- Brandon Boudreaux reported his ex-wife, Melani Pawlowski, for trespassing at his parents'.
- Boudreaux suspected Pawlowski was involved in a cult and linked to his shooting.
- Pawlowski was arrested for trespassing, with a domestic violence enhancement, and later released.
SALT LAKE CITY — Newly obtained body camera footage shows how cautious Brandon Boudreaux was after he was shot at in Arizona.
On Nov. 12, 2019, Boudreaux called the American Fork Police Department to his parents' home because his ex-wife, Melani Pawlowski, showed up and was told to leave.
Boudreaux's mother interview
In the body camera footage, two officers arrive at the house and speak to Boudreaux's mother, who confirms that Pawlowski was at the house but has left.
Boudreaux's mother told the officers that Pawlowski was looking for her kids and Boudreaux.
"She came over here to ask me if I would tell her where the kids are. She had no idea they were here. I don't think she thought she would come here," Boudreaux's mother said.
In the footage, Boudreaux's mother told the officers that Boudreaux had taken his kids out of school in Arizona after a Gilbert police detective and a lawyer had advised him to do so because he and Pawlowski were still in mediation.
Boudreaux also believed that Alex Cox, a relative of Pawlowski, was the one who shot at him in October.
According to Idaho court documents associated with the murders of Tammy Daybell, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, Boudreaux believed Pawlowski was a part of a "cult" with Cox and his sister, Lori Vallow Daybell.
Documents stated that Boudreaux thought Pawlowski was planning to move to Idaho to be closer to the cult, and the group was targeting him.
"So after he got shot at, (Pawlowski) said she was moving to Idaho," Boudreaux's mother said.
Boudreaux's mother explained that the former couple thought the divorce was final in July, but their divorce mediator didn't file the papers. She said they believed that Pawlowski was attempting to use the old custody agreement to gain full custody of the four children.
"And the advice was to go hide, because if she takes them, he can't get them back," Boudreaux's mother said.
In the footage, the two officers ask Boudreaux's mother if she would like Pawlowski trespassed from their home, which she agreed to.
Brandon Boudreaux interview
A couple of minutes later, Boudreaux arrived at his parents' home and began to speak to officers about the ordeal.
Boudreaux told officers he can't speak much about his attempted homicide case, and his Gilbert police detective would like to speak to the officers.
"Yeah, it's an attempted homicide," Boudreaux said. "Apparently, he's meeting with the FBI this week because of two murders that they're also investigating, but all tied together."
In the footage, Boudreaux said he was out of the house when his parents' doorbell camera alerted him that Pawlowski was there. He began to speak to her through the camera.
"I told her she needed to leave," he told officers. "It's about a six-minute conversation. I just kept asking her to leave, telling her she's not allowed here."
Boudreaux said Pawlowski left, and she might be driving a 2020 Kia Telluride. He believed it was the same car that Cox shot at him in Arizona, and that Cox was with her.
"And so I called you guys," Boudreaux said. "I don't feel like I can even drive up without – I don't have my gun on me. I left it inside. I thought I was OK. Stupid."
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A jury found Lori Vallow Daybell guilty of conspiring to murder Brandon Boudreaux.When officers asked how Pawlowski knew that he was at his parents' American Fork home, he couldn't think of an answer.
"I don't know if she already knew or if someone told her," Boudreaux said. "There are only a few people who know."
Boudreaux mentioned that Pawlowski placed a "$10,000 reward" on Facebook for information about his and the children's whereabouts.
In the footage, officers asked if Pawlowski threatened Boudreaux during their conversation or did anything that might suggest violence.
"No, there's nothing you guys are going to be able to do because she's very careful," Boudreaux said.
The officers told Boudreaux that they would call Pawlowski and tell her that she was trespassed from Boudreaux's parents' home.
Pawlowski Arrested
According to a police affidavit, the officer called Pawlowski, told her that she was trespassed, and she couldn't visit the house. The affidavit stated that Pawlowski understood.
On Nov. 14, the affidavit stated they responded to Boudreaux's parents' home after a 911 call of a trespassing in progress.
American Fork police reported that they found Pawlowski exiting the home's garage and began to talk to her about why she wasn't allowed on the property.
After about 30 minutes of talking to Pawlowski, officers gave her a citation, but later arrested her because of a domestic violence enhancement and booked her into the Utah County Jail.
According to court documents, Cox, who was with Pawlowski during the police interaction, posted her bail five days later.
On Dec. 4, 2020, Pawlowski was sentenced to jail for 180 days, but it was suspended since she pleaded no contest to the charge.
In 2022, Vallow Daybell was indicted for conspiring to kill Boudreaux with Cox. Vallow Daybell was found guilty of this on June 12. Cox died on Dec. 12, 2019, due to natural causes.
