PHOENIX — Opening statements are scheduled to begin Monday in an Arizona case against Lori Daybell, who was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Charles Vallow, her fourth husband.
Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, killed Vallow after an argument in Chandler and claimed self-defense. However, a Maricopa County grand jury later indicted Lori Daybell, alleging she played a role in planning the killing.
Cox died after the shooting of apparent natural causes and was never charged.
Daybell is acting as her own attorney during this Arizona trial. She has court-appointed legal advisers who can take over her defense if needed.
The trial is expected to last up to six weeks.
The jury selection process was quicker than expected and took just a couple of days. In total, there are 16 jurors — three women and 13 men. Some of them will end up serving as alternates, but they won't know until the end of the trial.
In addition to this case, Daybell is also accused of conspiring to kill her niece’s ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux. That case will be tried separately.
Daybell is already serving a life sentence in Idaho after being convicted of murdering her two youngest children, 7-year-old J.J. Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, and conspiring to kill her fifth husband’s previous wife, Tammy Daybell.
Earlier this year, an Idaho jury found her husband, Chad Daybell, guilty of the 2019 murders of J.J., Tylee, and Tammy.
Scroll through the interactive timeline below to see all of the known events surrounding these cases:
