Chad Daybell, a Mormon author, was found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy counts related to the 2019 deaths, including grand theft and insurance fraud. The jury deliberated on Daybell's sentencing and recommended the death penalty after almost eight hours. Judge Steven Boyce formally issued the death penalty, stating it was permissible by law.
Daybell, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had developed an interest from a Mormon audience due to his self-published novels filled with end-of-the-world prophecies. He first met Lori Vallow in 2018 during a religious conference in St. George, Utah. Lori's brother, Charles Vallow, shot and murdered him in 2019 while claiming self-defense.
A postponed autopsy revealed that Daybell's wife Tammy had asphyxiated after she passed away in her bed. Within 17 days, Daybell and Lori tied the knot in Hawaii. The couple lived alone in Hawaii, supposedly on the life insurance money Daybell received after his wife's death.
Lori Vallow was arrested and extradited to Idaho in February 2020 for nonsupport and abandonment of her children. The children's bones were discovered interred together on Daybell's ranch near Rexburg, Idaho, some months later.
After being found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of her two children in 2023, Lori Vallow received a life sentence without the chance of release.
Daybell, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had developed an interest from a Mormon audience due to his self-published novels filled with end-of-the-world prophecies. He first met Lori Vallow in 2018 during a religious conference in St. George, Utah. Lori's brother, Charles Vallow, shot and murdered him in 2019 while claiming self-defense.
A postponed autopsy revealed that Daybell's wife Tammy had asphyxiated after she passed away in her bed. Within 17 days, Daybell and Lori tied the knot in Hawaii. The couple lived alone in Hawaii, supposedly on the life insurance money Daybell received after his wife's death.
Lori Vallow was arrested and extradited to Idaho in February 2020 for nonsupport and abandonment of her children. The children's bones were discovered interred together on Daybell's ranch near Rexburg, Idaho, some months later.
After being found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of her two children in 2023, Lori Vallow received a life sentence without the chance of release.
