Lori Vallow Daybell, known as the “Doomsday mom,” has been convicted of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the 2019 death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. The conviction was handed down Tuesday by a Maricopa County jury in Arizona.
Vallow Daybell, who represented herself during the trial, had claimed that her brother, Alex Cox, shot Charles in self-defense following an argument. She alleged that Charles had threatened her daughter, Tylee Ryan, with a bat.
However, prosecutors dismissed this defense, arguing that Vallow Daybell had motives to kill her husband, including a desire to marry Chad Daybell, her future husband, and inherit Charles’ life insurance policy.
Prosecutor Treena Kay emphasized that Vallow Daybell wanted to live a different life, free of Charles, and that his death would allow her to access financial benefits like Social Security for herself and her son, JJ Vallow.
This conviction adds to Vallow Daybell’s existing life sentence for the murders of her two children, Tylee and JJ, and her husband’s first wife, Tammy Daybell. She’s already serving life in prison without parole for those crimes.
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Vallow Daybell’s defense team presented a case that the shooting was unplanned and an accident. Yet, testimony from the medical examiner and Charles’ brother, Gerry Vallow, painted a different picture, suggesting premeditation in the shooting.
After the verdict, Charles’ family members expressed relief, with Kay Woodcock, JJ’s grandmother, saying, “She’ll be rotting in prison where she deserves to be.”
Sentencing for Vallow Daybell is scheduled for next month, though it may be delayed due to a separate conspiracy case related to the murder of Brandon Boudreaux, her niece’s estranged husband.
