- Lori Vallow is accused of murdering her two youngest children
- A detective testified regarding the discovery of the children's bodies
- Vallow tries to delay testimony for "mental health" break
Shortly before prosecutors in the trial of Lori Vallow displayed photographs of her children's remains to the jury, she made a request.
Vallow, accused of killing the children alongside her fifth spouse, Chad Daybell, requested to be excused from the court for the remainder of the day to protect her "mental health."
'Cult Mom' Lori Vallow Trial
"This morning was emotional for her," Vallow's attorney, John Thomas, told Judge Steven Boyce.
Boyce denied Vallow's request to recuse himself. He cited Idaho law, which gives courts the authority to confine and muzzle the defendant to ensure their presence. Boyce stated that Vallow had to remain in the courtroom "to ensure her right to due process and a fair trial by the state."
Vallow and her spouse Chad Daybell have been charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, murder, and grand larceny about the deaths of Vallow's two youngest children: 7-year-old Joshua "JJ"
Vallow and her older sibling Tylee Ryan were both reported missing in 2019. They are also accused of killing Daybell's ex-wife, Tammy Daybell. Prosecutors then displayed gruesome images from Daybell's property, where police discovered Tylee and JJ on June 9, 2020.
In one set was a green container containing Tylee's shattered bones, dismembered organs, and burned flesh. Rexburg Police Detective Ray Hermosillo testified on the stand, "Another glob of - I'm sorry, this is the best I can do - burned flesh and bone. Teeth and other body parts."
Hermosillo stated that the jury was also shown JJ's remains on a medical examiner's table. His mouth, ankles, and wrists were bound with duct tape. The countenance resembled JJsufficiently in life to be recognizable.
As the photographs were displayed, JJ's grandfather, Larry Woodcock, sat on a courtroom bench, face immersed in his hands, silently weeping and trembling. A member of the jury wiped her eyes. A male juror glanced aside. The audience members handed tissue cases along the wooden benches in the courtroom.
Vallow, who began the day beaming, chirpy, and wearing a pink blouse, donned a black shawl and remained motionless in the afternoon. She shook her head at one point, prompting her attorney, Jim Archibald, to slap her on the back, according to Insider.
Each defendant has entered a not-guilty plea but is being tried separately. The trial of Chad Daybell is still months away. If convicted, Vallow faces up to life in prison. Vallow is also awaiting prosecution in Arizona for her alleged involvement in the murder of her deceased spouse, Charles Vallow, in July 2019.
Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow Death
One of the first detectives to investigate the disappearance of "cult mom" Lori Vallow's son and daughter disclosed the disturbing items found in her home months before the children were murdered.
The trial of Vallow, 49, has finally begun at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, nearly three years after she was charged with the murders of her son and daughter and conspiracy to murder her doomsday preacher's first wife, Tammy Daybell.
In early September 2019, Vallow and her children relocated from Arizona to Rexburg, where her prospective spouse and alleged co-conspirator Chad Daybell resided. Hermosillo informed the jury that officers discovered knives, multiple firearms, and empty magazines while searching Vallow's residence two months after JJ and Tylee had allegedly been murdered.
Per The Independent, Hermosillo stated he assisted in conducting a welfare check on Vallow's apartment in Rexburg on November 26 after relatives in Arizona reported they had not seen or heard from JJ or Tylees in months. Daybell and Vallow's brother Alex Cox told him the children were residing with JJ's grandmother Kay Woodcock in Arizona, which the detective knew to be false. Daybell responded that he needed Vallow's number when asked to contact her.
Hermosillo testified that he requested a search warrant after rapping on Vallow's door without a response. Vallow opened her door later that day and consented to speak with detectives, stating that JJ was in Arizona "with one of her friends." Hermosillo returned the next day to execute the search warrant, but Vallow had already left. Inside the residence, investigators recovered firearms, several army-grade swords, and empty magazines for various weapons from the garage.
In addition, police discovered Hazmat suits and preparedness bags containing emergency supplies, a camouflage suit, ammunition, firearms, silencers, and black waste bags containing clothing and documents. JJ's toys and belongings, including prescription medication, were discovered during the search.
The alleged perpetrator, wearing blue dress trousers and a pink blouse in court, did not appear to be paying much attention when Hermosillo spoke about the discovery of the remains. According to NY Post, her spouse will face the same charges in a trial that will commence later.
@YouTube
