Jurors surprised by Lori Vallow Daybell's prior convictions as unanswered questions lead to guilty verdict
Vallow Daybell trial: Juror sheds light on deliberations, evidence, new knowledge
Tass Reed-Tucker was known as Juror #8 in the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell and is now opening up on what led her to choose a guilty verdict. On April 22, a jury of 12 found Vallow Daybell guilty of conspiring with her late brother in the murder of her fourth husband Charles Vallow back in July of 2019. Reed-Tucker spoke to FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum about the prosecution's presentation of evidence that convicted the jury to make this decision.
PHOENIX - A juror who voted to convict Lori Vallow Daybell is now learning how complex the murderous saga of the Doomsday Mom really is two days after the trial has ended.
Juror number 8, Tass Reed-Tucker, only found out after trial that Vallow Daybell was already a convicted killer in Idaho, serving three life sentences for what she did to her two children and her husband's first wife.
It was fascinating to see this juror's reaction, but what did the juror think about Lori acting as her own attorney?
What we know:
On Tuesday, 12 jurors all agreed that Vallow Daybell was guilty of conspiring with her brother to kill Charles Vallow back in July of 2019.
Over the course of the trial, the jurors heard from 19 state witnesses, including detectives from Chandler Police.
They also heard testimony from Lori's brother Adam Cox, and Charles' sister Kay Woodcock.
But it was who they didn't hear from that really caught their attention.
Jurors were waiting to hear from Lori's kids
Lori's two children - JJ and Tylee - were at the scene on the day of the shooting.
Vallow Daybell was convicted of killing JJ and Tylee after her 2023 trial in Idaho.
Reed-Tucker is just now learning so much about the so-called Doomsday Mom.
Lori Vallow Daybell juror now learning about the saga
Juror #8 in the Lori Vallow Daybell trial, Tass Reed-Tucker, tells FOX 10 investigator Justin Lum exclusively that most of the jurors were asking the same questions after the trial.
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Reed-Tucker says she was waiting to see if Lori's daughter would testify on her mom's behalf.
"We were all thinking that," said Reed Tucker. "We found out that we were all thinking that but we just couldn't talk about it because we weren't in deliberations yet, so we couldn't say anything about what we were thinking."
With Lori and Tylee visible in a lot of body cam footage that was played by the prosecution, Reed-Tucker was anticipating Tylee would be a witness.
"Yeah, fully. And then while we were in deliberation someone asked 'why didn't she bring out anyone, her kids, her friends she didn't bring out anyone?' So at that point we were just questioning what happened? Why?" she said.
The jury was told Alex had passed away during opening statements, but when asked if she thought that Tylee and J.J. were dead, the response was definitive:
"No, no I wasn't thinking that at all," said Reed-Tucker.
What did the jury think of Lori Vallow Daybell?
Juror #8, Tass Reed-Tucker, says that Lori Vallow Daybell's demeanor in the evidence presented by the prosecution made it seem like, "she's not there." FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum has more.
Dig deeper:
The prosecution put an emphasis on showing Vallow Daybell's demeanor at the crime scene and the interviews that took place afterwards.
That strategy paid dividends and made a lasting impression on the jury.
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Reed-Tucker said she expected Vallow Daybell's reactions on camera to be different than the tape showed.
"Really, anything but how she was. You know it was complete opposite of how she should have been. She wasn't worried about her brother being hurt, she wasn't asking how her husband was. She was giggling and laughing with officers and in her interview, she was doing the same thing," said Reed-Tucker.
Even her body language made an impression on the jury.
"She was very laid back and it didn't seem to faze her," she said.
Her demeanor, facial expressions and the way she vilified Charles Vallow in her defense were all noted.
"My reaction was, she's not there," said Reed-Tucker.