The Trial Of Lori Vallow Daybell | Full Courtroom Coverage

Lori Vallow Daybell is serving seven life sentences. Chad Daybell is on death row. Combined, they owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution to the families of Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow, Tammy Daybell, and Charles Vallow. They will never pay it. But under Idaho's current Son of Sam law, there's a disturbing possibility: they could still profit from media deals.
This week, Idaho Senator Tammy Nichols introduced legislation to modernize the state's 48-year-old statute — and the Daybell case was explicitly on her mind. The bill unanimously advanced out of committee for a public hearing. It addresses streaming rights, podcasts, and digital monetization that didn't exist when the original law was written in 1978.
Here's the problem with the current law: payments to convicted criminals go into escrow for five years. If victims' families don't file civil lawsuits in time, the money eventually goes to the criminal. Chad Daybell's self-published doomsday prophecy novels — the books that started this entire nightmare — may still exist for sale somewhere. Whether they're generating income, and where that money goes, remains unclear under current law.
The new bill requires anyone who pays an offender or "exploits the notoriety of a crime" to send payment to the state treasurer. Escrow periods can be extended by court order. Exceptions exist for news and documentary work where offenders receive only "normal interview fees" — protecting journalism while preventing killers from cashing in.
Senator Nichols cited the Daybell case specifically when presenting the bill: "Just seeing trials like that... there's usually, eventually, book deals, movie deals... I just didn't feel that it was appropriate for criminals to be able to profit off of those."
For the families of Tylee, JJ, and Tammy, this is about basic accountability. We break down what the bill does — and what it means for the Daybell case.
#LoriVallowDaybell #ChadDaybell #DaybellTrial #TyleeRyan #JJVallow #TammyDaybell #SonOfSamLaw #IdahoMurders #DoomsdayCult #TrueCrime
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Three women. Three abductions. Same beliefs. Same geography. Same church.
Elleshia Seymour is now in Croatian custody after allegedly fleeing Utah with her four children because she believed the apocalypse was coming. She left behind a to-do list instructing herself to shred documents and buy a burner phone. She left a note she described as a "message from God." And she left a secret TikTok account filled with videos warning that Salt Lake City would be destroyed and COVID vaccines were turning people into zombies.
Her children — ages 11, 8, 7, and 3 — are now trapped in a state-run orphanage in Dubrovnik. Their father is there. He can see them two hours a day. The three-year-old doesn't understand why he can't go home.
This case would be disturbing enough on its own. But Elleshia Seymour isn't an anomaly. She's a pattern.
Lori Vallow believed the same things. Her children J.J. and Tylee were murdered — their bodies found in her boyfriend Chad Daybell's backyard. Spring Thibaudeau believed the same things. She fled toward Canada with her teenage son before the FBI caught her.
All three women came from LDS backgrounds. All three developed apocalyptic beliefs centered on the same theology — the same "end times" doctrine the Church teaches as mainstream. All three left children traumatized or dead.
The LDS Church is worth an estimated $265 billion. It was fined by the SEC for hiding its wealth. It excommunicated Chad Daybell — but only after the murders. It excommunicated Julie Rowe — but only after years of influence.
This is the story of a radicalization pipeline that keeps producing victims — and an institution that keeps looking the other way.
#ElleshiaSeymour #LoriVallow #ChadDaybell #MormonDoomsday #LDSChurch #DoomsdayMom #TrueCrime #CroatiaAbduction #ChildAbduction #ReligiousExtremism
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Lori Vallow Daybell wants a new trial. Prosecutors just explained why she'll never get one. The Idaho Attorney General's office filed a 59-page brief this week responding to the "Cult Mom's" appeal, and it's a comprehensive takedown of all five constitutional claims. Her attorney conflict argument? Mark Means represented both Lori and Chad Daybell at the same time — co-conspirators in a capital murder case. Chad paid for the representation. The court had no choice but to disqualify him. 
Her speedy trial claim? She was found incompetent twice, resulting in 353 days of delays. She requested the venue change. You don't get to cause delays and then complain about them. The Arizona evidence showing the "dark spirit" pattern was properly admitted because it proved intent, plan, and modus operandi. Charles Vallow was declared "dark" and killed. Brandon Boudreaux was declared "dark" and shot at. Tammy Daybell was declared "dark" and died. JJ and Tylee were declared "dark" — and their bodies were found buried in Chad's backyard. Seven-year-old JJ was suffocated with a plastic bag taped over his head. Tylee's remains were burned. 
Lori spent those months collecting their Social Security in Hawaii. The Idaho Supreme Court will hear this appeal eventually. But the state's response makes clear: there's no constitutional violation here. Just a convicted murderer looking for an exit.
#LoriVallowDaybell #Appeal #IdahoSupremeCourt #TrueCrime #ChadDaybell #JJVallow #TyleeRyan #CultMom #DoomsdayMom #CourtUpdate
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As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we revisit the opening week of one of the most sensational murder trials in America — the Arizona case of Lori Vallow Daybell, the self-proclaimed “Doomsday Mom” now defending herself against charges of conspiracy to murder her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.

In this two-part breakdown, Tony Brueski teams up with former prosecutor and defense attorney Eric Faddis and retired FBI Behavioral Analysis Chief Robin Dreeke to unpack the chaotic courtroom drama, bizarre legal strategy, and psychological meltdown that have turned this trial into both a legal cautionary tale and a study in delusional self-belief.

In part one, Tony and Eric dissect the prosecution’s sharp, disciplined opening statement — a methodical narrative of motive, manipulation, and murder. Prosecutors allege Lori conspired with her brother, Alex Cox, to eliminate Charles for a $1 million life insurance policy and clear the path to marry apocalyptic author Chad Daybell. With evidence including religious texts misused to justify killing, texts to Alex invoking scripture (“I will be like Nephi”), and forensic proof that Charles was shot twice — one bullet fired after he collapsed, the state paints a chilling picture of faith twisted into fanaticism.

Then comes the chaos. Lori, representing herself, opens with rambling monologues, misplaced objections, and narcissistic cross-examinations that seem designed more to satisfy curiosity than to construct a defense. Her fixation on her late husband’s private life leaves jurors bewildered and prosecutors almost amused. As Faddis notes, “It’s like watching someone try to build a house without knowing what a hammer does.”

Part two turns darker, as Robin Dreeke analyzes the devastating testimony of Alex Cox, now deceased but still very much present in the trial through recordings, statements, and evidence. Dreeke explores how narcissism, shared delusion, and familial loyalty intertwine in Lori’s world — and how her brother’s past words now serve as the prosecution’s most powerful witness.

Was Lori’s courtroom confidence a sign of faith — or pure delusion? And how does a woman who once claimed divine authority handle being her own undoing?

🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Trials, The Psychology, and The Crimes That Defined the Year.

#LoriVallowDaybell #CharlesVallow #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #EricFaddis #RobinDreeke #TrueCrimePodcast #DoomsdayMom #CultPsychology #CourtroomDrama #SelfRepresentation #ChadDaybell #FamilyConspiracy #YearInReview #TrueCrimeToday

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As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we revisit one of the most surreal and unsettling trials in modern American true crime — the Arizona murder trial of Lori Vallow Daybell, the so-called Doomsday Mom who’s decided to defend herself in court while accused of orchestrating the murder of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.

This episode pulls listeners straight into the Chandler, Arizona home where it all happened: two bullets, one body, and forty-seven silent minutes before anyone called for help. Tony Brueski and Defense Attorney Bob Motta (Defense Diaries) dissect the prosecution’s opening narrative — one of delusion, greed, and cold calculation — and the defense’s bizarre self-representation strategy that’s turning the courtroom into a psychological sideshow.

Prosecutors allege Lori conspired with her brother, Alex Cox, to kill Charles for a $1 million life insurance payout and to clear the way to marry her apocalyptic “soulmate,” Chad Daybell. The evidence? Texts invoking scripture to justify murder (“I will be like Nephi”), phone records revealing coordination, and chilling forensic details showing Charles was shot twice — the second bullet fired downward after he collapsed. Firefighters testified the scene looked staged: no CPR, no struggle, and an eerily spotless floor. Lori, meanwhile, was running errands — Burger King, Walgreens, dropping off her son — as her husband’s body cooled on the tile.

But this isn’t just about evidence; it’s about ego and delusion on trial. Motta breaks down Lori’s decision to act as her own lawyer — fumbling through legal jargon, cross-examining witnesses who seem to know more law than she does, and repeatedly trying to exclude “inconvenient” evidence from the record. As he puts it, Lori’s courtroom presence is “less Harvard Law, more hostage to her own hubris.”

The prosecution, for its part, is playing this round differently — keeping the talk of “zombies” and dark spirits to a minimum while focusing on motive, money, and manipulation. The goal: strip away the spiritual theatrics and reveal the human greed underneath.

🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Trials, The Delusions, and The Darkness That Defined the Year.

#LoriVallowDaybell #CharlesVallow #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #BobMotta #DefenseDiaries #TrueCrimePodcast #DoomsdayMom #ChadDaybell #MurderTrial #CourtroomDrama #ReligiousDelusion #ApocalypticBeliefs #YearInReview #TrueCrimeToday

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