GILBERT, Ariz. — While Lori Vallow Daybell awaits sentencing in Idaho, prosecutors in Arizona are working on plans to extradite the so-called "doomsday cult mom" back to Maricopa County where she faces two more counts of conspiracy to commit murder.
Just a week ago she was convicted by a jury in Boise of killing her kids, Tylee and JJ, and conspiring to kill her new husband’s first wife. After the verdict was read, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office put out a statement saying they planned to bring Vallow Daybell back to Arizona for the conspiracy charges out of Chandler and Gilbert.
12News previously reported that the charge in Chandler was connected to the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. But just this week, another indictment was unsealed, revealing that Vallow Daybell is facing a second conspiracy to commit murder charge for allegedly trying to kill her niece's ex-husband, who unlike the other victims, is still alive.
Gilbert Drive-by Shooting
The 911 call is chilling.
Operator: 911. Where is your emergency?
Brandon Boudreaux: Uh, someone just shot my window...
On Oct. 2, 2019, Brandon Boudreaux called for help after someone shot at his car while he was driving into his Gilbert neighborhood. He told the operator he saw the person drive off and later told investigators he thought he knew who was behind the attempt on his life.
"The belief is that Lori’s brother Alex was the triggerman in the shooting," said Rich Robertson, a private investigator with R3 Investigations.
Robertson, who is based in the Valley, was first hired to investigate by Brandon Boudreaux after the early October shooting. He followed the case as it revealed a string of deaths from Arizona to Idaho.
Boudreaux is the ex-husband of Lori Vallow Daybell's niece. Other relatives asked Robertson to help track down Lori's children Tylee and JJ after they disappeared in the fall of 2019.
"What’s important about all these cases is all of them together and all of them happening in a short amount of time and all the same players involved," Robertson stated.
The Backstory
Things in this case started to unravel in 2019.
The first significant incident in July of that year is the death of Charles Vallow, who was shot dead by Lori's brother Alex Cox. Originally Cox told Chandler police officers he acted in self-defense. Now, investigators believe he conspired with Lori to have her husband killed.
After Charles' death, Lori moved with her kids Tylee and JJ to Rexburg, Idaho, where Chad Daybell lived. Investigators believe the children were killed in September 2019. Lori married doomsday author Chad Daybell in November 2019 after Chad's first wife Tammy was killed in mid-October of that year.
Investigators discovered Tylee and JJ's bodies buried in Chad Daybell's backyard in June 2020.
In May 2021, Chad and Lori were charged with murder and conspiracy in the death of her children. Chad was also charged with murdering his first wife Tammy Daybell, while Lori was charged with conspiracy in Tammy's death.
After two delays for mental health checks, Lori's trial started in April 2023 and took about six weeks before a jury came back with a guilty verdict on all six counts she faced. Throughout the proceedings, prosecutors in Idaho accused Lori, Chad and Alex of conspiring to kill people who were "obstacles" to Chad and Lori's relationship.
The defense presented no witnesses and no evidence.
"The only thing that surprised me out of the trial is that Lori did not testify," Robertson said. "Given her mental health, I thought she would just be itching to get on the stand and tell the world her beliefs."
Dark Religious Beliefs
According to investigators' timeline, the shooting at Brandon Boudreaux in Gilbert occurred a few weeks after Tylee and JJ were killed in Idaho and roughly two weeks before Tammy Daybell was killed in Idaho.
Boudreaux and his ex-wife Melani were going through a bitter divorce in 2019 at the time of the shooting. Court documents from the matter gave the first glimpse into the dark religious beliefs tied to Lori, Alex and Chad, Melani and others in their tight circle, like bodies being taken over by zombies.
"It’s terrifying to think they had this belief that they could kill people to further whatever end they had in mind," Robertson shared. "Whether it was religious or financial."
Brandon declined to talk with 12News for this story, but he did testify in Lori’s murder trial in Idaho. He talked about the attempt on his life, family dynamics and what he noticed about Lori and Melani's changing religious beliefs. Melani is not charged in any of these cases.
Planning to extradite
The judge in Idaho anticipates Lori Vallow Daybell will be sentenced sometime later this summer. She's facing life in prison without parole after her attorneys successfully argued to take the death penalty off the table.
After she's sentenced there, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell says they plan to extradite Vallow Daybell back to Arizona to face charges in the death of Charles Vallow and the shooting at Brandon Boudreaux.
Chad Daybell is facing a separate murder trial for the deaths of Tylee, JJ, and Tammy. A date hasn't been set yet, but it's anticipated to take place sometime in 2024.
Gilbert police submitted charges for Chad Daybell in the shooting at Brandon Boudreaux, but MCAO declined to prosecute him.
"It really goes to conspiracy cases now and how did somebody like Lori get Alex to do those crimes?" Robertson shared.
Alex Cox died at his home in Gilbert in December 2019 before any charges were filed in these cases.
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