“Cult mom” Lori Vallow was driven by “money, power and sex” to murder her two children and her new husband’s then-wife, prosecutors told her murder trial – as jurors were shown graphic images of the children’s charred and buried remains.
The high-profile trial of the 49-year-old mother-of-three got underway in Ada County Courthouse in Idaho on Monday morning, where she is charged with the murders of her son Joshua “JJ” Vallow and daughter Tylee Ryan and conspiracy to murder her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.
In opening statements, Fremont County prosecutor Lindsey Blake laid out the alleged motive for the murders saying that Ms Vallow “will remove any obstacle in her way to get what she wants”.
“Money, power, and sex – that’s what this case is about,” she said, according to East Idaho News journalist Nate Eaton.
“Tylee had money. Lori wanted it. Tylee’s gone. JJ took time and he also lost his father. When he lost his father, he became much more difficult to care for. He was entitled to social security benefits.
“The defendant didn’t want to have to take care of JJ anymore. He had money. JJ’s gone.”
Jurors heard chilling details about how the remains of 16-year-old Tylee were later found buried in the pet cemetery on Mr Daybell’s property in Idaho.
“You will hear it described as a mass of bone and tissue. That’s what was left of this beautiful young woman. The defendant’s daughter,” said the prosecutor.
“Her DNA was found on a pick ax and a shovel later located on a shed on Chad’s property.”
Tylee’s body had been dismembered and burned in a fire pit, before being buried in the pet cemetery. JJ’s body was found in a garbage bags wrapped in duct tape, also buried on Mr Daybell’s property.
Graphic photos were shown to the court of what remained of JJ’s arm wrapped in duct tape.
An image of Tammy’s hands – after her body was exhumed and an autopsy conducted – was also shown in court.
By contrast, jurors were shown a photo of Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell holding hands at their wedding on a beach in Hawaii.
At that time, all three victims were dead – and the couple were refusing to reveal where the children were.
“The missing children, the sudden death of Tammy, the quick marriage of Chad and the defendant left so many questions for those still grieving the loss of Tammy and those still wondering 24/7 about the whereabouts of the children,” said the prosecutor.
Prosecutors allege that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell conspired with Ms Vallow’s brother Alex Cox to murder Tammy, JJ and Tylee as part of their doomsday cult beliefs – but also for financial purposes so that they could collect Tammy’s life insurance money and the children’s social security and survivor benefits.
Ms Blake told jurors that the saga – which embroils multiple murders, mystery deaths and a doomsday cult – first began back in October 2018 when the pair met in person for the first time at a religious conference.
They were both married at the time – Mr Daybell to Tammy and Ms Vallow to her fourth husband Charles Vallow – but their romance grew and they referred to themselves as religious figures “James and Elaina”, she said.
“The defendant will remove any obstacle in her way to get what she wants – and she wanted Chad Daybell,” said Ms Blake.
The doomsday couple then allegedly used their cult beliefs to “justify” their actions, the prosecutor said.
“She was here on a religious mission to gather the 144,000, so she needed to spend her time and energy there,” said Ms Blake.
“What she did on earth no longer counted for her.”
As part of their cult beliefs, they believed in a “rating system of light and dark” for how they ranked the spirits of the people around them.
Over time, this evolved into the belief that some people – including the children – were “zombies” and the only way to get rid of the zombies was for the human body to be destroyed.
JJ and Tylee were last seen alive in September 2019 – not long after Ms Vallow had moved the two children from Arizona to Idaho, allegedly to be close to Mr Daybell.
Chilling photos captured a smiling JJ, Tylee and Cox on a visit to Yellowstone National Park on 8 September.
The photo is now believed to be the last proof of life of 16-year-old Tylee.
After that day, she was never seen or heard from again.
Days later, on 22 September, JJ was also seen for the last time – at his school in Rexburg and by his mother’s friends at her apartment that night. By the next morning, the seven-year-old had also vanished.
Before their disappearance, Ms Vallow’s had reportedly told friends that her children were “zombies” and that the only way to free someone’s soul from evil spirits was to kill them.
JJ’s grandparents alerted authorities after they were unable to get in touch with their grandson but Ms Vallow refused to reveal where either of the children were.
In June 2020, JJ and Tylee’s remains were discovered buried in Mr Daybell’s backyard.
The children’s disappearance and deaths led to a renewed focus on the deaths of the doomsday couple’s respective spouses.
Mr Daybell’s wife of three decades Tammy died suddenly in her sleep on 19 October 2019 – just one month after the children disappeared.
Despite being an otherwise healthy 49-year-old, her family declined an autopsy and Tammy’s death was ruled natural causes.
Less than a month later, Mr Daybell and Ms Vallow married on a beach in Hawaii.
It was only after the two children were reported missing – and authorities began delving into Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell and their bizarre cult beliefs – that questions began being asked about Tammy’s death too.
In December 2019, investigators exhumed her body and carried out an autopsy.
Following this autopsy, Mr Daybell and Ms Vallow were charged with her murder but, until now, officials have remained tightlipped about how exactly Tammy died.
In court on Monday, the prosecutor said that Tammy died “at the hands of another and died of asphyxiation.
But their deaths aren’t the only ones surrounding the doomsday cult couple.
In July 2019 – two months before the children’s disappearance – Ms Vallow’s fourth husband Charles Vallow was shot dead by Cox.
At the time, Cox claimed Vallow attacked him with a baseball bat and it was ruled self-defence.
Yet, a new investigation was later opened into his death.
Now, Ms Vallow is also facing charges in Arizona of conspiring with Cox to murder Vallow.
On 11 December 2019, Cox also died suddenly at the age of 51. His death was also ruled natural causes, with indications of a blood clot wedged in the arteries of his lungs. However the overdose drug Narcan was also found in his system.
In the Idaho case, Ms Vallow is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft in connection with the deaths of JJ and Tylee and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Tammy.
She is also charged with related financial crimes and is facing life in prison after the death penalty was taken off the table.
Mr Daybell is also charged with the murders of JJ, Tylee and Tammy and the couple had been due to stand trial together – before the judge severed the two cases last month.
Now, his trial will take place on a later, unspecified date.
