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'Doomsday mom' Lori Vallow's Arizona murder conspiracy trial: Wildest moments in court so far
So-called “Doomsday Mom” Lori Vallow Daybell, who is representing herself in the murder conspiracy trial of her fourth husband, is shaking up the courtroom with fiery exchanges during testimony.
Prosecutors are accusing Vallow Daybell of conspiring with her late brother, Alex Cox, to murder her late husband, Charles Vallow, to benefit from a $1 million life insurance policy and marry another man, Chad Daybell, in 2019.
The Arizona trial comes nearly two years after Vallow Daybell and her current husband, Chad Daybell, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 2019 murders of Vallow’s two youngest children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as the 2019 murder of Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell.
On Wednesday, the second day of the trial, witness Nancy Jo Hancock — a woman who went on a date with Charles Vallow in July 2019 the night before Vallow was shot and killed — got into a heated exchange with Vallow Daybell during cross-examination.
‘DOOMSDAY MOM’ LORI VALLOW SHARES WHY SHE MADE UNUSUAL LEGAL MOVE FOR 2ND MURDER TRIAL: ‘FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE’
Lori Vallow is on trial in Arizona in connection to her late husband’s death. (Maricopa County)
In court, Vallow Daybell asked Hancock about the date, and whether Hancock knew that she and Vallow were still married at the time.
“Would you have gone out on a date with him if he would have said he was married?” Vallow Daybell asked.
“If I would have realized how married he still was, maybe not,” Hancock replied. “But I just met for dinner. I wasn’t sleeping with him or anything.”
WATCH VALLOW’S CROSS-EXAMINATION OF HANCOCK:
“Do you go on dates with married men, naturally?” Vallow Daybell fired back, before the prosecution objected and called her question “argumentative and harassment.”
Daybell Vallow continued to question Hancock, who fired back after she continued to be pressed on the date.
“So you spent your whole date getting to know each other, talking about me?” Vallow Daybell asked.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Hancock replied. “No, we did not spend the whole time talking about you.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
The heated exchange has taken the internet by storm with several reactions being shared online.
At a different moment during her cross-examination of Hancock, Vallow Daybell again asked the witness if she was aware during her date with Charles Vallow that he was “on dating websites and dating women.”
The prosecution objected on the premise of speculation, which the judge sustained. Vallow Daybell then reframed her question, asking if Charles Vallow informed Hancock about the “situation of” Lori and Charles “being separated.”
Lori Vallow Daybell stands and listens as the jury’s verdict is read at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho on May 12, 2023. (Kyle Green)
“He was under the impression that you were having an affair, so him moving on was a natural progression of that,” Hancock responded.
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Vallow Daybell then asked for more information about Hancock’s communications with Kay Woodcock, Charles Vallow’s sister by adoption. JJ Vallow referred to Kay and her husband, Larry Woodcock, as his grandparents. After asking Hancock to describe her communications with Woodcock, Vallow Daybell suddenly cut the witness off when she began discussing JJ Vallow.
“To express my condolences for her brother passing away and wanted to let her know that I had had dinner with him that last night and how much he loved JJ and how excited he was to see him the next morning and just — ” Hancock started before Vallow Daybell interrupted.
“Thank you. That’s enough,” the defendant said.
WATCH VALLOW CUT OFF HANCOCK:
The next bizarre exchange came between Vallow Daybell and her brother, Adam Cox, who told the jury that he had flown to Phoenix right before Charles’ death, claiming he went to help Charles stage an intervention with his sister.
During the cross-examination, Vallow Daybell did not ask many questions, seemingly to prove that they had not interacted with each other in years.
“Last time I remember our communications was you and I were speaking in the kitchen, when the family was over,” Cox said.
“So you think that was that time in 2018?” Vallow Daybell asked.
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Lori Vallow Daybell’s booking photo taken at the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center in Pocatello, Idaho. (Idaho Dept. of Corrections/Local News X /TMX)
“I think so,” Cox responded.
“And were we eating my green chile chicken enchiladas?” she asked.
“And were we eating my green chile chicken enchiladas?”
“I do not remember that,” Cox replied.
KILLER LORI VALLOW, ‘DOOMSDAY MOM,’ SAYS JESUS SPOKE TO HER IN SPIRITUAL VISION, SHOWED HER PRISON RELEASE
Vallow Daybell questioned him again about not remembering that and said “that is what I made every time there was a family get-together, which was like 10 times a year.”
WATCH VALLOW’S CROSS-EXAMINATION OF HER BROTHER:
Vallow Daybell explained to True Crime Arizona that she had been “working on her case for five years” and knows it “better than an attorney can learn it in two years,” after making the decision to represent herself.
“Here’s the thing, when you waive your speedy trial, then they can keep you here as long as you want,” Vallow told True Crime Arizona. “There are intelligent, strong, beautiful women in here that have been here for eight years because of family tragedies. It’s the same, like my case, a family tragedy, not crime. A family tragedy, and they’re waiting, and they’re facing the death penalty for a family tragedy.”
Lori and Chad Daybell were convicted of killing 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old J.J. Vallow in 2019. (Rexberg Police Department)
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At the time of Charles Vallow’s murder, his daughter, Tylee, confronted him with a baseball bat after hearing screaming inside the house. Charles reportedly took the bat from Tylee, who told police she was trying to protect her mother, and allegedly tried to attack Cox. Cox told investigators he fired his gun in self-defense and was never charged in Charles’ death before he died of natural causes months later.
Vallow Daybell could face another life sentence if convicted and is also facing another Arizona trial in May for an alleged plot to kill her niece’s ex-husband after a judge denied her motion to dismiss the case.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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A man wanted for a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles was arrested and extradited from Mexico after fleeing the U.S. in 2024.
The suspect was identified as Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Authorities had been searching for him since the deadly incident on October 10, 2024.
Rojas and a second suspect, Joshua Rojas Sr., 47, of Downey, were driving on the northbound 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights around 4 p.m. when they became involved in an altercation with another driver that escalated into a shooting.
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Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. The alleged gunman is circled. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, was arrested and extradited to the U.S. from Mexico on June 2, 2026, in connection with a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles. (California Highway Patrol)
Video of the tense confrontation showed the suspects, who were driving a Dodge Durango SUV, opening fire on two men in a Cadillac sedan.
The shooting forced the victim to pull over abruptly. That’s when a suspect ran up to the Cadillac, opened the passenger-side door and fired several shots at close range.
In a panic, the Cadillac driver tried to escape by making a sudden U-turn and driving against oncoming traffic. He eventually crashed head-on into several vehicles.
The suspects ditched their SUV and fled toward a freeway exit on foot. The Cadillac driver was left with serious injuries and his passenger was killed. Their identities were not released.
The incident caused a miles-long backup that left thousands of motorists stranded on the freeway for hours and authorities worked to clear the scene.
Following an extensive investigation, detectives identified the two men as the suspects involved.
Joshua Rojas Sr. was arrested in San Bernardino on October 22, 2024, on a murder charge. He remains in custody awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, Christian Rojas had fled the U.S. and was hiding in Mexico, detectives said. A $4.3 million bail warrant was issued for his arrest.
“Through a coordinated international effort, investigators determined that Rojas was living in Palomo de Arriba, Mexico,” CHP officials said. “The U.S. Marshals Service worked with Mexican state police to locate and arrest him on the outstanding warrant.”
On June 2, 2026, Christian was arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face a murder charge.
“This arrest demonstrates that time and distance will not shield violent offenders from justice,” said CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris. “For nearly two years, our detectives remained relentless in their pursuit of those responsible for this senseless act of violence. Through exceptional collaboration with the United States Marshals Service and our law enforcement partners in Mexico, we located and apprehended this suspect and brought him back to face the charges. We remain committed to protecting the public, supporting victims and their families, and holding violent criminals accountable wherever they may try to hide.”
The northbound 405 Freeway will remain closed for several hours near Los Angeles International Airport after a police pursuit ended with officers opening fire Friday morning. Unconfirmed reports indicated the incident began with a robbery at a 7-Eleven store, which ended with Los Angeles Police Department officers pursuing the suspect in a Kia. The chase […]
The victim in a bizarre and deadly stabbing in Tarzana has been identified as 81-year-old character actor James Handy, best known for a recent role in Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick.” The stabbing happened around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 19200 block of Erwin Street in the West Valley area. Officers responded after receiving a […]
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