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.
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 to 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.
Tammy Daybell’s sister slams Lori Vallow’s bizarre claims at sentencing
Relatives of “cult mom” Lori Vallow’s victims have decried her unhinged claims during her sentencing trial.
In a shocking statement addressing the court just moments before she was handed down five consecutive life sentences without parole, Vallow said that her children “were happy and busy in the spirit world” and that she knew “her friend Tammy ... is also very happy and extremely busy.”
Tammy’s sister Samantha Gwilliam has since slammed Vallow’s remarks.
Andrea Blanco reports.
Tammy Daybell’s sister slams Lori Vallow’s bizarre claims during sentencing
In a shocking statement addressing the court just moments before she was sentenced, Vallow said that her children and “her friend Tammy were happy and busy in the spirit world”
Full story: Lori Vallow sentenced to life in prison for murders
“Cult mom” Lori Vallow will now spend the rest of her life behind bars for the murders of her two youngest children and conspiracy to kill her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, bringing some sort of conclusion to the disturbing case that shook America to its core.
‘Cult mom’ Lori Vallow sentenced to life in prison for children’s murders
The 50-year-old convicted killer was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on Monday after her victims’ devastated family members gave heartwrenching statements to the court
Moment Lori Vallow sentenced to life with no parole for murders of her children
Footage from inside a court captures the moment Lori Vallow was sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for the murders of her two children on Monday, 31 July. In May 2023, the “cult mom,” 50, was convicted of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished in September 2019. Vallow was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, who died in October 2019. Judge Steven Boyce handed down the harshest possible sentence available after the death penalty was taken off the table ahead of trial.
‘Monster’ Lori Vallow confronted by victims’ sobbing families at sentencing
“Cult mom” Lori Vallow was confronted by her victims’ sobbing family members at her sentencing hearing where they branded her a “monster” and described her 1,841-day “cruel campaign of terror”.
Rachel Sharp reports.
‘Monster’ Lori Vallow is confronted by victims’ sobbing families at sentencing
‘Cult mom’ refused to look her victims’ devastated family members in the eyes as they gave heartwrenching victim impact statements to the court
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
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