Lori Vallow Daybell: What’s next for the so-called ‘Doomsday Mom’

GILBERT, Ariz. — It’s only been a day since Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty of conspiring to kill her former husband, Charles Vallow, but her legal troubles in Arizona aren’t over yet.

Lori Vallow Daybell is facing another conspiracy to commit murder case out of Gilbert, where she’s planning to represent herself again.

In 2023, Lori Vallow Daybell was convicted in Idaho for killing her kids, Tylee and JJ, and her role in the death of her current husband.

Now, she’s been convicted in Arizona for conspiring to kill her former husband, Charles Vallow, after a jury reached a verdict Tuesday.  

In a press conference Wednesday, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell told reporters that she was proud of the prosecutor’s work and getting a conviction for Charles Vallow’s family, but was hesitant to say more with another case still pending.

This next case takes us back to 2019, where Gilbert investigators believe Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, shot at Brandon Boudreaux.  Boudreaux wasn’t hurt, but his car was hit. Court records indicate Bourdeaux was worried about his ex-wife’s ties to Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell and their dark doomsday religious beliefs at the core of the other convictions.

Chad Daybell was sentenced to death in Idaho for murdering Vallow Daybell’s children and his first wife, Tammy. Alex Cox can’t be charged because he died before charges were filed.

“Brandon is often overlooked in this, the massive amount of evidence and wrong that was done by Chad and Lori, and Alex at their behest,” said Rachel Smith, a prosecutor on Lori Vallow’s Idaho case. “I hope that he gets to have his day in court.”

Smith said Brandon Boudreaux was her witness in Vallow’s Idaho trial, and she prepped him to take the stand.

“We spent time getting ready for his testimony, helping him get prepared to tell his truth,” she explained. “And he is a good man. He is a godly man who really just wants some measure of justice for the extent of what Lori and Chad Daybell did to people.”

Smith said that Brandon’s cooperation helped connect the dots in all of the cases, amid all the horrible revelations.

He, unfortunately, had to be one of the people to help ID JJ at our trial in Idaho,” Smith said. “He provided ID of Tylee’s necklace… so the impact on him is tremendous.”

After the verdict in Charles Vallow’s case, Boudreaux shared a statement on behalf of his family, saying in part:

“We mourn his loss, this pain will be with us until we meet again. As with each of the Idaho trials, we hope for healing for all whose lives have been affected by these crimes.”

“He has worked hard to see his way through it,” Smith said. “And I really hope he gets to tell his truth to an Arizona jury and hold Lori accountable for part her part in the conspiracy to have him killed.”

Lori Vallow Daybell’s second murder conspiracy trial is set to start at the end of May with jury selection. Testimony is expected to begin in early June.

The 12News I-Team did the math on how much it’s costing Arizona taxpayers to keep Lori Vallow Daybell in Arizona while she goes through these trials, according to MCSO data.

Adding up an intake fee, extradition costs, and daily costs, we’ve tallied more than $85,000 as of April 23, 2025.  The daily fee will continue to add up until her cases in Arizona are over and she goes back to Idaho to continue serving three life sentences.

“In this trial you have heard a lot about religion and some about scripture. As we just celebrated the Easter holiday this new testament scriptures came to mind.

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned

 These past few weeks a group of strangers listened to the information available from a terrible day in which Charles Vallow lost his life. They compared the fruit of the incident with that of the Lori’s story. And decided it is not good fruit. We support all those who helped make this day happen. We support this decision. We stand with truth and hope for justice.

We are grateful to the state of Arizona. Charles deserved to have this small sliver of justice. His family and all of us who love him grieve the loss of him in this life.  We wish you all could have known him.

He loved to connect about sports and life. He would often reflect with gratitude on how blessed we were to have such perfect lives in his southern drawl. He was a man whose heart had been changed surely through coming to know his Savior. He fought for months to save his family and was ambushed and senselessly murdered. One of the best was taken from us on July 11th 2019. Our world has never been the same. 

 He was a man who epitomized this scripture.

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

He sacrificed what he wanted for his family and friends, he constantly took care of those he was close with. We who loved him watched him spend his life lovingly laboring for his family both monetarily and spiritually. Freely giving of what he had to all of us who were lucky enough to be in his life.

We mourn his loss, this pain will be with us until we meet again. As with each of the Idaho trials we hope for healing for all those whose lives have been affected by these crimes.”

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