Lori Daybell, the mother condemned for killing two of her children in a so -called Final Judgment A fee, delivered her final argument on Monday during her last trial in Arizona, where she is accused of conspiring with her brother to kill her fourth husband.
Nicknamed the “Mom of the Doomsday”, Daybell has argued that her brother shot her then 13 -year -old husband, Charles Vallow, in self -defense at her home in Chandler, Arizona, in July 2019. Her brother, Alex Cox, died for natural causes months after the shooting.
Meanwhile, prosecutors said the shooting was a ploy so that Daybell got rid of her separate husband so she could get her life insurance policy of $ 1 million and be with her current husband, Chad Daybell, with whom she married four months after the shooting. The prosecutors also said that he invoked his religious beliefs as justification for the murder and gave his brother “religious authority” to kill Vallow because they believed he was possessed by an evil spirit they referred to as “NED.”
Lori Daybell offers his final argument during his trial for conspiracy of murders in Phoenix, on April 21, 2025.
Pool through ABC News
Lori Daybell, 51, represented herself at the Phoenix trial. She declared herself innocent of conspiracy to commit a first degree murder.
During his closing argument of almost 20 minutes, he told the jury that the shooting was not a premeditated murder but a “tragic family event.”
“This event was not planned or expected. It was shocking,” he said.
She argued that the officers neglected to carry out an exhaustive investigation, although she also said that the Chandler Police Department “dealt with this event as it was: self -defense.”
“This is an attempt at the state to try to modernize a crime that does not exist,” he said.
Daybell also urged the jurors to see all their police interview after the shooting, part of which it was shown during the trial.
The judge suffered several objections during her final argument after she referred to the testimony that had not entered into evidence during the trial.
During her closing argument of almost two hours on Monday, the attached lawyer of Maricopa County, Treena Kay, said the evidence in the scene shows that Vallow was not filmed in self -defense, but was “executed” and the “organized” scene.
She began counting text messages sent from Lori Daybell to her husband, Chad, seven days after Vallow was killed, discussing her husband’s life insurance policy now deceased. Kay said that, upon learning of her, she was no longer the beneficiary of the plan, the defendant sent a message to Chad that “Ned” probably changed it “before getting rid of him.”
“His words tell us that he was involved in this murder, his actions and his words of sending text messages to Chad Daybell tell us the reasons behind this murder: Chad and money,” Kay told the jurors.
The prosecutor also reviewed the testimony of witnesses who said he talked about what Lori Daybell called and the “twisted religious beliefs” by Alex Cox and a text message that the defendant sent to his brother days before the mortal shooting that mentioned Nephi, a prophet in the Mormon book that God ordered to kill Labán.
“Lori Vallow wanted the millions of dollars, and wanted Chad Daybell, and she and Alex used those twisted religious beliefs they had to be able to kill evil, possess Charles and” Be like Nephi, “Kay said.
The attached lawyer of the Maricopa County Prosecutor, Treena Kay, offers his final argument in Phoenix, on April 21, 2025.
Pool through ABC News
Kay said Alex Cox appeared in her sister’s house with a loaded gun, “ready for her mission”, and shot Vallow twice. She argued that the evidence shows that the second shot was shot while Valleow was lying on the floor.
“That is a first -degree premeditated murder, regardless of what you think before that,” Kay said.
Daybell responded in its closure that Nephi “means strong faith, perseverance and courage.”
“The state attempt to misunderstand the positive text message about a wonderful religious figure, Nephi, and try to turn it into an order to kill someone is absurd,” he said.
Kay advised the jury that even if you do not listen to someone to speak explicitly of conspiracy, “a conspiracy of the circumstances that show a common criminal objective can be inferred.”
In this case, the behavior inferred a “conspiracy of Alex that came with his gun to shoot and kill Charles,” he said.
The jury is now deliberating the verdict.
For two weeks, the state called more than a dozen witnesses, including Daybell’s other brother, Adam Cox, who testified that he had “undoubtedly” his two brothers conspired to kill Vallow upon learning that his brother had triggered him fatally.
Daybell did not call any witness at the trial and did not take the position in his own defense.
In his interrogation, Daybell tried to question the thoroughness of police investigation into the shooting. He asked several witnesses, including his brother Adam Cox, if he personally saw her conspire with his brother Alex Cox to kill her husband, to which they replied no.
Throughout the trial, the judge often suffered frequent objections from the Prosecutor’s Office about Daybell’s questions to testify, rumors, relevance and speculation.
After the State rested its case on April 16, Daybell presented a motion of acquittal due to insufficient evidence. The judge denied it, saying that the court considers that there is sufficient evidence that a reasonable jury could find it guilty.
Lori Vallow Daybell sits during his sentence hearing at the Fremont County Palace in St. Anthony, Idaho, on July 31, 2023.
Tony Blakeslee Eastidahonews.com/pool through AP
Both Lori and Chad Daybell were declared guilty of first degree murder for the death of their children, Joshua “JJ” Vallew, 7 years old, and Tylee Ryan, 16, who disappeared months after Vallow was killed. In two separated trials in 2023 and 2024, prosecutors argued that the couple thought that the children had zombies and killed them so that they could be together. The remains of the children were found in a Idaho property belonging to Daybell in June 2020 after a search for months.
Lori Daybell is currently fulfilling life imprisonment without probation for the murders of their two children. She has denied killing them.
Chad Daybell was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing the two children, as well as his first wife, Tamara Daybell, and now he expects the execution in the Idaho death corridor.
