Lori Daybell Trial Day 5: Closing arguments finished, ‘Doomsday Mom’ not testifying

PHOENIX – Closing arguments are finished in Lori Vallow Daybell’s second murder conspiracy trial in Arizona on Wednesday, June 11, and the jury has gone home for the day.

The jury will come back to court on Thursday morning to deliberate at 10 a.m. MST.

What Happened Today:

On June 11, prosecuting attorney Treena Kay said the state was resting its case on the matter. Meanwhile, Daybell did not present any evidence, and motioned for what is known as a “Rule 20.”

Rule 20 refers to a request for an acquittal over claims that prosecutors did not provide substantial evidence. Daybell made a similar request during her 1st Arizona trial.

Jury instructions were also finalized on Wednesday, with no objections from prosecutors or Daybell. Daybell also rested her case in the presence of a jury.

The backstory:

This is the second and final Arizona trial for Daybell. In this case, she is accused of conspiring with her brother, Alex Cox, in the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux, who once married Daybell’s niece.

Boudreaux was shot at outside his Gilbert home in October 2019. While Boudreaux was not hit, the incident is linked to a series of deadly events in Idaho, including the murders of Daybell’s two children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy.

In April 2025, Daybell was also found guilty of plotting the fatal shooting of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, in Chandler.

Just like she did in her first Arizona trial, Daybell is representing herself. The trial kicked off on Thursday, June 5 with both sides presenting their opening statements. During Daybell’s opening statement, multiple objections were made by the prosecuting attorney, Treena Kay.

A day later, Daybell was briefly removed from the courtroom after an intense exchange with the presiding judge.

What Happened Yesterday:

On June 10, Daybell continued her cross-examination of Gilbert Police Officer Ryan Pillar, who also testified on June 9.

Pillar is the case agent who investigated the shooting at Brandon Boudreaux’s home on Oct. 2, 2019. During Vallow Daybell’s cross-examination, she questioned Gilbert’s lack of testing to determine the type of gun used, why Boudreaux’s Tesla vehicle was not kept in evidence, and the trajectory of the shooting.

Prosecuting attorney Treena Kay later re-directed testimony to argument that evidence showed a clear shooting from a Jeep Wrangler that was allegedly driven by Cox, who died in December 2019.

Later on, Lieutenant Ray Hermosillo from Rexburg, Idaho took the stand. Lt. Hermosillo was one of the detectives on the case against Lori and Chad Daybell, a crucial part of the investigation leading to the discovery of the remains of Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan on Chad Daybell’s property in June 2020. Daybell did not choose to cross-examine Hermosillo.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, we also saw photos of rifles discovered in Alex Cox’s garage at his Rexburg apartment.

In Other News…:

On the morning of June 11, we obtained legal documents related to a motion that Daybell filed that seeks the recusal of Judges Jennifer Green and Justin Beresky. Per the legal documents, a judge has dismissed Daybell’s motion, stating that the motion can’t be filed after a hearing or trial began.

What you can do:

You can watch live coverage of the trial on FOX 10’s YouTube channel.

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