Should Lori Vallow Daybell be forced to take medication? Prosecutors want to know

Lori Vallow appears in court in Lihue, Hawaii, on Feb. 26, 2020. Prosecutors are requesting information to see if they should seek an order that would force her to take her medications.

Lori Vallow appears in court in Lihue, Hawaii, on Feb. 26, 2020. Prosecutors are requesting information to see if they should seek an order that would force her to take her medications. (Dennis Fujimoto, The Garden Island via AP)


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ST. ANTHONY, Idaho — Prosecutors are requesting information to see if they should seek an order that would force Lori Vallow Daybell to take her medications.

In a motion filed Sept. 10, Madison County Prosecutor Rob Wood and Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake asked District Judge Steven Boyce to allow them to interview medical staff and other Idaho Department of Health and Welfare staff.

"The state is performing its due diligence (and) must decide whether it should seek an order for forced medication as requested by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare," the motion reads.

Daybell has been in IDHW care since Boyce committed her after a mental health professional deemed her unfit for trial in June. Boyce extended that commitment for another six months on Sept. 8 after Daybell's ability to assist in her defense had not changed.

A closed court hearing scheduled Wednesday afternoon was related to Daybell's mental health commitment. Boyce wrote in an order that sealing the hearing prevents the disclosure of information that could hurt Daybell's right to a fair trial.

Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell are charged with multiple crimes including conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder. The charges are in relation to the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan — two of Lori Vallow Daybell's kids — and Chad's first wife, Tammy Daybell.

Chad Daybell is scheduled for a motion hearing on Sept. 20 related to multiple motions including one pertaining to DNA. The motions are sealed and not available for public view.

The next scheduled public hearing is an Oct. 5-6 change of venue hearing.

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