48 Hours - Sentencing Lori Vallow Daybell

Episode Date: August 1, 2023

Lori Vallow Daybell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, weeks after she was convicted of murdering her two youngest children and conspiring to kill the woman whose husband she went on to marry just weeks later. In the Idaho courtroom, Vallow Daybell spoke for the first time ahead of her sentencing. Her words stood in stark contrast with those of family members seeking justice. You can access full coverage by listening to "Inside the Lori Vallow Daybell Trial" podcast from 48 Hours.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. You may not believe to this day that you've done anything wrong and you still may think you're justified by your religious beliefs for what happened here. I'm not here to judge that, but I don't believe that any God in any religion would want to have this happen, what happened here.

Welcome to another special episode of 48 Hours. I'm Jonathan Vigliotti. You just heard the voice of 7th District Judge Stephen Boyce, the judge who presided over Lori Vallow Daybell's criminal case in Idaho. Eleven weeks after a jury found her guilty on all counts brought against her in the murders of her children, Joshua J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan, as well as Tammy Daybell, the wife of the man she then married, Lori was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no possibility of parole. I was outside the courtroom as the sentence was read and as Lori publicly addressed the court for the first time. We'll hear what she had to say later in this episode. Lori's husband, Chad Daybell,

is also accused of these crimes and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. If you're just tuning into our coverage now, we've been providing weekly updates on the most shocking testimony and the most damning evidence throughout the trial. Check back earlier in this feed to hear more of our analysis. Now, almost four years after J.J. and Tylee went missing, their and Tammy's surviving relatives know one thing for certain. Lori Vallow-Daybell will be in prison for the rest of her life. Back with us is 48 Hours producer Richie Fetzer, who's been covering this story since the very beginning. Welcome, Richie. Hi, Jonathan. Thank you for having me. And thanks for joining us. Three dead, but countless more lives forever changed by Lori

Belladabel's actions. Actions that jurors found through their verdict were part of a conspiracy to kill Tammy, Tylee, and JJ. Ritchie, I wonder, what was it like to finally see Lori sentenced after all of this time? I mean, Jonathan, I will say, covering this story, it's been a journey. It started off, the children were missing. Then it was awful news, they were found dead. Then Lori was charged with murder. Now to see her finally sentenced, honestly, it felt emotional for me.

And I'm someone that's just covered it, reported on it. I can only imagine what it was like being a family member or a loved one of any of these victims. I mean, we were outside the courthouse as the family started to file out after the sentencing. There was a lot of relief, but there was also a very palpable amount of anger. I think anger based on what Lori said and did not say when she spoke for the first time in more than three years. We'll get to that again in a little bit. I want to focus on these sentences, three consecutive sentences to life in prison. That means that unless Lori successfully appeals her case and her life sentences are reversed, she'll never be a free woman again. Now, one question we know a lot of listeners will have

is whether or not the state could have sought the death penalty here. Richie, can you explain to me, because I need a refresher, why that wasn't on the table? So prosecutors did seek the death penalty for both Lori and Chad. Chad will be tried separately. His trial is currently scheduled for next April. But Lori's attorneys argued back before her trial even began that if she was convicted, they didn't want the death penalty on the table. They argued because they didn't have enough time to fully review the vast amount of evidence that was turned over in the weeks before the trial. Back in March of this year, Judge Boyce ruled in the defense's favor, which Lori's attorney today called a win for all humanity.

I mean, that's quite a statement there. As we mentioned earlier, we heard from Lori during Monday's hearing, but she wasn't the only one who spoke. Before Judge Boyce delivered his sentence, we also heard from Prosecutor Rob Wood. Take a listen. What is the value of the life of a 16-year-old girl with her life ahead of her? What is the value of a life of a 7-year-old boy with special needs? What is the value of the life of a mother and a grandmother? So that's how Prosecutor Wood started his statement. He continued on, saying, This defendant violated the most sacred trust that exists in society, that between a mother

and her children. And she did it for gain. She did it for money. A defendant who is willing to murder her own children is willing to murder anyone. So money. That was one of the motives set forth by prosecution during the trial. With the death penalty off the table, the prosecution recommended life in prison instead. And so what does justice for Tylee, JJ, and Tammy require? It requires that this defendant never have a chance for freedom, because her victims no longer have that. So the defense, on the other hand, asked the court to sentence Lori to a minimum of 20 years behind bars, arguing against life in prison.

That would give her the chance to be released after 20 years had passed or at a later date. Here's attorney John Thomas. In our opinion, if you give her fixed life, you will have essentially thrown her away. She has no incentive to rehabilitate. There is no deterrent to her or anyone else. The punishment portion is final and all-encompassing. I found this argument by John Thomas to be kind of strange and hard for me to wrap my brain around, he argued that hope of parole would incentivize Lori to be a model inmate and perhaps influence other inmates

to be better people. Unfortunately for Lori and for her defense team, this was not enough to persuade Judge Boyce. But perhaps most impactful than the words of the attorneys were the words of Tammy, Tylee and JJ's loved ones. Oftentimes at sentencing hearings, family members of victims are permitted to give victim impact statements. Five people close to Tammy, Tylee and JJ were permitted to give those statements on Monday. Lori needs to pay for her actions according to the laws of mortals. She will still answer according to the laws of God when she passes from this life. That was Tammy Daybell's sister, Samantha Gwilliam, reading from a statement written by her

and Tammy's father, Ron Douglas. Yes, and Gwilliam also spoke herself and used harsh language, calling Lori a liar, an adulterer, and a murderer. Everyone now knows what liars you are. They now all know what horrible things you have done. You will have to live in your prison cell for the rest of your life. You are not an exalted being and there's no huge event that is going to save you. No jail walls are going to fall so you can leave. No angels are coming to rescue you. You can really hear what sounds like anger in her voice. We also heard from Tammy's aunt, Vicki Hoban. She did not testify at trial and used her time to remember Tammy as a mother,

grandmother, friend, teacher, and more. Never will she whisper a joke with a friend and laugh. Never see another sunrise or a sunset never smell fresh rain nor see her grandchildren stomp through a mud puddle never to hear being called grandma or mom

not another birthday Christmas the birth of a grandchild, graduation from preschool. I mean, just listening to this outside the courtroom, it was incredibly emotional inside. It's important to remember the victims here whose lives were cut short by such senseless and violent murders. I was particularly struck by Kobe Ryan's statement, which was read by prosecutor Rob Wood. He's Tylee and JJ's older brother. And he reminded the public that murders don't just hurt those who are killed, but everyone around them. I've lost my entire family in life. I lost the opportunity to share life with the people I love the most.

I've watched everything crumble and be shredded to pieces. I have lost my sister, brother, father, and my mother. I've lost cousins and family, friends, and everything in between. These murders have changed everyone's life who loved these beautiful people, but I still know that God is above holding them in his arms and will provide a life after this to reunite. I pray for healing for everyone involved, including those who took the lives of all the ones we love. It sounds like Colby here is asking for healing for his mother when being confronted with the fact that she murdered those two children. Richie, did we hear from anyone else? Yes. So we also heard from Kay Woodcock. And you'll remember she's JJ's grandmother and the sister to Lori's fourth husband, Charles Vallow. Just a reminder to listeners that Lori is also facing trial for conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting death of Charles Vallow in Arizona. Woodcock's testimony was so hard to listen to during trial, and she was equally impactful during her statement on Monday.

listen to during trial, and she was equally impactful during her statement on Monday. We believe there should never be a reason for her to be released from prison. She deprived JJ, Tylee, and Tammy of that right and should never be given what she so easily took from them. She went on to describe Lori in even harsher terms. Lori is undeniably a monster, a monster that has not taken any responsibility or shown an ounce of remorse for her vile actions. She deserves to never again breathe oxygen as a free member of society. Her actions, dismissive behavior, and disinterest in court proceedings continue to validate her lack of accountability and remorse or any possibility to be rehabilitated. Lori Cox Daybell is a danger to society. Her body and manipulative mind are weapons used for her

selfish greed and satisfaction. Woodcock also mentioned something not discussed in too much detail during the trial, the state of Lori's mental health. We firmly believe that she has zero mental illness that drove her to commit these heinous acts. The judge would go on to address questions of Lori's mental health. But before that, we heard from Lori herself. We'll hear from Lori right after the break. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? Or why nearly every house in America has at least one game of Monopoly? Introducing The Best Idea Yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy

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and listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. crime shows early and ad-free right now. And we're back. Richie, this was the first time we've heard Lori address the court and discuss the crimes she's now been convicted of, right? Yeah, that's right. She's given brief answers to procedural questions amongst other small comments. And we heard her speak in telephone calls during the trial, you know, the jail calls between her and her family. But in today's statement, she was emotional, often repetitive. And as I heard it, not at all remorseful. She also made it clear she hasn't strayed too far from her much discussed religious beliefs, even doubling down on them. Jesus knows me. And Jesus understands me. I mourn with all of you who mourn, my children and Tammy.

Jesus Christ knows the truth of what happened here. Jesus Christ knows that no one was murdered in this case. Accidental deaths happen. Suicides happen. Fatal side effects from medications happen. As I listen to that now, I still do not understand what exactly she is saying. It was bizarre. And Richie, I want you to get into it in a second. But one thing that did strike me was what she she is saying. It was bizarre. And Richie, I want you to get into it

in a second. But one thing that did strike me was what she did not say. She never said, I'm sorry. She did not appear remorseful. She didn't acknowledge any culpability. I was surprised during her statement. She made a claim of she herself died while she was giving birth to Tylee. She said she felt her spirit fall to the floor, and that she was standing by her pregnant body watching the doctors revive her. She described going to heaven before returning to her body. She claimed that this experience is one of the reasons she was able to connect with what she described as the spirit world. When Lori talks about her religious beliefs, it can be a little hard to follow, and Monday was no exception.

She claimed she's spoken with Tylee and JJ and Tammy, who she says told her that they're doing well and staying busy. Not only that, she says they told her that she'd done nothing wrong. She went on to say, I do not fear death, but I look forward to it. I mean, if she truly believes what she says she does, it's no surprise to hear her say something like she does not fear death. According to her beliefs, when death comes, she'll be reunited with those who have died. One thing she didn't make mention of is her husband, Chad, who is accused alongside of her of murdering JJ, Tylee, and Tammy. When the judge finally spoke,

he made note of others' claims that Chad was really the catalyst for the changes in her life and her diagnosis of mental illness, for which Lori received a diagnosis earlier in the year. The most current diagnosis the court has is from Dr. Watson from February of this year, states you suffer from, and I'll quote, delusional disorder, mixed type with bizarre content and hyper-religiosity, continuous and unspecified personality disorder with histrionic and narcissistic features. So this comment was made in the context of the variety of factors Judge Boyce considered in making his sentencing judgment, but these other factors don't change the facts, which are indisputable given her conviction. Lori made a choice to kill her children. You had so many other

options. You could have gotten divorced. You could have found someone to take care of those kids. But as the state was able to prove at trial, you chose the most evil and destructive path possible. And his point was those children should still be alive today. He also said that the images shown during trial, so often gruesome and disturbing, will stick with him for the rest of his life. But most striking of all was his comments on Lori's lack of remorse that we've spoken about and that the motive appeared to be financial gain. You'll remember that Lori was also convicted of stealing social security benefits

JJ and Tylee were receiving. And I'd have to agree, throughout the whole trial and throughout Lori's statement, there's been no evidence that Lori feels any remorse for the harm that she's caused. It is the most shocking thing, really, I can imagine, is that a mother killed her own children and you simply have no remorse for it. Even sitting here

today, there's no remorse for what you did. In Judge Boyce's mind, the lack of remorse was possibly offset by Lori's absence of a criminal history, good behavior in jail since she's been arrested, and more. But nevertheless, ultimately, he sentenced her to three consecutive life sentences. And there's a lot more to be seen in Lori and Chad Daybell's cases as both of them face future trials. Richie, thank you for joining us today. And thanks to all of you for listening to this special episode inside the Lori Vallow Daybell trial. Be sure to follow and listen to 48 Hours wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen ad-free on the Amazon Music or Wondery app.

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