Lori Vallow murder trial day 20: Portions of podcast featuring Vallow played to jury
BOISE, Idaho - A day after a DNA analyst testified that Lori Vallow's hair was found on duct tape used to wrap the body of her youngest son, more witnesses took the stand on May 2, as the trial of the so-called "Doomsday mom" reaches its 20th day.
Vallow is accused of killing her two children, 7-year-old J.J. Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. She is also accused of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell's ex-wife, Tammy.
On May 2, lawyers for Vallow managed to enter new evidence that centered around Vallow's religious beliefs. This happened during cross-examination of a witness for the prosecution. The witness, who was a neighbor to Vallow's current husband Chad Daybell, said just days after the funeral of Daybell former wife, Tammy Daybell, Daybell visited his home, and brought Vallow along.
At the time, Vallow was still Daybell's girlfriend.
Lori Vallow trial: Jurors heard portions of podcast featuring so-called 'Doomsday Mom'
There was a twist in the trial of the so-called 'Doomsday Mom' on May 2, when the trial's judge allowed the jury to hear a portion of a podcast featuring Lori Vallow and two other witnesses, Melanie Gibb and Jason Mow, where they talked about their religious beliefs. Defense lawyers believe the podcast will educate members of the jury, but prosecutors believe this was a strategy for Vallow to get statements in without taking the stand. FOX 10's Justin Lum reports.
The witness knew of the books Daybell wrote regarding fictional doomsday events, and he told the court that he listened to a podcast Vallow did with some friends, interviewing Chad about their beliefs.
Two of the friends mentioned include Melanie Gibb, who is a key witness, and Jason Mow, a retired police officer who worked for Chandler and Phoenix.
In 2020, we uncovered emails between investigators at the FBI that discussed research into podcasts involving Vallow and her friends.
One email from December 2019 reads: "The twists keep coming. I’m in the middle of a podcast from December 2018, where [Vallow] mentions how suffering leads to salvation, and that even though she doesn’t want her kids to suffer, she understands they have to in order to see the light."
Read More: New e-mails show FBI researched podcasts done by Lori Vallow
The defense wanted the podcast to be played for the jury.
"They talk about their motivations, they talk about their beliefs, I think it would educate the jury," said Vallow's attorney, Jim Archibald.
Prosecutors, however, objected, saying this was a strategy for Vallow to get statements in without taking the stand. The judge, however, overruled the prosecution's objections, and allowed the first 40 minutes of the episode to be heard.
In the portion of the podcast that was played to the jury, Vallow was heard saying the following:
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Murder, Money and the End of Days: The Lori Vallow story
Murder, Money & the End of Days. Why investigators believe religion, greed and an affair led an all-American mom on a trail of death. This is the Lori Vallow story. FOX 10’s Justin Lum walks us through the crucial timeline on the eve of Vallow’s trial.
For all previous and extensive coverage on this case, visit https://fox10phoenix.com/vallow + watch the in-depth special here.