admin
Lori Vallow Daybell, the Idaho woman who was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing her two children and conspiring to kill her husband’s first wife, has appealed her conviction, according to court documents.
A Notice of Appeal was filed last week with the Idaho Supreme Court by Daybell’s attorney, which cites multiple alleged issues with Vallow’s conviction including her mental competency, the opening statement made by prosecutors to the jury, amendments to the grand jury indictment and her right to a speedy trial.
In May, Daybell was found guilty of murdering her two children, Joshua “J.J.” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, and conspiring to murder her fifth husband’s first wife, Tammy Daybell.
The trial, which took nearly seven weeks with dozens of witnesses testifying, ended with the 50-year-old mother being convicted on two counts of murder, three counts of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of grand theft.
Chad Daybell, her fifth husband, was also charged in connection with the deaths of the children. He has pleaded not guilty and will go on trial next year.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(719x249:721x251):format(webp)/lori-vallow-mugshot-051523-4b79121e02e04afd89f6aae4af0b8cf3.jpg)
J.J and Tylee vanished from Idaho in 2019 and were reported missing by J.J.’s out-of-state grandparents Kay and Larry Woodcock, who called authorities in November of that year.
Chad reported the death of his then-wife Tammy Daybell on October 19, and married Lori in Hawaii two weeks later, on Nov. 5.
The bodies of J.J. and Tylee were discovered on Chad’s property in Idaho on June 9, 2020.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(677x0:679x2):format(webp)/Lori-Vallow-Daybells-Booking-Photo-Released-After-Her-Courtroom-Rant-Claiming-Kids-Arent-Dead-080223-1-1403d14758544183b4d60ab9e15652fd.jpg)
During opening statements at the trial, Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Blake declared that Tammy’s cause of death was asphyxiation. Later, J.J.’s cause of death was also revealed to be asphyxiation.
Multiple witnesses related to the family took the stand, including Lori’s surviving son, Colby Ryan, and her sister, Summer Cox Shiflet.
Colby talked about his mother and how she supported her children, noting that he loved her during his childhood and never imagined she could harm anyone — until Chad came into her life.
“My mom has spent her whole life protecting us kids,” Colby said on the stand. “After she met Chad Daybell, she changed.”
J.J.’s grandfather, Larry Woodcock, made a statement outside of the courthouse after the verdict was read.
“I want to thank 18 jurors; I cannot thank them enough,” Woodcock said, according to livestream video captured by multiple outlets, including East Idaho News and CourtTV. “I want to personally thank and I want to personally hug everyone of those jurors. What they went through and what they saw is mind boggling. I hope nobody ever has to go through this. I hope no one has to hear the details of what happened to J.J., Tylee and Tammy [Daybell].”
He added: “The next trial is Chad [Daybell], and I look forward to being back in this courthouse if that happens.”
Daybell’s attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
