What are conditions like for 'Doomsday Mom' Lori Vallow Daybell? Inside look at Estrella Jail
MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - As the so-called "doomsday mom" Lori Vallow Daybell prepares for her second trial in Arizona, FOX 10 got an inside look at her jail housing.
Remember, she’s been in Maricopa County’s custody since 2023 and is already a convicted murderer and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Idaho. Most recently, she was convicted of conspiring in her fourth husband's Chandler murder.
What we know:
Maricopa County’s Estrella Jail in Phoenix is home to a little more than 900 female inmates.
Each woman is facing different charges, and they all have different stories. Some have been sentenced, and some are still waiting.
Classifications range from minimum, medium and maximum.
There is a general population and "administrative restrictive housing," also known as isolation.
There are 24 women in max administrative restrictive housing.
"There’s a lot that goes into our classification: where you’re going to go and how you’re going to be housed," said Maricopa County Sheriff's Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez.
One of the 24 is Vallow Daybell.
The backstory:
A convicted murderer in Idaho, she killed her two children, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, and conspired in the murder of Tammy Daybell, the first wife of her husband Chad Daybell.
Tylee Ryan (left) and JJ Vallow (right)
Most recently, she was found guilty by a Maricopa County jury of plotting the murder of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, in July 2019.
What they're saying:
Vallow Daybell isn't going anywhere yet, per Sgt. Enriquez.
"So, she will remain in our custody until all her legal matters are resolved here in Maricopa County," Sgt. Enriquez said.
A tour inside Estrella Jail for women
We're taking a tour of the D-tower of Estrella Jail where women are housed. At the time of the tour, the tower was empty.
We are brought into a cell identified as D214, which is an exact replica of the cell that Vallow Daybell is living in, but in the C-tower.
Vallow Daybell spends 23 hours locked inside, but gets one hour to be in the day room where there are phones and other stations for video visitation. Still, she's in isolation and surveillance cameras are watching as correction officers monitor all activity in the tower.
Behind an open blue door, the space is small, only 11.5 feet by 7.5 feet with a horizontal sliver of a window in which daylight comes in. The walls are white and there is a stainless-steel fixture for the sink and toilet.
The double bunk is hard and flat, right next to a tiny desk and circular stool, both marked by chipped paint. Docked on the wall in front of the desk is where Vallow Daybell’s tablet would sit for video visits.
It feels cold and hollow inside as your voice easily echoes within the walls.
She’s been living in a space like this since she was extradited from Idaho to Arizona on two charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Basically, she’ll sit in her chair, she has a dock for her tablet that she can use when she does video visits. Once that tablet comes off the dock, the video visit is over.
Vallow Daybell is in full communication with her advisory counsel and paralegal as she prepares her defense.
"She has unlimited access to legal visits with her attorney, with her investigators," Sgt. Enriquez said. "She can request materials, things that she needs. It just has to be a request, and we will grant that request obviously in reason."
Dig deeper:
We know the so-called "doomsday mom" had to wear a stun belt under civilian clothing during her trial for security reasons.
As for hair and makeup, Sgt. Enriquez says inmates get creative with a lot of time on their hands.
"I mean, they can even purchase curlers. That’s why people don’t understand how does she get her hair curled. Well, as long as it doesn’t pose a safety risk for the facility, to the officers, to themselves, it could be purchased."
‘We’re talking about a max security inmate’
Meanwhile, the state’s prosecution will try to convince another jury that Vallow Daybell conspired with her late brother, Alex Cox, to kill her ex-nephew-in-law Brandon Boudreaux back in October 2019.
Brandon Boudreaux
For now, she remains in jail.
"We understand people make mistakes, and they end up here, but to land in a place like this, we’re talking about a max security inmate. That’s why she’s in a cell 23 hours a day and only gets out one hour a day," Sgt. Enriquez said.
What's next:
Vallow Daybell’s final trial in Arizona is scheduled to start on June 2.
What you can do:
If you want to learn more about Lori Vallow Daybell, click here for all of FOX 10's coverage.