Lori Vallow – update: ‘Cult mom’ smirks in mugshot as she starts life sentence in Idaho’s Pocatello prison
Latest updates as Vallow is sentenced at Fremont County Courthouse, Idaho
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“Cult mom” Lori Vallow smirked in a new mug shot taken the day after she was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of her two children and love rival.
The photo was taken on Tuesday as Vallow, 50, was remanded to the custody of the Idaho Department of Corrections.
The so-called “cult mom” was convicted in May of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished in September 2019. She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, who died in October 2019.
Before the sentence was handed down on Monday, the court heard victim impact statements from several family members devastated by the harrowing saga that has gripped the nation for nearly four years.
To the surprise of many, Vallow spoke herself and appeared to show no remorse for her crimes, claiming the children and Tammy were “busy” and “happy” in heaven. She appeared emotionless as the sentence was handed down.
The families of the victims shared outrage at her bizarre statement as they praised the harsh sentence.
Lori Vallow claims murdered children ‘happy in heaven’ in statement to court
Lori Vallow addressed the court ahead of her sentencing, claiming her murdered children are “happy in heaven”. The 50-year-old was convicted in May of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished without a trace in September 2019. She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, who died in October 2019. “Jesus Christ knows the truth of what happens here,” Vallow told the court. “I have had many communications from people now living in heaven, including my children... because of these communications, I know that my children are happy and busy in the spirit world.”
Vallow is ‘misunderstood’ and ‘all about love’, defence claims
Lori Vallow’s attorney claimed that the “cult mom” who murdered her two children and conspired to kill her new lover’s wife is “misunderstood” and is actually “all about love” as he asked the judge for leniency at her sentencing hearing.
Defence claims Lori Vallow is ‘misunderstood’ and ‘all about love’ at sentencing
Ultimately, defence team’s sentencing recommendation was disregarded by Judge Steven Boyce
Voices: Lori Vallow finally broke her silence at the sentencing. It was too late
Megan Sheets writes:
Lori stunned the court when she made an unprecedented move to defend herself publicly for the first time. At her sentencing on 31 July, Lori sobbed in a bizarre statement where she denied that any murders took place and insisted that her victims are “very happy”.
Having followed this tragic case in near-obsessive detail, I could spend endless hours analysing each line of her sentencing statement. But perhaps the most important aspect is that it came far, far too late; her fate was already sealed by the years of silence that preceded it.
Read on...
Lori Vallow finally broke her silence. It was too late
For all of the twists and turns that preceded it, Lori’s life sentence comes as little surprise
Lori Vallow: Mom-of-three, beauty queen – and convicted killer
Mother of three, former game show contestant, a Mrs Texas Beauty Pageant entrant, a cult follower... and now a convicted killer...
Who is Lori Vallow? Mom-of-three, beauty queen – and convicted killer
Lori Vallow is a mother of three, a former game show contestant, a Mrs Texas Beauty Pageant contestant and a cult follower. An Idaho court determined she is also a killer. Rachel Sharp reports
Vallow headed to Pocatello Women’s Correction Center
Vallow is being transferred to the Pocatello Women’s Correction Center by the Idaho Department of Corrections for her sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
Justin Lum of Fox 10 Phoenix reports that when he reached out to the Idaho DOC after the guilty verdict her was told: “She will go through the reception and diagnostic process which will determine her housing assignment. That process takes four to six weeks.”
He adds that the facility has operated as the reception and diagnostic centre for women in the Idaho prison system.
Vallow is being brought there for processing but it remains to be seen if that is where she will be housed for life. The other option is the South Boise corrections facility.
All the key players in the Lori Vallow case
Beyond the Idaho charges, Vallow is also awaiting trial in Arizona for the murder of her fourth husband Charles Vallow – who was shot dead by Cox in July 2019.
Here’s a reminder of all the key players in the sprawling case:
Chad Daybell, Alex Cox and Charles Vallow: Key players in the Lori Vallow case
The trial of cult mom Lori Vallow ended with a resounding conviction. Who were the key players?
Vallow has been sentenced to life behind bars — what happens next?
While her sentencing may mark the culmination of a chilling case that spans bizarre cult beliefs, missing children, murder and mystery deaths, the saga is still far from over.
Here’s what’s coming next in the shocking case:
Lori Vallow has been sentenced to life in prison. What happens next?
While Vallow’s sentencing brought some justice in a chilling case that spans bizarre cult beliefs, missing children, murder and mystery deaths, the saga is still far from over
Was Lori Vallow really driven to kill her children by a doomsday cult?
Rachel Sharp talks to a survivor of one of America’s most notorious cults.
Did a doomsday cult really drive Lori Vallow to murder her children?
Prosecutors pinned Vallow’s motive in the murders of her children on three pillars of a ‘cult playbook’: Power, money and sex. But a survivor of one of America’s most notorious cults tells Rachel Sharp we may never know if a cult truly drove Vallow to kill
Lori Vallow’s new mug shot released
Lori Vallow’s new mug shot has been released one day after she was sentenced in life in prison without parole.
The photo, taken on Tuesday, shows the so-called “cult mom” with a slight smirk as she holds a plaque with her inmate number.
Listen: Family give emotional impact statements as Lori Vallow sentenced
Powerful victim statements were read in court ahead of the sentencing of Lori Vallow on Monday 31 July. The “cult mom” was convicted in May of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished without a trace in September 2019. She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell, who died in October 2019. Impact statements were read by Samantha Gwilliam and Vicki Hoban, the sister and aunt of Ms Daybell, as well as Kay Woodcock, Joshua’s grandmother.
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