PHOENIX, AZ – A years-long, tragic legal saga marked by bizarre doomsday beliefs and a string of suspicious deaths came to a definitive end on Friday, as Lori Vallow Daybell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on two conspiracy to commit murder charges in Arizona.

The sentences, delivered in a Maricopa County courtroom, ensure Vallow Daybell will spend the rest of her life behind bars. This ruling follows her 2023 conviction and life sentences in Idaho for the murders of her two youngest children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow, and for conspiring to murder her fifth husband’s former wife, Tammy Daybell.

Superior Court Judge Justin Beresky handed down two life sentences, one for each count, to be served concurrently with each other but consecutively to her Idaho sentences. This finalizes the last of the criminal proceedings against her.

The Arizona Charges

The Arizona convictions stem from two separate plots. The first charge was for conspiring with her brother, Alex Cox, to murder her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, who was shot and killed by Cox in July 2019. At the time, Cox claimed self-defense, and no charges were initially filed. Cox died later that year of what was ruled to be natural causes.

The second charge involved the conspiracy to murder Brandon Boudreaux, Vallow Daybell’s former nephew-in-law. Boudreaux was shot at in October 2019 outside his Arizona home but survived the attack. Prosecutors argued the bullet was fired from a vehicle registered to the deceased Charles Vallow.

During the sentencing hearing on Friday, Vallow Daybell, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, declined to make a statement. Her attorneys had argued for a more lenient sentence, citing her mental health history, but Judge Beresky noted the calculated and cruel nature of her crimes.

A Pattern of Violence and Extremist Beliefs

The Arizona and Idaho cases are intrinsically linked by a narrative prosecutors say was fueled by Vallow Daybell’s extremist religious beliefs, which she shared with her fifth husband, Chad Daybell. Chad Daybell, an author of apocalyptic fiction, was also convicted for his role in the Idaho murders and was sentenced to death earlier this year.

Prosecutors successfully argued that the couple believed certain people, including their own family members, were "zombies" or had been possessed by dark spirits. They believed that the only way to release a person’s soul was for their body to be destroyed. This belief system, prosecutors contended, provided a religious justification for the string of murders and attempted murders.

Charles Vallow had expressed grave concerns about his wife’s deteriorating mental state and radicalization in the months leading up to his death, even warning police that she believed she was a god preparing for the apocalypse.

Conclusion of a Horrifying Case

The sentencings in Arizona close a case that has captivated and horrified the nation since Tylee and JJ were first reported missing in late 2019. Their remains were discovered buried on Chad Daybell’s property in rural Idaho in June 2020, leading to the couple's arrests.

For the families of the victims, Friday's sentencing marks the end of a painful and prolonged quest for justice. While the legal proceedings are now over, the questions surrounding how a mother could become involved in the deaths of her own children continue to linger. With Lori Vallow Daybell, like Chad Daybell before her, offering no public remorse or explanation, the full truth of their motives may never be completely understood.

The conclusion of the Arizona case ensures that Vallow Daybell will face accountability for the full scope of her crimes across two states, providing a final, somber resolution to a devastating series of events.