An Arizona jury has delivered a guilty verdict in the latest trial of Lori Daybell, known as the ‘doomsday mom,’ who was accused of conspiring with her brother to murder her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.## Trial Details
The Maricopa County jury received the case on Monday afternoon and reached a verdict on Tuesday afternoon. Lori Daybell, 51, chose to represent herself in the Phoenix trial, opting not to take the stand or call any witnesses. She had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Prosecution’s Case
Prosecutors argued that the shooting of Charles Vallow in July 2019 was a premeditated act to allow Daybell to collect a $1 million life insurance policy and marry her current husband, Chad Daybell, whom she wed four months later. They claimed Daybell and her brother, Alex Cox (who died from natural causes months after the shooting), used their ‘twisted’ religious beliefs to justify the murder, believing Vallow was possessed by an evil spirit.
Over two weeks, the prosecution presented over a dozen witnesses, including Daybell’s brother Adam Cox, who testified that he had ‘no doubt’ his siblings conspired to kill Vallow.
Verdict and Sentencing
Following the guilty verdict, Daybell agreed to several aggravating factors, including that the offense was dangerous and involved an accomplice. She acknowledged that her actions caused emotional and financial harm to the victim’s family. Daybell will be sentenced after an upcoming trial in Maricopa County, where she faces charges of scheming to kill Brandon Boudreaux, her niece’s ex-husband.
Related Cases
Lori and Chad Daybell were previously convicted of first-degree murder for the deaths of her children, Joshua ‘J.J.’ Vallow and Tylee Ryan. Lori is serving a life sentence without parole, while Chad Daybell was sentenced to death and is on Idaho’s death row. Both cases involved the couple’s beliefs that the children were possessed by evil spirits.
The latest conviction adds to Daybell’s existing life sentence for the murder of her children. Her sentencing for the conspiracy conviction will follow the upcoming trial.
