Idaho prosecutors urge jurors to convict Lori Vallow

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho prosecutors have spent the past four weeks painstakingly detailing the case of a woman accused of murdering her two youngest children and a romantic rival in a bizarre apocalyptic conspiracy. .

Madison County Prosecutor Rob Wood delivered an impassioned address to jurors on Thursday morning, telling jurors Joshua “JJ” Valor, 7, and Tyree Ryan, 16, and their fifth husband. sued for conviction of Lori Varrow for the death of her ex-husband. his wife Tammy Dabell;

“Money, power and sex,” Mr. Wood told jurors, echoing an opening argument he heard last month. “In early October 2018, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell set off a chain of events leading to three gruesome murders in Idaho.”

According to Wood, Valor was able to achieve what he really wanted: money, power and sex, by not letting “disability get in the way”.

“The plan she started must end with the verdict you give in this trial today,” Wood said.

Valor and her husband, Chad Daybell, have been charged with multiple charges related to the deaths of Valor’s youngest two children, seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Valor and sister Tyree Ryan. Last seen in 2019, just days before her 17th birthday. Prosecutors also charged the couple in connection with the October 2019 death of Davell’s late wife, Tammy Davell.

Both defendants have pleaded not guilty, but are being tried separately. Valor could face life in prison if convicted. Daybell’s trial is still months away.

At times, the testimony of the case was heartbreaking, such as when Valor’s only surviving child, Colby Ryan, accused Valor of murdering his brother in a recorded prison call. rice field.

There are also bizarre testimonials, such as when Valor’s former friend Melanie Gibb testified that Valor believed people in her life were possessed by demons and turned into “zombies.” Witnesses said four of the people the defendant called “zombie” were later killed or shot.

There are also gruesome events, including law enforcement testifying about finding the bodies of JJ and Tyree buried in Dabell’s garden. Witnesses said JJ’s body was wrapped in duct tape and plastic, while Tyree’s body was mutilated and burned, with cuts and puncture marks on the bones. DNA analysts testified that Valor’s hair was found in the duct tape that wrapped JJ.

Valor’s lawyers did not call witnesses, and Valor refused to testify. Instead, defense attorney Jim Archibald argued that he did not believe prosecutors had proven their case, enough to find out beyond reasonable suspicion that Valor had committed the crime. suggested that there was no evidence.

The incident began in July 2019, when Valor’s then-husband Charles Valor was shot dead by his brother Alex Cox in his suburban Phoenix home. Valor and Charles Valor were estranged, and she had filed for divorce, claiming Valor believed she was a goddess sent to guide the biblical apocalypse.

Cox told police at the time that he was acting in self-defense, and no charges have been filed in connection with the death. Cox died later that year when authorities ruled him a natural death. Valor was later indicted in Arizona in connection with the death of Charles Valor. She has not yet been given an opportunity to plead on the matter.

Prosecutors said Valor was already having an affair with Dabell, who was still married to his wife Tammy Dabell at the time. She moved with her brother and children to eastern Idaho to be closer to Daybell.

The children were last seen alive in September 2019. Police found them missing a month later, as relatives became concerned that they had lost contact with JJ. Their bodies were found the following summer.

The case has received widespread attention, not only in Idaho, but around the world, and a judge barred the use of cameras from the courtroom in an effort to limit pretrial coverage. The trial was also moved to Boise, the capital, where 1,800 jurors were called and 18 collegial bodies were selected.

Before the deliberations begin, six members of the committee will be exonerated, leaving twelve to decide Valor Dabell’s fate. The remaining six are alternates and will be replaced if one of the main jurors is unable to serve.

So many people wanted to be heard that court administrators created a seat reservation system and designated a separate hearing room because the court was overwhelmed. About 40 people watched the courtroom-only live stream from the overflow room on the first day of the trial. Over 120 attendees filled the overflow room on Thursday.