Updates on three major cases
Lori Vallow has been charged with the murder of her two children – but declared “not competent” for trial. Daughter Tylee, 17, and son JJ, seven, had been missing for seven months when their remains were found on an Idaho property belonging to Vallow’s husband Chad Daybell in June 2020. According to court documents, Tylee’s body had been dismembered and burned, while JJ’S body was found wrapped in black plastic.
Vallow and Daybell – both members of a church that believed the world was ending – were first arrested on charges of child desertion, and destruction and concealment of evidence. But in May this year, they were indicted for conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder. The charges had been delayed due to the pandemic, but prosecutor Lindsey Blake said, “I want to assure everyone that, despite the delays, we have been working diligently to pursue justice for the victims in this case, to ensure we have the evidence required to prove the facts beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
In addition, both are now facing charges relating to their former spouses. Daybell has been charged with the murder of his first wife, Tammy.
The mother of five died suddenly in her sleep in October 2019, and Daybell and Vallow married just two weeks later. Meanwhile, Vallow has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the death of her ex, Charles.
He was shot in 2019 by her brother, Alex.
Daybell has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and will go on trial in November. Vallow, however, has not yet entered a plea, after she was placed in a psychiatric facility for 90 days. Judge Steven Boyce said, “At this time, the defendant is not competent to proceed, and recommends restorative treatment.” At the end of that period, Vallow will either plead or remain in treatment, though no details of her condition have been released.