Lori Vallow Daybell, the Idaho mother accused in the deaths of her two children, now faces a new charge that she conspired with her late brother to kill her former husband.
A grand jury in Arizona’s Maricopa County indicted Daybell last week of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the 2019 death of Charles Vallow, linking her to a fourth death in a case that has stretched across state lines and delved into her reported doomsday religious beliefs.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced the development Tuesday in a prepared statement.
Lori Daybell’s brother, Alexander Cox, shot and killed Charles Vallow in July 2019 in what he said was self-defense, authorities have said. Cox died about four months later of a blood clot.
He and his sister had agreed on July 11, 2019, “that at least one of them or another would engage in conduct constituting the offense of first-degree murder,” the two-page indictment says. It does not provide details.
Daybell and her new husband, Chad Daybell, are jailed in Idaho awaiting trial on earlier counts of murder and conspiracy tied to the killings of her children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan. Tylee was just a few weeks shy of her 17th birthday at the time she disappeared.
![FILE - This combination photo of undated photos released by National Center for Missing & Exploited Children show missing children Joshua “JJ” Vallow, left, and Tylee Ryan. Their relatives are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to their recovery. (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children via AP, File) [Jan-08-2020]](https://www.deseret.com/resizer/v2/MD53DWZI2Y343MLTRO5JMYZZZI.jpg?auth=4f27ea3927adcbe06b88ee2c0b5edb181e9ba36fb31216b6b4accf404b982328&focal=1500%2C1060&width=800&height=565)
The children’s remains were uncovered at Chad Daybell’s Salem property in June 2020.
The couple, who wed about two weeks after Chad Daybell’s wife, Tammy Daybell, passed away in 2019, are accused of conspiracy in her death. Additionally, Chad Daybell faces a charge of murder.
The case against Lori Daybell in Idaho has been on hold after a mental health evaluation had determined she is not competent, meaning she cannot properly assist in her own defense or fully understand the charges. A judge earlier this month issued an order committing her to a psychiatric facility for 90 days.
Her Idaho-based defense attorney, Mark Means, didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment Tuesday.
Chad Daybell is set to go on trial in November in Fremont County's 7th District Court.