Idaho Will Seek Death Penalty for Lori Vallow

Prosecutors in Idaho have confirmed that they will seek the death penalty for Lori Vallow if she is found guilty of any of the first-degree murder or conspiracy to commit first-degree murder charges against her. Vallow and husband Chad Daybell face multiple charges in the deaths of Vallow's two children, 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, NBC reports. They have also been charged in the death of Tammy Daybell, Chad Daybell's first wife. The doomsday author married Vallow days after Tammy Daybell's death on Oct. 2019.

The state is also seeking the death penalty for Chad Daybell. In a filing Monday, prosecutors listed multiple reasons why the pair are eligible for the death penalty, the Idaho Statesman reports. They said the alleged murders were committed for financial gain and were "especially heinous, atrocious, cruel, or manifesting exceptional depravity." They said the defendants have shown "an utter disregard for human life."

Prosecutors also asked a judge to shift Vallow's trial from October to January so she can be tried at the same time as Daybell. In 2020 a judge said they would be tried together but Vallow, unlike Daybell, did not waive her right to a speedy trial, Fox 13 reports. Prosecutors said the evidence and witnesses would be the same in both trials and it would be most cost-effective to hold them together. (Vallow also faces a conspiracy to murder charge in Arizona.)