LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – An American mother with “apocalyptic” religious beliefs was convicted on Friday of murdering two of her children and of conspiring to kill her husband’s ex-wife.
Lori Valley was on trial in the state of Idaho, in the northwestern United States, for the death of his 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan and seven-year-old adopted son Joshua “JJ” Vallow.
Vallow, who allegedly claimed to be a goddess tasked with preparing humanity for Christ’s second coming, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Her fifth husband Chad doorbell – the self-published author of several apocalyptic novels – will soon be tried separately on similar charges, which also include the murder of his first wife, Tammie.
The couple’s ‘religious beliefs’ were cited by prosecutors as a factor in the murders, and their story was the subject of a Netflix true-crime documentary series ‘Sins of Our Mother,’ released the year last.
The case made national headlines in late 2019 following the disappearance of Vallow’s children, which was first reported to authorities by Joshua’s grandparents.
The police investigation quickly took a grisly turn when it emerged that several people associated with Vallow and Daybell had died in recent years, and she was arrested in Hawaii months later.
Vallow’s third husband, Joseph Ryan – Tylee’s father – had died in 2018 of a heart attack.
She was in the process of divorcing her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, when he was shot and killed by her now deceased brother in July 2019.
In October 2019, Daybell’s wife Tammy died of apparent natural causes. Vallow and Daybell moved to Hawaii a few weeks later, where they were married.
Vallow and Daybell never reported the children missing, and their bodies were found in June 2020 on property owned by Daybell in Idaho.
The judge agreed to remove the death sentence from the table for Vallow, whose sentencing date has not been set.
Daybell has pleaded not guilty to all charges and could still face the death penalty if convicted.
Vallow, raised in a Mormon faith, became increasingly radical in her religious beliefs over time, coming to believe that she could communicate with angels.
In 2018, she met Daybell — the leader of a radical Mormon cult that was preparing for the end times — at a religious conference in Utah.
Her former husband, Charles Vallow, said she claimed to be “a god commissioned to do the work of the 144,000 at the second coming of Christ”.
Some religions believe that 144,000 faithful will be resurrected during the Apocalypse to spend eternity in paradise.
Prosecutors have also claimed a financial motive for the crimes.
Vallow was also convicted of robbery, after obtaining Social Security benefits for her already deceased children. Daybell is charged with insurance fraud.
Lori Valley was on trial in the state of Idaho, in the northwestern United States, for the death of his 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan and seven-year-old adopted son Joshua “JJ” Vallow.
Vallow, who allegedly claimed to be a goddess tasked with preparing humanity for Christ’s second coming, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Her fifth husband Chad doorbell – the self-published author of several apocalyptic novels – will soon be tried separately on similar charges, which also include the murder of his first wife, Tammie.
The couple’s ‘religious beliefs’ were cited by prosecutors as a factor in the murders, and their story was the subject of a Netflix true-crime documentary series ‘Sins of Our Mother,’ released the year last.
The case made national headlines in late 2019 following the disappearance of Vallow’s children, which was first reported to authorities by Joshua’s grandparents.
The police investigation quickly took a grisly turn when it emerged that several people associated with Vallow and Daybell had died in recent years, and she was arrested in Hawaii months later.
Vallow’s third husband, Joseph Ryan – Tylee’s father – had died in 2018 of a heart attack.
She was in the process of divorcing her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, when he was shot and killed by her now deceased brother in July 2019.
In October 2019, Daybell’s wife Tammy died of apparent natural causes. Vallow and Daybell moved to Hawaii a few weeks later, where they were married.
Vallow and Daybell never reported the children missing, and their bodies were found in June 2020 on property owned by Daybell in Idaho.
The judge agreed to remove the death sentence from the table for Vallow, whose sentencing date has not been set.
Daybell has pleaded not guilty to all charges and could still face the death penalty if convicted.
Vallow, raised in a Mormon faith, became increasingly radical in her religious beliefs over time, coming to believe that she could communicate with angels.
In 2018, she met Daybell — the leader of a radical Mormon cult that was preparing for the end times — at a religious conference in Utah.
Her former husband, Charles Vallow, said she claimed to be “a god commissioned to do the work of the 144,000 at the second coming of Christ”.
Some religions believe that 144,000 faithful will be resurrected during the Apocalypse to spend eternity in paradise.
Prosecutors have also claimed a financial motive for the crimes.
Vallow was also convicted of robbery, after obtaining Social Security benefits for her already deceased children. Daybell is charged with insurance fraud.
