Lori Vallow Daybell, who is serving several life sentences in connection with the murder of her two children in Idaho and her husband’s previous wife, is now facing a trial in Arizona for conspiring to murder her estranged husband.
During the first day of the trial on Tuesday, Vallow Daybell, who is representing herself in the proceedings, denied conspiring to kill estranged husband Charles Vallow, 62, for life insurance money.
In 2019, Alex Cox, Vallow Daybell’s brother, killed Vallow and later said he acted in self defense. Cox died of a blood clot a year later.
How are trial proceedings going?
Prosecutor Treena Kay argued that Vallow Daybell wanted to cash in Vallow’s $1 million insurance policy and start a new life with Chad Daybell, who was convicted of the same crimes as his wife and sentenced to death in separate legal proceedings in Idaho.
“Lori Vallow wanted to keep the same lifestyle that she had with Charles, and she could get all of this if Charles was dead,” said Kay. “She could marry Chad Daybell, become Lori Daybell. She would get a million-dollar life insurance policy from Charles Vallow.”
She said the evidence, including text messages and witness testimonies, will prove Vallow Daybell planned the murder.
Vallow Daybell, who pleaded not guilty, pushed back on the prosecutor’s assertions.
“They are alleging that insurance money was my motive, Social Security was my motive,” Vallow Daybell told the jury in her opening argument, according to NPR. “Spouses having insurance policies is not a crime. Collecting Social Security is not a crime. Self-defense is not a crime.”
“A family tragedy is not a crime,” she continued. “It’s a tragedy.”
During the second day of the trial, Chandler, Arizona, Police Sgt. Irwin Wierzbicki testified that Cox appeared “extremely calm” moments after Vallow died. The police sergeant said he found Vallow’s body inside Vallow Daybell’s Arizona house. Another officer said Cox nursed the bleeding on his head. Cox claimed that Vallow hit him with a baseball bat, leading him to shoot in self defense as KSL.com reported.
The third day revealed more evidence about the night of the murder. First responders testified that they didn’t see any blood traces on the bat Vallow allegedly used against Cox. The room with the body didn’t have trails of blood nor any furniture.
Vallow Daybell faced several speed bumps during the proceedings, given her inexperience. She broke court protocol on several occasions, prompting objections from the prosecutors and warnings from the judge.
Her trial is expected to continue through next month.
There were 14 jurors — two women and 12 men as of Tuesday, according to Nate Eaton with EastIdahoNews.com.