Lori Daybell: Prosecutors want judge to hand down two more life sentences to ‘Doomsday Mom’
Judgment Day: Lori Daybell prepares for final sentencing and return to Idaho | On The Record
FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum and Special Projects Executive Producer George Obi take a deep dive into the Lori Daybell saga with our case experts. Criminal defense attorney Benjamin Taylor, private investigator Rich Robertson, family law attorney Taylor Larson and retired judge Mel McDonald discuss the importance of Daybell?s sentencing after she was found guilty for conspiring to commit murder in the death of Charles Vallow and attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux.
PHOENIX - Prosecutors from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office are asking a judge to sentence convicted murderer Lori Daybell to two consecutive life sentences without parole.
The "Doomsday Mom" is set for sentencing on July 25 for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder related to the fatal shooting of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and the attempted murder of her former nephew-in-law, Brandon Boudreaux.
Timeline:
In the state’s sentencing memorandum filed on July 18, Prosecutor Treena Kay detailed the saga that began in early 2019 when Charles Vallow raised concerns to Gilbert Police about his wife’s religious beliefs, claiming she threatened to kill him and identified him as "dark."
On July 11, 2019, Charles was shot and killed by Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox. Days earlier, Daybell texted Cox, "It’s all coming to a head this week. I will be like Nephi I am told! And so will you."
Cox shot his brother-in-law and waited nearly an hour to call 911. Lori Daybell left the scene, driving Charles’ rental car with her kids, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, to multiple locations before returning.
Charles Vallow and Lori Vallow Daybell.
A series of killings followed after Daybell learned she was no longer the beneficiary of her husband’s $1 million life insurance policy. She moved her children to Rexburg, Idaho, to be closer to her boyfriend, Chad Daybell.
The memorandum cites the disappearance of JJ and Tylee in early September 2019, before their remains were discovered on Chad Daybell's property in June 2020. Kay explained incidents from fall 2019, revealing Lori Daybell’s conspiracy to have her brother tint the windows of her Jeep Wrangler and buy a TracFone from Walmart. On October 2, Daybell kept Cox’s phone to use as an alibi while he drove from Idaho to Gilbert, Arizona, to shoot Brandon Boudreaux outside his rental home.
From left: Lori Vallow Daybell, Joshua "JJ" Vallow, Tylee Ryan
Court documents remind Judge Justin Beresky that while Cox carried out this plan, Lori and Chad moved the Jeep’s rear seat and tire into a Rexburg storage unit. Cox’s cell phone was used to call Lori’s cell phone, using the same cell tower in that area. Cox’s TracFone used a cell tower outside Boudreaux’s home that same morning. As Boudreaux arrived home in his Tesla, he saw a Jeep’s rear window lift up and a rifle barrel appear before being shot at. The bullet missed him by inches, and Cox drove off, according to investigators.
The state references Lori Daybell’s murder convictions in Idaho for killing her two children and conspiring in the death of Tammy Daybell, Chad Daybell's first wife. On July 31, 2023, Lori was sentenced to five life sentences without parole, with three terms running consecutively.
In April and June 2025, Daybell was found guilty in both Arizona trials, where she represented herself. She stipulated to the aggravation phase, waiving her right to a jury trial on certain aggravating factors.
Lori Vallow Daybell (file)
What they're saying:
Treena Kay listed those aggravating factors for the murder conspiracy cases, saying a deadly weapon was used, money was a motive, emotional and financial harm was suffered by the victims, and Daybell has been convicted of a felony.
"Brandon Boudreaux knew that this defendant and her brother were responsible for the death of Charles Vallow and possibly Tammy Daybell. He was so afraid that Alex Cox and Melani Boudreaux Pawlowski would return to finish the job that he took his children and went into hiding," said Kay in the filing.
Melani Pawlowski, Boudreaux’s ex-wife, has not been charged in this case, but the prosecution mentioned her alleged involvement several times during the trial. Gilbert PD has not recommended a charge at this time.
What's next:
Kay is asking Judge Beresky to sentence Daybell to two consecutive life sentences without parole after 25 years, attaching those sentences consecutively to the terms she will serve in Idaho.
Sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 25 at the Maricopa County Superior Courthouse. Daybell is expected to be extradited back to Idaho within 30 days after sentencing.