Lori Vallow Daybell is seeking a new trial as she appeals her Idaho convictions for the deaths of her two children and conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell, her husband’s former wife. Her attorney argued before the Idaho Supreme Court on Monday, November 2, as justices considered whether to overturn the verdicts, KSL-TV reported.
Vallow Daybell was convicted in 2023 of killing her son, Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and daughter, Tylee Ryan, 16. The children had disappeared in 2019, and their bodies were later found buried on property in Idaho belonging to Chad Daybell, who was then her husband. She was also convicted of conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell.
She received three life sentences in Idaho for the deaths of the children and Tammy Daybell, according to the Associated Press. Chad Daybell was sentenced to death in connection with the killings.
In her appeal, Vallow Daybell’s attorney argued that she was denied a speedy trial and the right to retain the lawyer of her choice. The attorney also challenged a lower court’s decision to let jurors hear evidence about separate Arizona shootings involving Vallow Daybell’s former husband, Charles Vallow, and Brandon Boudreaux, the husband of her niece. Charles was killed, while Boudreaux survived.
Vallow Daybell was separately sentenced to two life terms in Arizona in 2025 after being convicted of conspiring to kill Charles Vallow and Boudreaux, KSL-TV reported. Her brother, Alex Cox, fatally shot Charles in July 2019 and said he acted in self-defense. Prosecutors argued that Vallow Daybell and Cox plotted the killing to obtain Charles’ life insurance money. Cox, who was also accused of shooting at Boudreaux, later died from a blood clot.
During the Idaho appeal, judges asked whether overturning the convictions could expose Vallow Daybell to the death penalty if she were retried, NewsNation reported. The court has not issued a final decision on the appeal.
Sources: Us Weekly.