Attorney breaks down what Vallow, Daybell could face in court after children are found dead
Attorney breaks down what Vallow, Daybell could face in court after children are found dead
An Arizona attorney says Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell could face murder charges depending on the evidence found against them after their children were found dead. Authorities searched for the kids for months in an investigation spanning three states.
It's the official end to one chapter in the case of the missing children with ties to Arizona that media has been covering since the beginning. An attorney talks about the severity of the charges that the parents could be facing now that the children's bodies were found.
On Saturday, police in Idaho confirmed the missing kids from Arizona, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, are dead days after family confirmed the news.
RELATED: Challenges ahead as investigation into JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan's death continues
Tuesday, investigators discovered human remains at the property of Chad Daybell. He's the doomsday author who married Lori Vallow, the children's mother.
Vallow and Daybell are both in jail on different charges. Daybell is accused of concealing, destroying and altering evidence, and Vallow is accused of child abandonment.
An attorney, who is not involved in the case, breaks down the severity of the potential charges they could soon face. With separate preliminary hearings set in July, could they face more serious charges like murder?
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Marc Victor, attorney and owner of the Attorneys for Freedom law firm in Chandler, says Vallow's failure to comply with a court order to produce the kids in January could come back against her
as she or Daybell never reported the kids missing since they disappeared in September.
“The fact that she’s not cooperative and wasn't cooperative that might come into evidence. I think there’s a reasonable chance that comes in because the prosecutor will argue that this is consciousness of guilt. This is something that you might expect a reasonable parent who is not guilty of first degree or second degree murder to say, 'Yes I’m very concerned, let me tell you where I saw them last.' These kinds of things," Victor explained.
Could the state file more serious charges against Daybell and Vallow together as co-defendants?
Click here for an interactive timeline of events surrounding the case
“It’s more efficient, expedient for the justice system to put them together, so prosecutors can do that," Victor said.
The prosecution must prove Daybell's and Vallow’s involvement in the children’s deaths to upgrade charges, even though JJ's and Tylee's remains were found on Daybell's property.
“The issue here is not who do you believe. The issue here is, did the state prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt? That’s gonna be a tough hurdle, but it’s a hurdle that prosecutors get over quite frequently," Victor said.
For more coverage on this case, visit this link.
We will have more at 9 and 10 p.m. about how Tylee's best friend is reacting to the tragic news.