On Monday, Lori Vallow Daybell received retribution from Judge Steven Boyce in the form of several fixed life sentences in jail without the chance of parole for the murders of two of her children and a romantic rival.
The judge ruled that Vallow Daybell must serve her jail sentences consecutively rather than concurrently because it is crucial that she be held accountable for every death.
In May, a jury decided that Vallow Daybell, 50, had committed first-degree murder and conspired to kill Tammy Daybell, Daybell’s then-wife, and wanted to get rid of her youngest children in order to start a new life with Chad Daybell. The jury agreed with the prosecution’s theory.
“You chose the most evil and destructive path possible,” despite having a wealth of better, less harmful options, Boyce told Vallow Daybell. He juxtaposed her enjoyment of a honeymoon in Hawaii with her children lying in shallow graves in Idaho.
Her children — Tylee Ryan and Joshua Jaxon “JJ” Vallow — had been “burned, mutilated and dismembered, and buried like animals,” Boyce said.
The judge observed the jurors’ “disgust” throughout the trial and made a note of it. Boyce described the scene as horrifying and said that although law enforcement, the jury, and he personally will be haunted by visions of the children’s bodies, he saw no indication that Vallow Daybell is sorry for what he did.
There were several odd and shocking occurrences throughout the protracted trial. According to the prosecution, Vallow Daybell’s motivations included her desire to live with Chad Daybell, which included planning to murder his now-deceased wife, as well as her esoteric religious beliefs about “dark energy” and the “end times.”
Vallow Daybell Claims Her Children And Tammy Daybell Visit Her
Vallow Daybell spoke in court for around 8 1/2 minutes, giving an account of her own activities for the first time throughout the trial. She argued, however, that she is innocent of the crime and claimed that her murdered victims have come to see her in spirit and are content in heaven.
“Jesus knows me, and Jesus understands me,” Vallow Daybell said, adding that she mourns those who died. But, she added, “Jesus Christ knows that no one was murdered in this case.”
When Tylee was born in 2002, Vallow Daybell claims she had a near-death experience, which caused her to go through a profound transformation.
“I had access to heaven and the spirit world,” she said, adding that while she was tempted to remain in the afterlife, she returned to her body. “Since then, I have had many communications from people now living in heaven, including my children” and other relatives, she said.
“I know for a fact that my children are happy and busy in the spirit world,” Vallow Daybell told the court, reading from a statement. She added that her “friend” Tammy Daybell is “also very happy and extremely busy.”
Vallow Daybell said, “Tylee has visited me. She is happy … and free now,” adding that her son also visited her as “an adult spirit” who was very tall and is thriving in the afterlife.
After Vallow Daybell completed speaking, the judge enquired as to whether she was “fully satisfied” with the legal representation she had received during the trial. She claimed to be.
