Estimated read time: 14-15 minutes
ST. ANTHONY, Idaho — An Idaho judge threw the book at Lori Vallow Daybell Monday, ordering her to serve five sentences of life in prison with no possibility of parole.
"You chose the most evil and destructive path possible," Judge Steven Boyce told Daybell, saying she justified the "heinous crimes" of murdering her two children and conspiring to murder a romantic rival by "going down a bizarre religious rabbit hole and clearly you are still down there."
He added: "You may not believe to this day that you've done anything wrong, and you still may think you're justified by your religious beliefs for what happened here. I'm not here to judge that, but I don't think that any god in any religion would want to have this happen, what happened here," Boyce said.
Before she was sentenced, Daybell made a bizarre statement to the court, describing how the victims — Tylee Ryan, 16, JJ Vallow, 7, and Tammy Daybell, 49 — have visited her since their deaths and they have told her they are doing fine.
"My beautiful children Tylee Ashlyn and Joshua Jackson rest safely this day in the arms of Jesus. My wonderful friend Tammy Daybell rests safely this day in the arms of Jesus, and I look forward to the day we are all reunited and I, too, will rest with them in the arms of my Jesus," she said.
Daybell began her remarks quoting from the Bible, where Christ said, "He that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at her." She maintained that Christ knows the truth of what happened and understands her.
"Jesus Christ knows that no one was murdered in this case. Accidental deaths happen, suicides happen, fatal deaths from medications happen," she said.
She called Tammy Daybell — the wife of the man she was having an affair with and the woman she was found guilty of conspiring to murder — an "eternal friend."
But Boyce told Daybell she has shown no remorse. Of her children, he said, "You brought them here (to Rexburg) to murder them."
He said there were thousands of families in Rexburg who could have taken her children and she had multiple options but, instead, chose to kill them.
"Murder is the most serious offense. And the most unimaginable type of murder is to have a mother murdering her own children. And that's exactly what you did. You were involved in and guilty of conspiring to murder ... Tammy Daybell, who had children of her own. And despite the jury convicting you with overwhelming evidence, you still sit here before the court today and said you didn't do it," Boyce said.
Even though such prison terms are designed to prevent someone from ever being paroled, the judge still ordered three of the life-without-parole sentences to be served consecutively. He also sentenced her to serve an additional prison term of five years to life for grand theft.
Boyce said is it surprising a woman would have no criminal history at age 50, but then commit so many horrible crimes. He said she has been a good inmate at the jail, and has been "respectful of the court." Based on statements from family, he said it is clear "something radically changed" in Lori Daybell. He said her own mother wrote in a statement that she is no longer 'the person she knew.'"
He said Daybell still has not shown remorse for the heartache others went through searching for her children, when she knew where their bodies were.
"You've forever altered the lives — not in a good way — for many, many people," he said.
The sentencing was streamed live through the judge's YouTube channel where almost 10,000 people were watching as the sentence was given.
'Power-mongering monster'
Kay Woodcock, JJ's grandmother, told the courtroom about her experiences learning about the crimes Lori Daybell committed, starting with when she learned Charles Vallow died under mysterious circumstances.
She said their immediate concern was JJ. She and her husband had no legal rights as his guardian and could not step in, despite the concerns they had, which grew as communication with him became even more limited.
"Today, I take the power back by standing here speaking out loud of all the pain and loss she caused. I pray that my words will assist you," she told the judge.
She said the loss of JJ left a gaping hole in their hearts, and in the world.
Woodcock said Lori Daybell could have let her children live and could have still had money and her romantic life with Chad Daybell, but she did not let them live "all because she is a money-hungry, power-mongering monster."
She said JJ was born 10 weeks premature, and her son asked her to bring him to their home. Kay and Larry Woodcock cared for JJ as his grandparents, taking him to many medical appointments.
"I felt so much pride for this little baby. … (He) was our strength and we were his comfort," she said.
Later, Lori and Charles Vallow, her then-husband, adopted JJ. Woodcock said they provided younger parents, siblings and a location nearer to medical services. She questioned how a woman who fought so hard for a boy would later take that boy's life.
Woodcock said Daybell did not show any remorse for the murders, her lies or the pain she caused. She said only someone with no remorse would justify the deaths of her children. Woodcock said the family believes she was not just complicit, but was an "active participant" in the children's murders.
"We believe there should never be a reason for her to be released from prison. … She should never be given what she so easily took from them," Woodcock said.
A statement written by Colby Ryan, the half-brother of the two children, was read by attorneys. Ryan said generations were affected by the murders of which his mother is guilty.
"I've lost my entire family in life. I lost the opportunity to share life with the people I love the most. I've watched everything crumble and be shredded to pieces. I have lost my sister, brother, father, and my mother. I've lost cousins and family, friends and everything in between," he said.
He spoke about how his siblings will never have a chance to grow up, and his daughters will not have a chance to know them.
"My siblings and father deserved so much more than this. I want them to be remembered for who they were — and not to be just a spectacle or a headline to the world," Ryan said.
He said Tylee was sweet, funny and bold; JJ was fun, silly, loving and smart; and his dad, Charles Vallow, was loving, kind and generous and did all he could to care for others. Ryan wanted his family to be remembered for these things, and not for their deaths.
'I am not ... a zombie'
Samantha Gwilliam told Daybell Monday that her sister, Tammy Daybell, was "1,000 times the woman" she could ever dream of being. She said Lori Daybell ripped their family apart and questioned why and how she would plan something "so heinous."
She said Lori Daybell justified the murders of her own two children and Tammy Daybell because she needed money, when, instead, she and Chad Daybell could have just divorced their spouses.
"You are a liar, an adulteress and a murderer," Gwilliam said. "I did not deserve to lose the relationships with children I helped raise, or a sister that was my dearest friend. I am not a dark person, or a zombie and for me and my family to be portrayed that way is unacceptable."
In a statement read by Gwilliam, Ronald Douglas said his daughter Tammy Daybell's death was unexpected and the family did not understand the quick burial until later, when law enforcement showed up at their door searching for JJ and Tylee. He said the death of his daughter caused stress on his wife who was fighting leukemia at the time, and also caused estranged relationships with his Daybell grandchildren.
"We value them as grandchildren and want to keep them close to us," he said.
Douglas said the emotional stress of the drama of this case filled the final months of his wife's life with strain and heartache.
"The eternal ramifications of her actions are yet to be calculated. Lori needs to pay for her actions according to the laws of mortals. She will still answer according to the laws of God when she passes from this life," Douglas said.
Tammy Daybell's aunt, Vicki Hoban, said her niece went above and beyond for her students and children. She said the woman had no idea there was a plan to kill her; that she was "next on (Lori Daybell's) list of obstacle removal."
"Tammy was brutally executed in her own bed. She was taken from us by murdering thieves," Hoban said.
She said the death broke their family, and expressed a hope that Daybell is terrified for the rest of her life, every day, like she said her daughter Tylee likely was.
'She killed them for money'
Rob Wood, Madison County prosecuting attorney, asked Boyce to order consecutive life sentences for each of the three victims, without the chance for parole, as well as significant fines totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. This includes $5,000 for each of the victims' closest family members, over $22,000 to the government for the grand theft conviction and $50,000 for each conviction of murder or conspiracy to commit murder; totaling almost $300,000.
"This defendant violated the most sacred trust that exists in society — that between a mother and her children — and she did it for gain, she did it for money. A defendant who is willing to murder her own children is willing to murder anyone. Society can only be protected from this defendant by a life sentence without the chance of parole," he said.
Wood noted that Daybell moved to Rexburg shortly before the crimes. He said the county, which typically has a low level of crime, needs to send a message through a sentence of life in prison without parole, that people should not go there and commit crimes.
He said Daybell does not give value to the lives she took, but the court should. He said Tylee, JJ and Tammy Daybell have value and their loss has an impact, not only on them, but on the community.
"Murder tears at the fabric of society more than any other crime," he said.
Wood said Tylee had "horrendous" holes in her pelvis consistent with stabbing that could have occurred before her death, although her cause of death is not known, and there is evidence that JJ struggled before his death.
"His last moments must have been filled with fear and betrayal," he said.
He said although Lori Daybell was not present at Tammy Daybell's murder, the conspiracy charge is equivalent to a murder charge and carries the same penalty. Wood said Lori Daybell and her boyfriend planned the death, and were vacationing at the time of her death.
Wood said two mental health reports said Lori Daybell "suffers from a delusional disorder. She has grandiose and persecutory features ... hyper-religiosity with bizarre beliefs." But he said those findings come only from a conversation, and her actions show a lot more.
He claimed that Tylee and JJ did not die because their mother believed they were possessed, because she did not talk about the deaths to her religious followers or grieve.
"If she truly believed that, she would have preached it because she preached all the time. She didn't tell anyone that because she knew why she killed them. She killed them for money," Wood said.
Lori Daybell's attorney, Jim Archibald, said he submitted 660 pages of medical reports to be considered in the pre-sentence report, and only 27 of those pages were included with those two reports. The judge ruled against requiring more to be included, but the attorney said he still objected.
Love and hope?
Another of Daybell's attorneys, John Thomas, spoke about his role as an advocate for her. He said as he reflected on what to say over the last few weeks, he decided to share a message of "peace and love and joy and hope."
"So many lives have been touched in a negative way. There is devastation and destruction surrounding this case — three deaths. And my heart aches … we ache with the victims in this case. There's a lot of hurt surrounding this case, and not just the direct victims," he said.
That hope was a request for Daybell to have the opportunity for parole, he said she should be given that opportunity and a reason to be a good person while in prison and help other inmates.
"(Hope) is for everyone who lives and breathes outside the walls of prison. Her hope will benefit society," Thomas said. "The benefit to society, of giving Lori Daybell hope far outweighs any detriment. And what do we have to lose by giving a woman in her 70s an opportunity to go before a parole board, and to ask for release?"
He said a lot of people are hurt by this case, and sometimes hurt comes across as hate. He said he hopes people touched by the case find healing and peace.
"I think that Lori Daybell is probably the most hated woman in America right now and, maybe, in the world. But that hate will never bring closure to the victims," Thomas said.
He said if his client could speak to people affected by the case, she would spread a message of love. He said her motto is "love is the key" and people who get to know her find she is caring, insightful and smart.
Thomas said it was a collective effort that led to the court's decision to take the death penalty off the table for Daybell.
"We saved her life, and that is a win. That's a win for all humanity," he said.
Daybell also told the judge and others in the courtroom that she has a "different perspective" because she died while she was in labor with Tylee, and had an experience with heaven where she did not want to go back.
"Because of this experience I have access to heaven and the spirit world," she said.
Daybell said because of this, she knows her children and Tammy Daybell are "happy and busy."
"Heaven is more wonderful than you can possibly imagine. I do not fear death, but I look forward to it," she said.
She said her daughter, Tylee suffered in life with daily pain, and now she is free from that. She said Tylee visited her and said, "Stop worrying Mom, we are fine."
Daybell said JJ, as an "adult spirit" came and told her, "You didn't do anything wrong mom. I loved you, and I know you loved me every minute of my life."
Background
Daybell, 50, was found guilty by a jury on May 12 after a six-week trial in Boise on all six counts against her:
- Conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree of Tylee Ryan and grand theft by deception.
- Murder in the first degree of Tylee Ryan.
- Conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree of Joshua Jaxon "JJ" Vallow and grand theft by deception.
- Murder in the first degree of JJ Vallow.
- Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder of Tamara (Tammy) Daybell.
- Grand theft (of Social Security benefits owed to her children and Social Security child care benefits).
The verdict, which was unanimous, was handed down after a weekslong trial that spanned much of April and May. It included testimony from dozens of witnesses and a slew of evidence that painted a grim, detailed picture of Lori Daybell and her bizarre world that prosecutors say was built on fringe, end-of-days beliefs and the pursuit of money, power and sex.
Chad Daybell is charged with the same first-degree felony charges as his wife, along with two felony counts of insurance fraud and the murder of Tammy Daybell. His trial is set for April 1, 2024, in Ada County. Lori Daybell was not facing the death penalty after Boyce took the option off the table, but Chad Daybell is still facing a potential death penalty if he is found guilty.
