An Idaho judge entered not guilty pleas on behalf of Lori Vallow Daybell as the accused “cult mom” stood silently when asked how she pleaded on charges related to the deaths of two of her children and her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife.
Vallow appeared Tuesday in court for the first time since she was declared competent to stand trial last week. She had previously spent 10 months in a state health and welfare facility for treatment after being found unfit to stand trial in 2021.
Earlier, Chad Daybell appeared in court as District Judge Steven Boyce heard arguments about whether to Boise in Ada County or bus jurors from Ada County to Fremont County, EastIdahoNews.com reported. Boyce said he would issue a written ruling at a later date.
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Vallow and Daybell have been charged with first degree murder in the deaths of 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, 7-year-old JJ Vallow, and Tammy Daybell, as well as conspiracy charges related to those deaths. Vallow has also been hit with grand theft charges related to benefits she allegedly received for the care of the children after their deaths.
Tylee and JJ vanished in September 2019, and their remains were found on Daybell’s property in June 2020, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
The couple, who married just a few weeks after Tammy Daybell’s death in 2019, were supposed to be tried together, and Chad Daybell’s trial has already been set to begin in January 2023. But on Tuesday, Vallow’s attorneys said she did not waive her right to a speedy trial, meaning that her trial must now begin in October. It’s unclear if Daybell’s trial will be move to match that date or if their trials will now be separated.
Vallow has also been charged in Arizona in the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. Charles Vallow was shot to death in July 2019 by Lori Vallow’s brother.
Relatives of Tylee and JJ were in the courtroom for Tuesday’s hearing.
“I was very saddened to hear JJ’s name and I am very happy with the stage we are in right now. This case is moving forward,” Larry Woodcock, JJ’s grandfather, said at a news conference after the hearing. “(Lori’s) day will come. She’s going to have a miserable life and that’s all I ask for. I know that justice will be served.”
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[Featured image: Lori Vallow Daybell appears in court on Tuesday. (Tony Blakeslee/EastIdahoNews.com via AP, Pool)]
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