJ was physically present at the school was Friday, 20 September 2019.

On 24 September, Lori informed the school she was sending JJ to live with his grandparents who would be homeschooling him. There would therefore be no need to forward any records and Wilson told Lori they would keep them until he was re-enrolled in public school.

He was already dead at this point.

16:33 , Oliver O'Connell

In cross-examination, defence attorney Jim Archibald asks if any schedule was agreed upon when she and Lori met up.

She says it would have been as needs arose but she imagined it be over the next several months, implying that there was a longer-term plan for the care of JJ.

16:31 , Oliver O'Connell

A few days later Lori texted and said that JJ had gone to stay with his grandparents for a month.

When that month passed there was no word back from Lori.

Sydney never saw JJ again after 19 September 2019.

16:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Sydney came the next day to watch JJ for a few hours while Lori went to the airport to pick up Melanie Gibb and David Warwick.

JJ played with neighbourhood kids before coming in to eat, and then going back out at the end of the day. JJ and the neighbour got into an argument about toys and JJ became upset. He threw a chair and an ottoman and then went upstairs to be alone.

Lori came home and calmed him down. Sydney was paid and saw Melanie and David before she left.

New witness: Sydney Woodbury Schenk

16:23 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Sydney Woodbury Schenk, who was attending BYU-Idaho in Rexburg in 2019 and was looking for extra work as a nanny or babysitter.

She was hired by Lori to help with JJ and met on 18 September 2019 at Lori’s townhome, where she was greeted warmly and hugged.

It was explained that JJ had tendencies to get emotional, distracted, and difficulty communicating. Lori told her Charles had died of a heart attack and JJ was having a hard time understanding what was happening.

She did not see Tylee but Lori told her she was in college and she would come to visit for dinner and to do laundry.

16:19 , Oliver O'Connell

As part of the investigation, Moffat said they looked into life insurance policies and learned about Charles’s $1m policy. There was some initial confusion about who the beneficiary was before they discovered it was Kay Woodcock, Charles’s sister.

No further questions and no cross-examination from the defence due to their earlier objection.

16:18 , Oliver O'Connell

Moffatt returned to the house to investigate the scene and found bullet strikes in the baseboard and another under Charles’s body — consistent with him being on the floor when he was shot.

He was also in the car with Det Ynclan, Alex, Tylee, and Lori, when they drove them back to the house and called the drive “bizarre - to say the least” as the conversation was so light-hearted.

16:14 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex and Lori’s stories differed.

He told police he was not there to protect Lori. She told police that she had asked him over to protect her from Charles.

16:13 , Oliver O'Connell

After he was hit by the bat, Alex said he went to get his gun and told Charles to drop the bat.

He claimed Charles said: “What are you going to do about it?”

Charles came toward Alex and he pulled the trigger “more than once”. He believed he hit Charles in the torso — he was hit in chest and lower abdomen.

After the shooting, Alex says he went to the kitchen and washed his hands, before going to his room and calling 911. He claimed to have done CPR on Charles and said he did not know where Tylee and JJ were at the time of the shooting.

16:06 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex said Tylee came out of her room with a bat during the argument with the intention of protecting her mother.

Charles took the bat and another argument began over that. Alex said Charles hit him with the bat in the back of the head.

Moffatt said there was a small laceration on the back of Alex’s head, but noted: “It wasn’t consistent with being hit extremely hard in the back of the head with a baseball bat by an athletic man.”

16:04 , Oliver O'Connell

Det (now Sergeant) Moffatt arrived on the scene of Charles Vallow’s murder on 11 July 2019 after patrol cars had responded to the 911 call by Alex Cox, Lori’s brother.

He was assigned the role of case agent. He walked through the scene after being briefed by patrol officers about the interviews that had already taken place. He did not see Lori at the scene but did see Alex though he didn't talk to him. Moffatt saw Charles dead on the floor.

Later, he interviewed Alex at the police station, who told him he had stayed the night as he and Lori had planned to do something the next day. Alex said Lori and Charles were in an argument, though he did not know about what. He did not see them get physical.

15:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Once again Lori Vallow’s defence team objects to the inclusion of testimony concerning Charles Vallow’s murder in Arizona saying it is not relevant to the trial in Idaho.

And again, the objection is overruled with Judge Boyce again noting that the court ruled on this in February.

New witness: Det Nathan Moffatt

15:56 , Oliver O'Connell

The prosecution calls Chandler Police Department’s Detective Nathan Moffatt to the stand.

He will be questioned by Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Blake.

Moffatt was the initial lead on the Charles Vallow murder case until he was promoted. He has been with Chandler PD for 21 years.

Court resumes

15:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Steven Boyce is on the bench and both the prosecution team and the defence team have taken their places.

The jury is being brought in.

There are scheduling issues that the court will deal with later today

Court to resume for day eight of testimony momentarily

15:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Lori appears to be in a good mood and is writing on her notepad (which she does a lot). Her legal team has not yet entered the courtroom.

The bailiff reminds those in attendance about silencing phones and not using them to record audio or video.

He makes a special request about restricting whispering to breaks and to now crinkle candy wrappers.

ICYMI: Colby Ryan confronts mother about deaths of siblings

15:23 , Oliver O'Connell

The only surviving child of a woman charged in the murders of her two youngest children and a romantic rival confronted his mother about his siblings’ deaths in an emotional phone call played for jurors on Tuesday in a trial that has touched on claims of evil spirits, zombie children and an additional murder charge in another state.

Prosecutors played the call shortly after Colby Ryan, Lori Vallow Daybell’s oldest child, took the stand in the bizarre triple murder case in Idaho. The call was made after the bodies of Ryan’s siblings, Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, were found buried in an eastern Idaho yard in 2020, and after Vallow Daybell was jailed in connection with the crime.

It starts with Ryan asking his mom if she thought she could keep hiding from him.

“I’m not hiding, why would you think I’m hiding?” Vallow Daybell responds.

“Probably because you murdered my siblings! Maybe you should understand,” Ryan continued, before his mother interrupted:

“I didn’t. I’m sorry you feel that way,” she said.

The call continued for several minutes, with Vallow Daybell insisting that Ryan can’t know what happened because he wasn’t there, but that JJ and Tylee were happy and all would become clear in the afterlife.

But Ryan said his mother lied to him multiple times while his brother and sister were missing, with someone even sending him texts from his sister’s phone as if they were from Tylee.

“To know that they’re gone, and you knew! And my phone is being texted by my little sister, who’s not even alive!” Ryan said, his voice rising. “My poor brother, who is the sweetest little kid ever — for what purpose? You tell me this is God’s will: For my whole family, including my stepfather, to be dead.”

AP

Lori Vallow confronted by best friend in secret recording

15:01 , Oliver O'Connell

We’ve heard from several former friends of Lori Vallow, but one of the most intriguing was Melanie Gibb.

Andrea Blanco reports on what she told the court.

Lori Vallow confronted by best friend about JJ lies in secret recording

What we know about the Lori Vallow Daybell ‘doomsday cult’ murder trial

14:00 , Rachel Sharp

It looked every inch the fairytale wedding.

Dressed in white with pink flower garlands around their necks, the bride and groom couldn’t have looked happier as they exchanged vows on a paradise beach in Hawaii.

Photos captured the apparently blissful day as they toasted their nuptials, embraced and she danced to him playing the guitar.

But, behind the photos, something much more disturbing was going on.

Her two children had not been seen alive in two months.

His wife of three decades – the mother of his five children – had died suddenly just two weeks earlier.

And her husband had been shot dead by her brother (who would also soon be dead) not long before.

It’s a bizarre and tragic case that has captured the attention of the nation, leaving many with one big unanswered question: how could a woman who for years appeared to be a loving, doting mother allegedly murder her children in the belief that they had turned into “zombies”?

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

What we know about the Lori Vallow Daybell ‘doomsday cult’ murder trial

Final photos of Lori Vallow’s children

13:30 , Rachel Sharp

The last photo – and known sighting – of Tylee Ryan, seen with JJ and Alex Cox at Yellowstone National Park in September 2019:

Days later, the last photo was taken of JJ Vallow in his red pyjamas on a sofa in his mother’s home:

Key revelations from Lori Vallow’s murder trial so far...

13:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Rachel Sharp has compiled the key revelations of the trial to date:

Cult beliefs and charred remains: Key revelations from Lori Vallow’s murder trial

Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell were planning new life in Hawaii – without children

12:30 , Rachel Sharp

Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell were planning to embark on a new life together in Hawaii – without any children.

This is what jurors heard in court on Wednesday.

Jurors were shown an email sent by Mr 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.

Timeline of ‘doomsday cult mom’s’ mystery case

12:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Rachel Sharp has compiled a timeline of the tragic and bizarre case:

Timeline of the Lori Vallow Daybell case

Everything we know about the Lori Vallow Daybell trial

10:30 , 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

Lori Vallow’s children: Buried in pyjamas and burned beyond recognition

08:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Graphic photos shown at “cult mom” Lori Vallow’s murder trial revealed how her slain son JJ was still wearing his red pyjamas and a nighttime diaper when his remains were found buried in a shallow grave on Chad Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho.

Joshua “JJ” Vallow was last seen alive on 22 September 2019, his sister hadn’t been seen for two weeks.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Lori Vallow’s son JJ was found buried in red pyjamas and diaper

Chad Daybell warned Lori Vallow of police search of his property

06:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A jailhouse phone call captured the moment Chad Daybell warned “cult mom” Lori Vallow that police were closing in on the day that her children’s remains were discovered buried on his property.

In the call, made on 9 June 2020 and played in court during Ms Vallow’s high-profile double murder trial on Wednesday, Mr Daybell is heard telling his new wife that law enforcement were on the scene searching his property in Rexburg, Idaho.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Lori Vallow trial hears jailhouse call with Chad Daybell on day bodies found

Lori Vallow confronted by best friend in secret recording

04:30 , 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.

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.

Andrea Blanco has the story.

Lori Vallow confronted by best friend about JJ lies in secret recording

Lori Vallow’s chilling response to question about missing daughter

02:30 , 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.

Andrea Blanco reports.

Lori Vallow’s chilling response to question about missing Tylee revealed

Colby Ryan’s emotional call with his mother: ‘You ripped my heart out’

Thursday 20 April 2023 00:30 , 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.

Lori Vallow trial hears gut-wrenching prison call with surviving son Colby Ryan

Court adjourns for the day

Wednesday 19 April 2023 22:31 , Oliver O'Connell

There is a brief redirect regarding if April knew about the hierarchy of the “religion” Lori was involved in — she says she did not but mainly thinks of the group involved in the podcasts (Chad, Zulema, Melanie, etc).

Judge Boyce adjourns the court for the day.

The trial resumes again tomorrow morning at 8.30am MT.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 22:26 , Oliver O'Connell

April says she had never met Melanie Gibb before the 2019 Hawaii visit and says that both Melanie and Lori were on the same page concerning their new beliefs. She felt they were “subtly grooming” her, and she felt “their ultimate goal was to include me”.

She was not interested.

Cross-examination concludes.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 22:24 , Oliver O'Connell

April says she does not believe in multiple lives/probations and their church does not teach that. She did not hear Lori talk about zombies or castings in 2018, but in 2019 she did talk about the light/dark scale.

She describes it as unusual and that Lori had not spoken about it when they lived in Hawaii before.

April asked why she had changed her beliefs and Lori said she had had experiences in the temple that changed her views and she found a group of like-minded people. April told Lori she didn’t share the beliefs — despite Lori saying she was a goddess.

She is asked what they taught their children about Jesus and says they taught that he healed sick people but couldn’t recall specifically if they said he cast out evil spirits.

They did teach the children about the love of God and the need to be good people.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 22:18 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence attorney Jim Archibald begins cross-examination.

He asks if she noticed a change in Lori’s religious beliefs during the time she knew her. April says yes, when she became part of the new group she was involved in.

April says Lori’s beliefs about Jesus started to change a little when she had visited Hawaii in July 2018. By the 2019 visit, those beliefs were more amplified than before.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Lori told April on the first night she was in Hawaii that she was a leader of the 144,000 and that she was there to gather people including April.

She told her she would need to separate from her kids because she had fulfilled her role in their lives and there was a bigger mission for her. She said to leave the children with their father.

No further questions from the prosecution.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 22:14 , Oliver O'Connell

Lori told April about Charles going on a business trip and she discovered evidence of him having an affair so she canceled his flight and credit cards and moved his truck from the airport parking lot.

Melanie Gibb backed up her story.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 22:12 , Oliver O'Connell

Later Lori admitted to April that Charles did not know she was in Hawaii and that if he reached out she was not to tell him where she was.

She said Charles had hired a private investigator to track her down and to throw him off she told Charles she was in Idaho for a conference.

Eventually, Lori moved out of April’s house and went to the Kauai Beach Resort where Melanie Gibb joined her. The three women went out for lunch and a few evenings for dinner. Tylee went back to Arizona to work at her aunt’s chiropractic clinic.

Lori told April that Charles had been reaching out to her family by email and asked if he got in touch with her to not respond.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 22:07 , Oliver O'Connell

April also got to know Charles Vallow as he worked from home a lot and she would visit Lori several times a week.

They would go on walks and Lori would colour April’s hair.

After the family moved away from Hawaii, April unexpectedly got a call from Lori in February 2019 saying she and Tylee were back and that she was leaving Charles. She asked if they could stay with April and she agreed.

Lori told her Charles was having an affair and he had turned into a demon named Ned Schneider. They would be getting a divorce.

She also told April that she didn’t bring JJ with her as she was “done with him” and Charles and Kay Woodcock would have to figure out what to do with him.

April understood this to mean that after the divorce Charles would have to take care of JJ as Lori no longer would.

Lori added that Charles was already dead and the demon was using his body. When she asked how she knew it wasn’t Charles any longer she replied: “He’s shorter.”

Wednesday 19 April 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

April has lived in Hawaii for eighteen years and met Lori through a branch of the LDS church in 2016.

They became friends outside of church and their children spent time together, and they celebrated holidays in one another’s company.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 21:58 , Oliver O'Connell

Before her testimony begins, April is asked about an interview with Lori’s cousin she saw on Facebook. A friend sent it to her and she started to read it but did not finish and read a handful of comments. She says the article did not involve the proceedings but was more about the LDS influence on the case.

April says she has not spoken to the media for any follow-up interviews and has told anyone enquiring that she cannot talk to them.

Judge Boyce rules that she can testify and the jury is brought back in.

New witness: April Raymond

Wednesday 19 April 2023 21:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is back in session following the afternoon recess and the next witness is April Raymond, a friend of Lori’s from Hawaii.

April believed that Lori and Charles had a happy marriage until Lori began talking about a new religious group she was involved with and an author named Chad Daybell.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 21:44 , Oliver O'Connell

Wednesday 19 April 2023 21:24 , Oliver O'Connell

No further questions from Blake and Judge Boyce calls for the mid-afternoon recess.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 21:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorney Lindsey Blake begins redirect questioning of Det Ynclan by trying to introduce the argument that Alex’s actions were not in self defence as has been claimed by Lori, given everything we now know.

“If Alex Cox was still alive, do you believe your agency would have made a recommendation that charges be filed?” she asks.

There is an objection that is sustained.

Instead, she asks if there are usually arrests on the day an investigation begins, to which Det Ynclan replies generally, no, and that it depends on the totality of the investigation and other factors.

There’s a sidebar with Judge Boyce.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Archibald re-asks the question and Ynclan says she did not arrest Alex Cox on 11 July 2019.

He asks if Lori’s description of the altercation between Charles and Alex was consistent among all the interviews. She says it was.

No further questions.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 21:11 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence attorney Jim Archibald cross-examines Det Ynclan and asks if she watched the videos of her interviews to help her remember what was said. She replies partially, yes.

He asks if Alex Cox was ever arrested and the prosection calls for a sidebar with Judge Boyce.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 21:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Det Ynclan continues to describe Lori’s version of events from the morning of Charles’s death by saying that she was told Tylee started to come back toward the house and Lori put JJ in the car and the three of them left to take JJ to school.

After they left the house, Alex called her and she told him that he needed to call 911 as she was taking JJ to school. She said she never called 911 herself.

Det Ynclan also interviewed Tylee and then Det Moffitt interviewed Alex. After that, the three were taken home.

On the car ride home, Det Ynclan said of Lori: “She was very nonchalant about what had happened, not upset, and there was some chatter about Tylee, school and mundane conversation.”

Wednesday 19 April 2023 21:04 , Oliver O'Connell

On the morning of the shooting, she told the detective that Charles had been late to pick up JJ and he had been reluctant to go with his father. They got him settled and ready to leave.

She explained how she had asked Alex Cox to stay at the house the night before as she knew Charles was coming.

Charles had then left his phone in the house and had gone back to retrieve it leaving JJ outside. She said when he came in she was holding the phone and he got very upset with her and she made “statements to him about messages on the phone”.

While they argued, Lori says she moved around the kitchen and refused to give the phone back.

Tylee then appeared with a bat, Lori told the detective, and prodded Charles in defence of Lori. Charles seized the bat from her and was increasingly angry.

At this point, she says, Alex interceded and grabbed Charles from behind and a physical altercation ensued.

Lori instructed Tylee to go outside with JJ and she moved back into the kitchen, where she could hear the fight but did not see when Alex fired a gun at Charles. When she went back into the room, Charles was on the floor.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 20:57 , Oliver O'Connell

During the interview, Lori explained she, Tylee, and JJ had only lived there a few weeks and she had separated from her husband.

She explained that Charles had been living in Houston and Lori had gone out there but had returned to Arizona.

Lori said she had allowed Charles to take JJ back to Houston with him at one point, telling Det Ynclan about his special needs care and how Charles did not have the service available where he lived.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 20:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Det Ynclan drove Lori and Tylee to the victim advocacy centre for interviews.

Lori remained calm and not upset, chatting with Tylee about school and her future.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 20:48 , Oliver O'Connell

The defence again objects about the inclusion of evidence from Arizona and is again overruled by Judge Boyce.

Det Ynclan says she arrived at the scene of the shooting after patrol officers had secured the area. She spoke with Lori and Tylee and moved them outside to the crisis response unit van, learning that Lori was the victim’s wife and the shooter was her brother.

Det Ynclan was with Lori when a sergeant informed her that her husband was dead.

“She didn’t have much of a reaction. When she was informed that Charles was deceased, she responded that she already knew and made statements that she was present when it happened. This was new information to detectives.”

Before being notified of the death, Det Ynclan says: “[Lori] appeared calm, very non-emotional, was kind of hanging out and having general conversations. She was not really upset and at one point she was laughing.”

New witness: Detective Sandra Ynclan, Chandler PD

Wednesday 19 April 2023 20:42 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Detective Sandra Ynclan of the Chandler Police Department.

She has been with the department for 22 years and is a detective in the robbery and homicide division. She has been with the unit since 2009.

Det Ynclan interviewed Lori and Tylee on the say of the killing of Charles Vallow.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 20:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence attorney Jim Archibald cross-examines Werther and asks who made the 911 call.

Werther replies that Alex Cox did but it was not he who spoke to him.

Asked about who was in the car with Lori, Werther says JJ was in the front and Tylee was in the back.

No further questions.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 20:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Lori took Charles’s phone with her when she left the house after he was shot and an analysis of the device data shows she actually went to Walgreens not a CVS store.

According to the data, she was at Walgreens at 8.15am, around the school at 8.30am, and then back at the scene of the shooting at 8.48am.

The 911 call came at 8.36am.

When police arrived at Charles Vallow’s house, they never saw his phone and it was never recovered on his body. Blake has no further questions.

Wednesday 19 April 2023 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Lori then dropped JJ at school at Lauren’s Academy some seven to eight miles away.

The 911 call came through at 8.36am with the first officers on the scene at 8.42am.

Lori arrived back at the scene at 8.48am.

Werther says it doesn’t seem plausible that Lori could have driven to and from the school with the stops she says she made in that time.

Lori also says she stopped to buy flip-flops at a branch of CVS for JJ who left the house without shoes. Werther visited several CVS stores and could not find her on CCTV.