Lori Vallow murder trial: Former Idaho AG weighs in as jury selection continues

BOISE, Idaho – The homicide trial involving the so-called “Doomsday Mother” is rushing up in Idaho.

Lori Vallow is accused of utilizing her non secular beliefs to justify the murders of her two youngsters. Prosecutors and regulation enforcement say Vallow thought may see darkish spirits, and claimed that her youngsters, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, had turn out to be zombies. The mom moved them from Arizona to Rexburg, Idaho in 2019. Police say each youngsters had been killed by Vallow.

Jury choices in homicide trial started on Apr. 3, and after two days, 30 our of 42 jurors have been chosen.

On Apr. 4, we obtained to listen to extra about pre-trial publicity, and what the potential jurors learn about Vallow.

As Vallow wrote notes and watched three extra teams of potential jurors be questioned contained in the courthouse in Idaho’s Ada County, the choose, prosecution and protection requested individuals individually how a lot they knew concerning the triple homicide case.

Have they seen the TV specials?

Have they seen documentaries?

Have they adopted information protection?

Jurors who the court docket dismissed confirmed considerations of bias and/or undue hardship. They knew concerning the alleged victims, co-conspirators, and even shaped an opinion concerning the mom who wouldn’t inform regulation enforcement the place her youngsters had been for a number of months.

Former Idaho Lawyer Basic weighs in

“The eloquent silence of a mom who doesn’t inform the general public – the world, actually – for a interval of as much as six months the place her kids is perhaps, is highly effective testimony,” mentioned Dave Leroy.

Leroy served as Idaho’s Lawyer Basic from 1979 to 1983, and was the Ada County Prosecutor from 1974 to 1978. We requested him about Vallow’s alleged religious beliefs, as talked about above.

“It may be introduced up by the prosecution to recommend that there was a motive of some form, [that] kids had been thought to be zombies to not have them round any longer,” mentioned Leroy. “By the identical token, the protection can deliver up the idea of zombies to recommend maybe Lori was below the undue affect of different individuals.”

Like her husband Chad Daybell, who’s accused of murdering the youngsters and his first spouse, Tammy Daybell, Vallow allegedly conspired in all three deaths, however may have alibis prepared. Her legal professionals will say she was in her townhome, whereas her youngsters died in her late brother’s residence, and that she was in Hawaii when Tammy died in her house.

“The truth that she was not bodily current doesn’t imply a lot in a conspiracy case procedures, sometimes hatched someplace aside from that the place the crime is definitely executed within the conspiracy sometimes precedes the crime.” mentioned Leroy.

In the meantime, Choose Steven Boyce has moved the trial to the state’s largest county, and closely restricted media entry.

“Whether or not you want or hate the truth that we don’t have cameras, whether or not you discover this strategy of getting audio on the finish of the day to be helpful in information accounts, and preserving the general public knowledgeable, [the] choose will management the courtroom, and I feel you’ll discover that this trial, as despicable because the information are, is pretty performed,” mentioned Leroy.

What’s subsequent?

As soon as 42 jurors are prepared, each prosecution and protection will every get 12 strikes to slim the pool right down to 18 jurors, together with six alternates. The choose doesn’t wish to waste time, so individuals ready on standby is not going to be tainted.