Hidden True Crime - Verdict Day Flashbacks: Former Lori Vallow Daybell Juror Says Courtroom Brought Back Trauma

Episode Date: June 15, 2025

Juror #12 from Lori Daybell’s second trial—where she was found guilty in the murder plot against Charles Vallow—returns to witness Lori’s third conviction. In this interview, which took place right outside the courthouse, she opens up about why she came back, how it felt to be back in the courthouse where she once voted guilty, and what life has been like since that second trial. Limited Trial Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/hidden-true-crime-limited-merch/ About Hidden True Crime: What started as a simple conversation at their dinner table became a captivating podcast. Join the dynamic duo of Dr. John Matthias, a criminal psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, an investigative journalist, as they delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes every week. Their unique perspectives and in-depth analysis offer a fresh take on true crime storytelling. Thank you for your support through sponsorships, subscribing, listening, and becoming a Patreon member at ⁠Patreon.com/HiddenTrueCrime⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lately, I've been trying to be more intentional about what I wear, intentional about everything, just choosing pieces that feel effortless, still put together, timeless, but also not overthinking it every morning. It's why I keep going back to quince. Their pieces just make getting dressed easier and I feel so classy. I feel elevated. The fits are flattering. The fabric is really high quality. Everything is wearable day to day. I actually got this really, really, beautiful yellow V-neck midi dress from them, and I paired it with some Italian leather sandals. It's one of those outfits that just works. It feels polished but still comfortable. It's exactly what I've been looking for. What surprises me, though, is the quality for the price.

Quince uses premium materials like European linen, organic cotton, but they cut out the middleman. So everything is priced way lower than you'd expect. Refresh. your every day with luxury you can actually use. Head to quince.com slash hidden true crime for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, quince, u I and c e.com slash hidden true crime for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com slash hidden true crime. I knew about investing, but I really didn't know how to go about it. Meet Corey, a Walthfront client. With Walthfront, it could put money in and it would automatically distribute it into a diversified portfolio. Then it starts to compound.

The compounding compounds on the compounding. Just let it run, and it's great. Over 1 million clients trust Wealthfront. Get started at Wealthfront.com. Client was paid $1,000 for their testimonial, creating a conflict of interest. Outcomes vary. Investment management and advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisors LLC and SEC-registered investment advisor. Investing involves risk to principle regardless of the strategy used.

Task performance does not guarantee future results. Hey, hidden gems. I am with, I am with Victoria. Do you guys remember Victoria? Hello. Victoria was an incredible interview that we had a hidden true crime. You were a juror just weeks ago. Just weeks ago, you...

Number 12. Number 12. And you deliberated and came back with a guilty verdict for the same defendant we saw today in the murder for Charles Ballot. And you've been watching this trial every day, a very different trial than yours. Same defendant, same woman, a different trial. you've learned a lot about her since your time as a juror. Oh, yes. Yes. So very different now watching. Yeah. Yeah. What are your, like just overall,

what are your thoughts? Like, was this such a different experience watching this week later? It was. I always wondered when we were sent back to the, to our room, what was going on and what can be said in front of us. And now I get to witness all of that. And I'm thinking, holy cow. To say the least. Yeah. Crazy. She's tried to recuse the judge like four times.

And then if you count Judge Green, it's five. She came in sick twice. Were you shocked? Very. And just like some of her comments, the love piece thing, I just wanted to throw up. Oh, yeah. I'm a loving person. Yes.

Oh, yeah. Would you have wanted to throw up the first time around? or did you just didn't know enough? I didn't know enough. I had no idea. So do you think that when they heard that, they're just like, okay, well, let's hear the evidence. Let's find out if you are a loving person. Or do you know what you would think?

I know I was sort of asking you this off camera and what you said, but or is it just you can't put the cap back in the back? Yeah. I can't go there now because I have too much information. Too much information. so in other words trying to yeah you can't see it through the jurors eyes anymore no do you um watching well you couldn't you were actually watching from home the most of the

streaming yeah streaming do you feel like you knew the verdict that was going to come back or were you nervous no i was very nervous you were because it only takes one idiot Yeah, only one, only one. You just never know. You never do. What's in the box of chocolate? Right, and she's clearly manipulated people, Lori, her entire life. And she's, you know, as I say, she's an aging serial killer, but she's a pretty woman.

And she has this sweet voice. I mean, when she's not, when the jury's around, not when they're not around. Her voice isn't so sweet. So you worry, right? Yeah. I mean, if you were to see her on the street or out in the world, you would just think she's a normal mom. Yeah.

If you didn't know any backstories or whatever. Yeah. You were in there today for the verdict being read. What did you think of the makeup of this jury versus yours? I like seeing all of the women. There were so many. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, and the alternate jurors... Girl power. Yeah, were men, so even more women than men this time around. And they came back a lot faster, didn't they? Yes, 20 minutes. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I thought that was a good sign.

Would you want to talk to any of them if they reached out? Sure. Yeah. Yeah. And I definitely wanted to be here today, but I wasn't expecting, like, I've been nauseous the whole time, and my anxiety came back, kind of just put me right back in that spot.

Really? Yeah, how are you doing? You said that actually upstairs as you're coming out, you're like, I feel sick. Why do you think you're feeling sick? Something just being around this building, in the building, driving here, it just, it makes me sick. I don't know what, yeah, I don't know what it is. I saw that you hugged Kay.

Can I ask what you told Kay, Woodcock? I hugged Kobe first, and he sent me the night nicest text messages. And so I told them thank you for the text messages that I greatly appreciate it. And Kay, I just told her, I've been dying to just squeeze her and give her a hug. I'm so glad you're able to do that. Yeah. Today. She's been incredible to hear supporting Brandon. Yeah, a very, like a very different trial, very different evidence, but the same conspiracy. And like many of us all, we're still waiting for those sentences, because, they're going to be together. Right. That'll be interesting to bring all of those victims and the victim

impact statements together. Right. It'll be, I think, actually a very powerful moment. You know, a lot of people keep talking about, it's now become sort of this moment everyone talks about when you and the other jurors came out weeks ago after the guilty verdict and were stopped by a lot of reporters, including me, when I saw that you and Tosh and Carl, I think those were the three that were stopped, not all together, but separately, I went over too. And I wanted to know what you guys were all saying to the media, to me and to others. And can you explain how that happened and how you were stopped? And, you know, some of those sound bites shared during that time or even sent to Lori in prison.

I'm glad you brought it up because first of all, when we were let go, we were given the option to go out a back way, set up an interview with the media, or just go out together as a group. We all chose to go out together as a group.

Okay. Like this is my first experience, I didn't realize what it was going to be like. I'm like, we're fine. All of us were like, we were fine. But the court did a great job with how they treated us, giving us the options. And I know I've heard a lot of feedback saying that we weren't treated well. And I just wanted to make it clear that that's not the case. Thank you for clearing that up. Just because the way a jury is handled in Arizona is different than Idaho. There's nothing about mistreatment. You guys were given your options, your freedom.

Right. You were asked every day not to read anything. You guys didn't. But so they said you could go out a back way and you thought, why would I do that? I can handle this. Right. Did you kind of want to see what was out there? You're like, well, what are you guys hiding?

What are you saying? Well, and the whole time we saw media here and there. like not in big groups but you know and that had my mind going like what is this really all about like i thought i thought for a while that charles was like a famous baseball player maybe he's i was like what is the deal that's interesting so you're like i don't even know if it's this case i think maybe it's the victim yeah the victim is someone that's famous he's a famous baseball player am i going to go out and see his baseball team or whatever the case is you just didn't know. And the whole jury together decided we'll go out. Yeah. Everybody was like,

we're good. And then they also said Googler. They also said Googler, though. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm still kind of in shock. Like, I'm still kind of in a weird state of mind because we're getting all of this information. So probably not a good judgment on my part, but it had nothing to do with the court. So do you think the court's been great. Okay. Do you think, dreamy he is judge mcdreamy has been wonderful i know have you i know i saw him on the sidewalk the other day and i was fan girlie and i guess i didn't even realize it you know the moment when you like have a giant smile and i didn't even know i did and i was just like hello judge and i'm like i have the biggest room on my face right now i know i would totally be like hello miss i'm very dream yeah but i'm very

proud of him right like i i think he's actually held his cool and dealt with you know someone that repeats every other day trying to kick him off the bench and others. I was happy to see him put down boundaries, though. Were you? Yeah. Yeah, because you were watching all of us. That was good to see, you know. Ah, he is human.

He does have limits. Yeah, right. And we need limits. You're right. Right. It's such a balancing act, I think, for a judge to make sure that the defendant has rights and that they don't walk on those rights, but to also put those boundaries down and say,

look, I'm the judge, I'm the authority in this courtroom, you know, and Judge Judy isn't around to do it. So, you know, it's like... Went that being an experience. Yeah, right. Everyone's like, where's Judge Judy when you need her? I'm like, it's okay. We've got Judge Boreski. And then, so you're still in shock. Did coming today help you sort of process more, or did it actually just increase some trauma that you're still... I think it increased some trauma. And I didn't know what would happen after the verdict because ours was kind of like, we're done. And there's another trial.

So knowing that this was her last trial, I don't know, I thought we were going to have sentencing today. I didn't know how it worked. But now we're backing them up. And you'll be here. Yes. Yeah. That's my closure. And I feel stupid for saying that because imagine what the family feels.

I mean, I was just a juror. But it matters. It matters. I mean, that actually is a great example of how many lives this woman has affected. I'm a loving person. I hate, you know, disappointing people. I'm like, you have disappointed everyone. You are a disappointment.

Your existence is a disappointment. And so to hear that not only is the family affected, as you point out, just think of a juror, you know, the jurors that have, and I noticed that the Brandon Boudreau, thank the jurors for doing that and for processing that together. So thank you. Is there anything else you want to say before we end? No, I appreciate you. Absolutely. I appreciate you too. And I'm your new number one fan. Oh, well, thank you, Victoria. We are so appreciative of you. Thank you. I can only imagine what it's like to be away from your little one and your hubby and thank you. It's hard. I'm homesick, So, but I get to go home and greet them.

And for that, I'm grateful. Yeah. So, thank you. All right. Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile, with a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month.

Of course, if you enjoy over paying, no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $50. $16 per month required. Intro rate first three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra.

See full terms at Mintmobile.com. Before I switched to Wealthfront, my APY was probably 0.1. Once I switched to, chiching. With the Wealthfront cash account, earn up to 4.2% APY on your cash. I can trust. Wealthfront is taking care of me. Make your money earn more. Get started at Wealthfront.com.

Clients were paid $1,000 for their testimonials creating a conflict of interest. Outcomes vary. 3.3%. 3.3% base API as of January 30th, 2026,000, and earned on funds swept to program banks. $.65% new client boost for three months on up to $150,000. Direct deposit $1,000 a month and fund an investing account for a 0.25% increase. Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC member FINRA SIPC, not a bank.