Lori Vallow Daybell Speaks Out After Guilty Verdict: Exclusive Interview Reveals All

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — So-called “Doomsday Mom” Lori Vallow Daybell said in an exclusive interview she wasn’t expecting to be found guilty of conspiring to murder her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. She sat down with True Crime Arizona correspondent Briana Whitney on Thursday.

Vallow Daybell said she was stunned by Tuesday’s verdict. “I mean, obviously I knew that was a possibility, yeah, so, it was a bit of a surprise actually,” she said.

The jury in Phoenix found her guilty after deliberating for about three hours, and she faces another possible life sentence on top of the three she is already serving in Idaho . She had help from her brother, Alex Cox, in the shooting death of Vallow at her home in Chandler in July 2019. Prosecutors said she wanted to cash in on Vallow’s life insurance policy and then marry her then-boyfriend, doomsday writer Chad Daybell.

The jurors didn’t know Vallow Daybell was convicted in Idaho of killing her two children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old J.J. Vallow, and conspired to kill Chad Daybell’s wife, Tammy Daybell. After the verdict, some jurors told Arizona’s Family they wondered why there were information gaps during her Arizona trial, and why Tylee Ryan wasn’t called as a witness.

Where is Tylee Ryan?

Whitney asked what it was like seeing Ryan in the body-camera video taken from the 2019 scene during the trial. “Well, I understand where Tylee is in heaven. I know what she’s doing and where she is, so it’s been almost six years since she passed away. I mean, this is the catalyst, right? What happened with her and Charles was the catalyst of her killing herself. So I was precluded from talking about that. I was precluded from bringing that up,” Vallow Daybell said. “But the detectives obviously don’t say that she killed herself,” Whitney responded. “I’m aware of what they say, but they weren’t there,” Vallow Daybell responded.

She also said she told Colby Ryan, her other son, what “really” happened to J.J. Colby Ryan played a phone call between him and his mom on his podcast where she claimed Tylee Ryan killed J.J. and after that, she killed herself. Both of their bodies were found buried on Chad Daybell’s Idaho property in 2020.

Her interactions with family, friends at trial

Throughout the over-two-week-long trial, Vallow Daybell chose to represent herself and astonished many when she opted against calling any witnesses for her defense. According to her, this decision was due to restrictions imposed by the judge regarding specific topics of discussion. "The legal system operates such that they generally do not allow you to mount an effective defense," she explained to Whitney. "Basically, I wasn't allowed to have a proper defense; my ability to address critical issues necessary to support my side was restricted. If the judge disallows these crucial points, then what can one actually bring forward during their turn?"

Vallow Daybell was concerned that testifying or calling witnesses might allow the state to present a rebuttal, which she wanted to avoid at all costs. However, she conducted intense cross-examinations of her relatives, acquaintances, and even a woman who dated Charles Vallow. The sole remaining sibling, Adam Cox, took the stand for the prosecution and asserted his belief that Vallow Daybell orchestrated Charles Vallow’s death. This marked their first encounter after many years apart. "Everything unfolded too quickly; I'm still trying to comprehend it," she commented. "Being up there next to him felt strange since you've always been familiar with each other throughout your lifetime."

Vallow Daybell also questioned Nancy Jo Hancock, a woman whom Charles Vallow was seeing romantically at that time. According to her, she wasn't aware that he had been dating others during their separation. "It didn't bother me so much; rather, it took me by surprise because I hadn't known about anything like this before receiving the discovery," she stated. Vallow Daybell refuted the notion that she was having an affair with Chad Daybell, whom she later wedded shortly after Charles Vallow passed away. "Calling it an affair would be inaccurate since Chad was truly just my closest confidant," she clarified.

Vallow Daybell elucidates religious scriptures.

Much of the trial revolved around Vallow Daybell's religious convictions, particularly text messages exchanged with Alex Cox regarding her desire to become "like Nephi," a figure from the Book of Mormon instructed by God to slay another individual. "These interpretations are entirely incorrect," Vallow Daybell stated to Whitney. "Our conversation did not pertain to events occurring here; instead, it referred to occurrences in the spiritual realm. Thus, anyone reading your texts will find it incomprehensible since they haven't undergone similar experiences and won't know how to interpret them."

She additionally alleged that Adam Cox, Charles Vallow, and Brando Boudreaux — her niece's former spouse — were conspiring against her. Adam Cox stated under oath that prior to Charles Vallow’s killing, they had been preparing an intervention aimed at reintegrating his sister with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after she strayed from their religious community. According to Cox’s testimony, before Vallow died, his sister reportedly informed others that her husband wasn’t alive anymore but rather believed a zombie inhabited his body.

Vallow Daybell is set for another trial starting early June, facing charges related to an alleged plot to murder Boudreaux. According to investigators, Alex Cox fired at Boudreaux at his residence in October 2019, coming dangerously close to striking his head.

The Associated Press provided contributions to this report.

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