Arizona
Arizona trial dates are set for ‘Doomsday Mom’ Lori Vallow Daybell
Lori Vallow Daybell passes competency evaluations, will stand trial
Lori Vallow Daybell was convicted in Idaho in 2023 for the murders of her two children, Joshua “J.J.” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16.
Pool Video
A judge on Tuesday decided Lori Vallow Daybell’s Arizona charges — murder conspiracy and attempted murder, stemming from separate incidents — would be prosecuted in separate trials.
The murder conspiracy case, related to the July 2019 death of Daybell’s fourth husband, Charles Vallow, would begin March 31, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Justin Beresky said.
May 30 would be the start date for the attempted murder trial, related to a shooting that narrowly missed Daybell’s niece’s ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux, in Gilbert in October 2019, Beresky said.
Beresky also ruled during Tuesday’s hearing that the names of Daybell’s two youngest children would be included in juror questions to preclude seating jurors with prior knowledge of Daybell’s convictions in Idaho for their murders.
Joshua “JJ” Vallow was 7 and Tylee Ryan was 16 when they were killed. Daybell was sentenced to life in prison for their murders. She was also convicted in Idaho of conspiracy to murder Tammy Daybell, the ex-wife of Chad Daybell, who Lori Vallow married weeks later.
Daybell and her fifth husband, Chad Daybell, believed in an imminent “doomsday” and that people around them were zombies, according to court records and testimony. Daybell has come to be known as the “Doomsday Mom,” the title of a 2021 Lifetime TV movie about her.
Judge orders videos Daybell wants to be turned over
Beresky ordered Daybell’s former defense team to turn over any material Daybell claimed they had withheld, including a video of Gilbert police interviewing her.
In court, Daybell argued she had not received the video, but prosecutors said they had provided her with everything of which they were aware.
Daybell said she knew the video existed because her previous defense team had shown it to her online.
“If they have that link, why don’t they just send it to the state?” Beresky said. “And that may help the state determine if that’s something they’ve already disclosed.”
Daybell claimed her former defense team refused to help her.
“I’ll tell you why they won’t — because that is my former team, and they will not do anything to help my investigator, my paralegal,” Daybell said. “They won’t give us any information that they found. They won’t talk to us at all because apparently there was a conflict.”
Daybell insists on speedy trial despite potential defense limitations
Daybell requested that an expert she retained be allowed to inspect Charles Vallow’s phone. Beresky warned that if her expert needed time to examine the device, admitting the findings could delay the trial.
The judge told her she had a choice: push the trial date to allow for more preparation or proceed as scheduled on March 31.
Daybell repeatedly asserted that she wanted to maintain the current trial date and invoke her right to a speedy trial, even if it meant limiting her defense’s ability to review evidence.
“I understand that, and I also understand that I’ve only been given 10 hours” for the expert from the Office of the Public Defender, Daybell said. “So if he could spend 10 hours this week getting it ready, then he can give us a report with the best that he can do.”
Beresky noted the defense already possessed digital forensic extractions from police evidence, including data from Charles Vallow’s phone, and suggested the expert work from those files.
PAGE, AZ (AZFamily) — A person accused of making terroristic threats toward a northern Arizona medical facility was arrested Friday morning.
Just after 10:30 p.m., police received a report of a person calling the facility and threatening to kill staff and Native Americans, according to the Page Police Department.
Authorities said staff placed the facility on lockdown until officers identified the suspect and arrested them outside their home.
The suspect was booked on charges of disorderly conduct, threatening and intimidating, and making terroristic threats. Police have not publicly identified the person.
“The Page Police Department is grateful for and supports the medical staff’s decision to put the medical facility into lockdown until the suspect was arrested and the situation was rendered safe,” the department said in a Facebook post.
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In these four-round projections, the Arizona Cardinals don’t get a tackle until the fourth round.
We are just days away from the 2026 NFL draft, and that means some final mock drafts. What direction will the draft take the Arizona Cardinals?
Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy put together a four-round mock draft for the Cardinals. They go defense early but rebuild the offense for 2026 and moving forward, including landing their potential franchise quarterback.
Cardinals 4-round mock draft
Here are the players in the first four rounds Popejoy projects for Arizona.
- Round 1: Ohio State EDGE/LB Arvell Reese
- Round 2: Alabama QB Ty Simpson
- Round 3: Clemson WR Antonio Williams
- Round 4: Florida OT Austin Barber
What we think of the picks
The Cardinals want to trade out of the third pick and draft a tackle, so not getting a tackle until Round 4 seems unlikely, although they did meet with Barber. They do have options at right tackle for 2026 already on the roster.
Reese would be a great pick if they don’t trade back, as they badly need pass-rushing help off the edge.
Drafting Simpson seems inevitable at this point, so it has to be in a mock draft, although the feeling is they will need to go up into Round 1 again to get him.
Williams has speed and is almost six feet tall, but he does have short arms.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Due to significant injuries to the CB position last year which includes a shoulder surgery for Terrion Arnold, the Lions CB position scored a 6/10 need on my Lions Defensive Draft Need Rankings. Thus, an early-round selection of a young, healthy prospect like Keith Abney would not come as a surprise. He enters the draft with very low medical concern level.
Here is the excerpt from my medical report on Keith Abney:
(Ages in parentheses are at start of 2026 season and are factored into the concern level. Injury info and ages based on available public information are unverified and subject to update. Games played data courtesy of sports-reference.com.)
Keith Abney, CB (21) – Arizona State
Projected round 2-3. #43 on Jeff Risdon board Feb 19.
Concern level 0/10
There is an isolated report of a hand injury but no corroborating information. Even if the hand injury is true, that’s of minimal to no long-term concern.
His availability in his final two seasons has been perfect. Overall, Abney appears to be medically clean and is at an excellent age.
He finished college with 6 INT and 21 PBU.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
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