Lori Vallow Daybell’s second trial in Arizona was scheduled to begin Monday but the proceedings faced delays after Vallow Daybell showed up to court in a wheelchair.
Vallow Daybell told Superior Court Judge Justin Beresky, “You are putting a lot of pressure on me to be better by Wednesday,” before breaking down in tears.
The trial is being held in Maricopa County. Vallow Daybell, who has already been convicted on murder charges in two states, faces one charge of conspiracy to commit murder.
Vallow Daybell told the judge she was sick “all weekend,” and declined to sit in a regular seat, instead remaining in the wheelchair. When the judge characterized it as her feeling under the weather, she pushed back and said she felt “very ill,” listing out her symptoms: headaches, nausea, chills, fever and vomiting.
Meanwhile, a group of potential jurors waited outside the courtroom.
On Wednesday, the defendant insisted she was still sick. But since jury selection had already been pushed back twice, the judge ordered the prosecutor and Vallow Daybell to finish selecting jury members Wednesday and hold opening statements Thursday.
What charges does Lori Vallow Daybell face?
In her latest trial, Vallow Daybell faces charges of conspiring to murder Brandon Boudreaux, her niece’s husband. Boudreaux alleged that someone drove by his home in Gilbert, Arizona, and shot at him.
He survived the incident. Vallow Daybell has pleaded not guilty and is representing herself in the trial.
Boudreaux and his wife sat in the front row during the proceedings.
The judge finally told Vallow Daybell that he was instructed to complete the second trial no matter what.
“Even if, for some reason your sickness worsens, even if this case got delayed into June or July or August, I’d still be your trial judge,” he said.
Lori Vallow Daybell’s previous record
Vallow Daybell is currently awaiting sentencing for her trial in Arizona earlier this year, where she was found guilty of conspiring to murder her estranged husband, Charles Vallow.
Vallow Daybell never took the stand while representing herself in the trial.
She plans to adopt the same strategy while representing herself in the latest trial.
Vallow Daybell denied playing a role in her late husband’s murder for life insurance money.
In 2019, Alex Cox, Vallow Daybell’s brother, killed Vallow and later said he acted in self-defense. Cox died of a blood clot a year later, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Vallow Daybell was also convicted in Idaho for killing her children — Tylee and JJ — and Tammy Daybell, her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife. She is serving several life sentences without the possibility of parole.
In the latest trial, prosecutors will attempt to prove that Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell conspired to kill Boudreaux for insurance money.
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