Lori Vallow: So-called 'Doomsday Mom' set to learn her prison sentence

PHOENIX - Sentencing for Lori Vallow is scheduled for July 31.

Vallow, also known as the so-called ‘Doomsday Mom,’ was found guilty in May 2023 of killing her two kids, both of whom once lived in Chandler. Vallow was also found guilty of conspiring in the murder of Chad Daybell's first wife, Tammy, among other offenses.

In the aftermath of Vallow's guilty verdict, her lawyers requested a new trial, but the request was later denied by a judge.

A recap of the Lori Vallow case

The case of Lori Vallow is rooted in the East Valley portion of the Phoenix metropolitan area.

"She needs help. She needs some serious help," Vallow's fourth husband, Charles Vallow, told police officers in a video.

Charles sounded the alarm to Gilbert Police in 2019 about Vallow's mental health, as the mother of three became transfixed on preparing for the end of the world.

Charles would hire attorney Taylor Larson to file for divorce.

"Not often that someone comes in and says 'hey, I want to get a divorce, and it's because my wife think she's a goddess, and she can't die, and that she's trying to murder me,'" said Larson.

Charles would later be shot and killed by Vallow's brother, Alex Cox, in Chandler. Cox himself would later die as well. Police say a $1 million life insurance was the motive in Charles' death.

The case took a turn when Vallow moved her two children, seven-year-old Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan to Rexburg, Idaho. The kids disappeared shortly after, sparking a nationwide search.

"You had law enforcement agencies in Chandler and Gilbert, Arizona involved. You've had law enforcement in Idaho, Utah, Hawaii and the FBI. I mean, you had multiple agencies looking at various parts of this thing," said Rich Robertson, a private investigator with R3 Investigations.

In June 2020, authorities discovered the remains of JJ and Tylee buried in the backyard of Daybell.

Members of the jury in Vallow's murder trial were convinced that Vallow used her religious beliefs to justify the murders.

For the victims' loved ones, it has been a long road.

"I hope that nobody ever has to go through this. I hope nobody ever has to see and hear the details of what happened to JJ, to Tylee, and to Tammy," said JJ Vallow's grandfather, Larry Woodcock.

"At the end of the day Monday, I hope that the judge has sentenced her, and once that's done, I'm putting it behind me, and she's dead to me. I have to look at it that way because I can't live with it anymore," said Tammy Daybell's aunt, Vicki Hoban.

What sort of sentence could Vallow get?

Vallow will not be sentenced to death, as an Idaho judge ruled, prior to Vallow's trial, that she will not face the death penalty.

Lori, however, faces up to life in prison without parole.

What about Chad Daybell?

Chad Daybell's trial is officially set for April 2024.