Lori Vallow Daybell is currently standing trial in Idaho for killing her two children, J.J. Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16. The two children vanished in 2019 and their remains were found on Vallow Daybell’s husband’s property nine months later. She is also charged with killing her husband’s first wife in 2019.
Vallow Daybell has claimed she was elsewhere when the three slayings occurred. However, authorities believe she had involvement in a so-called doomsday cult — and she allegedly told a friend that her children had become zombies and the only way to exorcise their bodies of evil spirits was to kill them.
Vallow Daybell’s trial is expected to last up to 10 weeks. Here are some other figures who will be heavily involved in her ongoing trial:
Lori Blake
Fremont County prosecuting attorney since October 2020. Per her LinkedIn account, Blake received her J.D. in 2007 from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. During opening statements, Blake said “money, power, and sex” motivated Vallow Daybell to kill.
Rob Wood
Madison County prosecuting attorney since 2020. Wood received his J.D. in 2009 from the University of Idaho College of Law, per his LinkedIn account. During the trial, Wood questioned Rexburg Detective Ray Hermosillo about their initial investigation into the two children’s disappearances. Wood also showed the court graphic photos of J.J.’s autopsy and where Tylee’s burned remains were buried.
R. James Archibald
Attorney representing Daybell Vallow. Archibald received his J.D. in 1991 from the University of Idaho.
On Tuesday, Archibald unsuccessfully requested for Daybell Vallow to leave court following graphic testimony about the murders of her two children.
“My client, her fragile state of mind, the mental health concerns, the myriad reports that have been filed about her mental health do justify such a request,” Archibald said, according to the Deseret News.
John Thomas
Bonneville County Public Defender who is representing Vallow Daybell alongside Archibald. Thomas has told the court that they do not believe Vallow Daybell participated in her children’s slayings or knew it was going to occur. During the trial, Thomas questioned Rexburg Police Detective Ray Hermosillo about what kind of shovel was used to dig up J.J. and Tylee’s remains.
Judge Steven W. Boyce
Seventh District Court judge for eastern Idaho since 2019. At the onset of the trial, Judge Boyce ruled that J.J.’s grandmother can act as an advocate and represent her slain grandson in court. In March, Judge Boyce approved the defense’s motion to take the death penalty off the table. Boyce also barred cameras from being in the courtroom during the high-profile trial.
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[Featured image: John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, Pool]
