Moment Lori Vallow sentenced to life in prison with no parole for murders of her children
“Cult mom” Lori Vallow has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole for the murders of her two children in a dramatic case that gripped the nation.
Vallow, 50, was convicted in May of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished in September 2019. She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, who died in October 2019.
The verdict came after prosecutors convinced a jury that Vallow and Mr Daybell conspired with her brother Alex Cox to murder Tammy, JJ and Tylee as part of their bizarre cult beliefs – and for money.
Before the sentence was handed down, the court heard victim impact statements from several family members devastated by the harrowing saga, which has brought countless twists and turns over four years.
To the surprise of many, Vallow spoke herself and appeared to show no remorse for her crimes, claiming the children and Tammy were “busy” and “happy” in heaven. She appeared emotionless as the sentence was handed down.
The families of the victims shared outrage at her bizarre statement as they praised the harsh sentence.
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Vallow headed to Pocatello Women’s Correction Center
Vallow is being transferred to the Pocatello Women’s Correction Center by the Idaho Department of Corrections for her sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
Justin Lum of Fox 10 Phoenix reports that when he reached out to the Idaho DOC after the guilty verdict her was told: “She will go through the reception and diagnostic process which will determine her housing assignment. That process takes four to six weeks.”
He adds that the facility has operated as the reception and diagnostic centre for women in the Idaho prison system.
Vallow is being brought there for processing but it remains to be seen if that is where she will be housed for life. The other option is the South Boise corrections facility.
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Voices: Lori Vallow finally broke her silence at the sentencing. It was too late
Lori stunned the court when she made an unprecedented move to defend herself publicly for the first time. At her sentencing on 31 July, Lori sobbed in a bizarre statement where she denied that any murders took place and insisted that her victims are “very happy”.
Having followed this tragic case in near-obsessive detail, I could spend endless hours analysing each line of her sentencing statement. But perhaps the most important aspect is that it came far, far too late; her fate was already sealed by the years of silence that preceded it.
Oliver O’Connell1 August 2023 15:15
Vallow is ‘misunderstood’ and ‘all about love’, defence claims
Lori Vallow’s attorney claimed that the “cult mom” who murdered her two children and conspired to kill her new lover’s wife is “misunderstood” and is actually “all about love” as he asked the judge for leniency at her sentencing hearing.
Oliver O’Connell1 August 2023 14:45
Lori Vallow claims murdered children ‘happy in heaven’ in statement to court
Lori Vallow addressed the court ahead of her sentencing, claiming her murdered children are “happy in heaven”. The 50-year-old was convicted in May of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished without a trace in September 2019. She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, who died in October 2019. “Jesus Christ knows the truth of what happens here,” Vallow told the court. “I have had many communications from people now living in heaven, including my children… because of these communications, I know that my children are happy and busy in the spirit world.”
Oliver O’Connell1 August 2023 14:15
Full story: Lori Vallow sentenced to life in prison for murders
Oliver O’Connell1 August 2023 13:45
Moment Lori Vallow sentenced to life with no parole for murders of her children
Footage from inside a court captures the moment Lori Vallow was sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for the murders of her two children on Monday, 31 July. In May 2023, the “cult mom,” 50, was convicted of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished in September 2019. Vallow was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, who died in October 2019. Judge Steven Boyce handed down the harshest possible sentence available after the death penalty was taken off the table ahead of trial.
Oliver O’Connell1 August 2023 13:00
‘Monster’ Lori Vallow confronted by victims’ sobbing families at sentencing
“Cult mom” Lori Vallow was confronted by her victims’ sobbing family members at her sentencing hearing where they branded her a “monster” and described her 1,841-day “cruel campaign of terror”.
Oliver O’Connell1 August 2023 12:15
Listen: Family give emotional impact statements as Lori Vallow sentenced
Powerful victim statements were read in court ahead of the sentencing of Lori Vallow on Monday 31 July. The “cult mom” was convicted in May of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished without a trace in September 2019. She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell, who died in October 2019. Impact statements were read by Samantha Gwilliam and Vicki Hoban, the sister and aunt of Ms Daybell, as well as Kay Woodcock, Joshua’s grandmother.
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