'Cult Mom' Lori Vallow 'conspired to kill her fourth husband Charles so that she could marry Chad Daybell and fulfill a religious prophecy before the end of the world', court documents reveal

  • 'Cult Mom' Lori Vallow is accused of conspiring to kill her fourth husband to marry Chad Daybell and 'fulfill their religious prophecy,' according to police 
  • Vallow believed she was 'an exalted goddess and she and Chad were directed to lead 144,000 people in preparing for the end of the world'
  • Lori was charged with conspiracy to commit murder on Tuesday 
  • Charles Vallow was killed by Lori's brother in July 2019, which was originally ruled self defense and then reopened after her kids were found dead a year later 

'Cult Mom' Lori Vallow conspired to kill her fourth husband so she could marry a different man and 'fulfill their religious prophecy' to lead 144,000 people 'in preparing for the end of the world', authorities have claimed.

Vallow was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, in Maricopa County, Arizona on Tuesday. 

Just over a month earlier, she and her fifth husband Chad Daybell were charged with murder for the deaths of her two children and Chad's first wife.   

Charles Vallow was fatally shot by Lori's brother, Alex Cox, on July 11, 2019 during a custody dispute over their seven-year-old son Joshua 'JJ' Vallow in Chandler, Arizona. 

Police initially ruled that Cox acted in self defense but the case was reopened when JJ and his sister Tylee Ryan, 16, were reported missing in Idaho in November 2019. Cox died a month later. 

But further details of the case were revealed in court documents on Thursday. 

Vallow believed she was 'an exalted goddess and she and Chad were directed to lead 144,000 people in preparing for the end of the world,' Chandler police wrote in the probable cause documentation connected to Tuesday's grand jury indictment.

'It was discovered the Lori and Chad believed that they had extraordinary abilities. Some of these abilities included the power to teleport and cause harm to others, the ability to call up natural disasters, the ability to pray away demonic spirits attached to others and also visionary capabilities.' 

This March 6, 2020 photo shows Lori Vallow Daybell, left, glancing at the camera during her hearing on in Rexburg, Idaho

This March 6, 2020 photo shows Lori Vallow Daybell, left, glancing at the camera during her hearing on in Rexburg, Idaho 

Lori and Charles are pictured at their wedding in 2006

Lori and Charles are pictured at their wedding in 2006

Because of these 'abilities,' Lori and Chad believed they could tell if someone had a 'light' or 'dark' scale. Dark scales were attached to Charles and the two kids. Charles was referred to as a 'dark spirit named Ned or Hiplos.'

 On June 29, 2019, Charles confronted Lori about a fictious letter she sent in his name asking Chad Daybell to visit to come to Arizona to help him write a book. Charles confronted Lori about her affair Chad and threatened to tell Chad’s wife Tammy.

A day before Charles was killed - July 10, 2019 - he told Lori and Alex's brother about an intervention for their 'radical beliefs.'

Lori found out about the planned intervention and texted Alex, 'We both need to stay here to defend ourselves ... It's coming to a head! This week will change everything.'

The next day, July 11, 2019, Charles went to Lori's home to pick up JJ.  

That's when Charles was killed. 

Alex Cox

Lori's brother Alex Cox (pictured) shot dead her fourth husband Charles on July 11, 2019 

Lori took Charles' rental call and cell phone and then went to Burger King with JJ and Walgreens to buy flip flops. In the 59 minutes Lori was out, Alex killed Charles and waited 43 minutes before calling 911, the court documents allege.

At the time Cox told police he had intervened on behalf of his sister, who left the home with Tylee to bring JJ to school.

Cox said Charles struck him in the head with a baseball bat and he responded by retrieving a gun and shooting Charles twice in the chest.

Charles had filed for divorce from Lori five months earlier in February 2019. 

'Based on this investigation, it has been proven how valuable that Alex Cox was to Lori,' Chandler police wrote in the probable cause documents. 'His mission on this earth was to protect his sister.'

For a year, police said Cox ruled in self defense until JJ and Tylee were found buried in the backyard of Chad's home in Salem, Idaho, in June 2020.  

Authorities began searching for Lori's children in late November 2019 after performing a welfare check ordered by concerned relatives who said they hadn't spoken to seven-year-old JJ, who was autistic, in months

Lori's kids Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, seven, and Tylee Ryan, 16, were last seen alive in September 2019, and their remains were discovered on her Idaho property last June

In this aerial photo, investigators search for human remains at Chad Daybell's residence in Idaho where they allegedly found the remains of Lori's missing children

In this aerial photo, investigators search for human remains at Chad Daybell's residence in Idaho where they allegedly found the remains of Lori's missing children

 Weeks after Charles' death, Lori and her children moved to Rexburg, Idaho, miles away from where Chad lived with his first wife Tammy and their five children.

Tylee vanished on September 8, 2019, just days before her 17th birthday. Investigators said her body was burned and dismembered before being buried sometime the following day.

JJ was last seen two weeks later on September 23. His body was wrapped in duct tape and plastic and buried the same day, investigators said.

Authorities believe Lori's brother, Cox, brought the children's bodies to Chad's home to dispose of them.

Tammy died at the home she shared with Chad on October 19, 2019. Chad reportedly declined an autopsy and went on to marry Lori less than three weeks later.

Lori and Chad were named persons of interest in the children's disappearance after investigators said they believe the mother knew where her children were or what happened to them.  

The case captured nationwide attention with the revelations that police were also investigating at least three mysterious deaths linked to Lori and Chad, as well as family members' claims that the couple are members of a dangerous doomsday cult.  

The first death is that of Lori's estranged husband Charles, followed by Chad's first wife Tammy - whose body was exhumed on December 11, 2019.  

Chad is also charged with the murder of his first wife, Tammy Daybell (pictured together)

Chad is also charged with the murder of his first wife, Tammy Daybell (pictured together)

On December 12, Lori's brother, Cox, was found dead in Gilbert, Arizona. 

An autopsy determined that the 51-year-old's died of natural causes but noted that he had the overdose drug Narcan in his system at the time.  

Police tracked Lori and Chad down in Princeville, Hawaii, in late January 2020 and served the mother with a court order requiring her to physically produce the children to authorities in Idaho within five days.

Lori failed to meet the deadline, prompting her arrest and extradition to Idaho, where she is currently being held at Madison County Jail in lieu of $1million bond.

Chad was arrested three months later after the children's bodies were found.

Over the course of the search for the kids several people who knew Lori and Chad came forward with claims that the pair were members of a 'cult' called Preparing a People, which was dedicated to bracing for the end of the world.

The organization aimed to distance themselves from Chad and Lori as the missing children's case made headlines, allegedly fearing that misconceptions about Preparing a People could cause members to be excommunicated from the LDS Church.

At the core of the couple's beliefs was the idea that they were prophets sent to earth by God to lead the 'chosen 144,000' into the New Millennium on July 22, 2020, according to court documents and accounts from friends and family.

Part of their preparations included eradicating the world of 'zombies' before Doomsday arrived, according to Lori's former best friend Melanie Gibb, who was part of a small group with which Chad shared his personal gospel.

'It was their commission to get rid of all the zombies before tribulations came upon us,' Gibb told the East Idaho News last year.

Chillingly, Lori had accused three of her loved ones of turning into zombies prior to their deaths: JJ and Tylee, as well as her fourth husband Charles.

Chad Daybell in court on June 9 where he pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and murder charges

Chad Daybell in court on June 9 where he pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and murder charges

Lori and her fifth husband Chad Daybell were separately charged with murder for the deaths of her two children and Chad's first wife in May by prosecutors in Idaho
Chad Daybell is pictured in his mugshot

Lori and her fifth husband Chad Daybell (right) were separately charged with murder for the deaths of her two children and Chad's first wife in May by prosecutors in Idaho

Lori is facing two counts of murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder in their deaths. She also faces one count of conspiracy to commit murder over the death of Chad's first wife Tammy Daybell in October 2019.

Lori was a committed to a mental health facility in Idaho for evaluation earlier this month after she was ruled unfit to stand trial. 

Chad appeared in court on June 9 and pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and murder charges in the deaths of JJ, Tylee and Tammy.

Timeline of JJ and Tylee's disappearance 

 July 11, 2019: Lori Vallow's husband, Charles Vallow, is killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona. Police initially rule that Alex acted in self defense but reopen the case months later after the children are reported missing. 

August: Lori moves children JJ and Tylee to Rexburg, Idaho, where her future husband Chad Daybell lives with his wife Tammy.

September 8: The last time Tylee is seen during a trip to Yellowstone National Park with Lori, JJ and Alex. In the following weeks she tells people who ask where Tylee is that she's studying at Brigham Young University's Idaho campus.

September 23: The last time JJ is seen at his school in Rexburg. Lori emailed the school the following day and claims she is moving the family to California for a new job. 

October 2: Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of Lori's niece Melanie Pawlowski, is targeted in a drive-by shooting in Arizona. Police identify the vehicle carrying the shooter as a Jeep registered to Charles Vallow, Lori's late husband. 

October 19: Chad's wife Tammy, 49, dies at their Idaho home. An obituary states that she passed away peacefully in her sleep. Chad declines an autopsy and her death is listed as natural causes.

October 25: A friend of Tylee receives a vague 'miss you' text from her phone but says that it didn't sound like the teen.   

November 5: Lori and Chad tie the knot on a beach in Kauai. Receipts indicate that Lori purchased her own wedding ring from Amazon nearly three weeks prior to Tammy's death. 

November 26: Out-of-state relatives ask Idaho police to perform a welfare check on JJ. Lori and Chad claim he is in Arizona with relatives and ask their friend, Melanie Gibb, to lie and say she took the boy there for Thanksgiving. Police soon learn that no one has seen JJ, or his older sister Tylee, since September. 

November 27: Police execute a search warrant related to the children at Lori's home and discover that she and Chad have fled Idaho.

December 11: Tammy's body is exhumed from a Utah cemetery and her death is reclassified as suspicious.

December 12: Lori's brother, Alex Cox, is found unresponsive in a bathroom in Arizona and dies. Months later an autopsy determines that he died of natural causes while he had the overdose drug Narcan in his system. 

December 21: Rexburg police issue the first press release about JJ and Tylee, revealing they believe their disappearance could be linked to Tammy's death and asking the public for information.

December 24: Lori and Chad issue a statement through an attorney saying they love their son and daughter and look forward to addressing 'allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor'.

December 30: Police accuse Lori and Chad of lying to investigators and say they believe the couple know where the kids are or what happened to them.

January 3, 2020: Police search Chad's home in Salem and remove 43 items, including tech devices and journals. They also comb over sections of the snow-covered yard.

January 26: Lori and Chad are seen for the first time in months as police serve them with two search warrants in Kauai. Lori is also served with a court order to produce the children to authorities in Idaho in five days. The couple are approached by the media while cops serve the documents and refuse to say anything about the kids.

January 30: Lori misses the court deadline to produce the children to Idaho authorities.

February 20: Lori is arrested in Kauai and charged with two felony counts for desertion and nonsupport of dependent children, and one misdemeanor count each for resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime, and contempt of court. 

March 5: Lori is extradited to Idaho, where she is held on $1million bond at Madison County Jail.

March 17: Lori professes her innocence in a statement through her attorney as two other members of her defense team quit and the judge removes himself from the case. 

March 24: Court documents filed in the divorce of Lori's niece Melani and her husband Brandon Boudreaux allege that Lori told people she believed her children were zombies before they disappeared. 

April 9: Authorities reveal they are investigating Lori and Chad for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in connection with Tammy's death.

May 25: Idaho police issue a statement expressing hope that the kids will be found safe on what would have been JJ's eighth birthday. 

June 9: Police search Chad's home in Salem for the second time and discover human remains in the backyard. Chad is taken into police custody and charged with destruction or concealment of evidence.

May 25, 2021: Lori and Chad are charged with first degree murder in the deaths of the children. Chad is also charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife Tammy. 

Advertisement

Lori Vallow 'conspired to kill her fourth husband to fulfill a religious prophecy'

No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.