Inside the Lori Vallow Daybell Trial: Sentencing | "48 Hours" Podcast | Forensic Files

foreign [Music] to this day that you've done anything wrong and you still may think you're justified by your
religious beliefs for what happened here I'm not here to judge that but I don't believe that any God in any religion
would want to have have this happen what happened here laughs welcome to another special episode of 48
hours I'm Jonathan Vigliotti you just heard the voice of Seventh District Judge Stephen Boyce the judge who
presided over Lori valadebell's criminal case in Idaho 11 weeks after a jury found her guilty on all counts brought
against her in the murders of her children Joshua JJ valo and Tyler Ryan as well as Tammy dabel the wife of the
man she then married Lori was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no possibility of parole I was outside the
courtroom as the sentence was read and as Laurie publicly addressed the court for the first time
we'll hear what she had to say later in this episode Lori's husband Chad dabell is also accused of these crimes and has
pleaded not guilty to all charges if you're just tuning into our coverage now we've been providing weekly updates on
the most shocking testimony and the most damning evidence throughout the trial check back earlier in this feed to hear
more of our analysis now almost four years after JJ and Tyler went missing there and Tammy's surviving relatives
know one thing for certain Lori veloda Bell will be in prison for the rest of her life
back with us is 48 Hours producer Richie Fetzer who's been covering the story since the very beginning welcome Richie
hi Jonathan uh thank you for having me and thanks for joining us three dead but countless more lives forever changed by
Lori Bello deebel's actions actions that jurors found through their verdict were
part of a conspiracy to kill Tammy Tyler and JJ which I I wonder what was it like
to finally see Lori sentenced after all of this time I mean Jonathan I will say covering this story it's been a journey
you know it started off the children were missing then it was awful news they were they were found dead and Lori was
charged with murder now to see her finally sentenced honestly I felt emotional for me and I'm someone that's
just covered it reported on it um I can only imagine what it was like being a family member or a loved one of any of
these victims I mean we were outside the courthouse as the family started to file
out after the sentence saying there was a lot of relief but there was also a very palpable amount of anger I think
anger based on what Laurie said and did not say when she spoke for the first time in more than three years we'll get
to that again in a little bit I want to focus on these sentences three consecutive sentences to life in prison
that means that unless Laurie successfully appeals her case and her life sentences are reversed she'll never
be a free woman again now one question we know a lot of listeners will have is whether or not the state could have
sought the death penalty here Richie can you explain to me because I need a refresher why that wasn't on the table
so prosecutors did seek the death penalty for both Lori and Chad chat will be tried separately his trial
is currently scheduled for next to April but Lori's attorneys argued back before
her trial even began that if she was convicted they didn't want the death penalty on the table they argued because
they didn't have enough time to fully review like the vast amount of evidence that was turned over in the weeks before
the trial back in March of this year judge Boyce ruled in the defense's favor which Lori's attorney today called a win
for all Humanity I mean that's quite a statement there as we mentioned earlier we heard from Lori during Monday's
hearing but she wasn't the only one who spoke before judge boys delivered his sentence we also heard from prosecutor
Rob wood take a listen what is the value of the life of a 16 year old girl with her life ahead of her
what is the value of a life of a seven-year-old boy with special needs what is the value of the life of a
mother and a grandmother so that's how prosecutor wood started his statement he continued on saying
this defendant violated the most sacred trust that exists in society that between a mother and her children
and she did it for gain she did it for money a defendant who was willing to murder
her own children is willing to murder anyone some money that was one of the motives
set forth by prosecution during the trial with the death penalty off the table the prosecution recommended life
in prison instead so what does Justice for Tyler JJ and Tammy require it requires this defendant never have a
chance for freedom because her victims no longer have that so the defense on the other hand asked
the court to sentence Lori to a minimum of 20 years behind bars arguing against life in prison that will give her the
chance to be released after 20 years had passed or at a later date here's Attorney John Thomas in our opinion if
you give her fixed life you will have essentially thrown her away she has no incentive to rehabilitate
there is no deterrent to her or anyone else the punishment portion is final and all-encompassing I found this argument
by John Thomas to be kind of strange and hard for me to wrap my brain around he argued that hope
of parole would incentivize Lori to be a model inmate and perhaps influence other
inmates to be better people unfortunately for Lori and for her defense team this was not enough to
persuade judge boys but perhaps most impactful than the words of the attorneys were the words of Tammy Tyler
and JJ's loved ones oftentimes that sentencing hearings family members of victims are permitted to give Victim
Impact statements five people close to Tammy Tyler and JJ were permitted to give those statements on Monday Lori
needs to pay for her actions according to the laws of Mortals she will still answer according to the laws of God when
she passes from this life that was Tammy dabel's sister Samantha William reading from a statement written
by her and Tammy's father Ron Douglas yes and William also spoke herself and used harsh language calling Lori a liar
an adulterer and a murderer everyone now knows what Liars you are they now all know what horrible things you have done
you will have to live in your prison cell for the rest of your life you are not an exalted being and there's no huge
event that is going to save you no gel walls are going to fall so you can leave no angels are coming to rescue
you you can really hear what sounds like anger in her voice we also heard from Tammy's Aunt Vicki Hoban
she did not testify at trial and used her time to remember Tammy as a mother grandmother friend teacher and more
friend and laugh never see another sunrise for a sunset Never Smell fresh rain or see her
grandchildren stomp through a mud puddle oh never to hear being called grandma or
Mom not another birthday Christmas the birth of a grandchild graduation from preschool
I mean just listening to this outside the courtroom it was incredibly emotional inside it's important to
remember the victims here whose lives were cut short by such senseless and violent murders I was particularly
struck by Kobe Ryan's statement which was read by prosecutor Rob wood he's Tyler and JJ's older brother and he
reminded the public that murders don't just hurt those who are killed but everyone around them I've lost my entire
family in life I lost the opportunity to share life with the people I loved the most
I've watched everything crumble and be shredded to pieces I have lost my sister brother father and
my mother I've lost cousins and family friends and everything in between these murders have changed everyone's
life who love these beautiful people but I still know that God is above holding them in his arms and will provide a life
after this to reunite I pray for healing for everyone involved including those who took the lives of
all the ones we love it sounds like Colby here is asking for healing for his mother as she's now
being convicted of those murders and it was a surprising thing to hear in court because previously in trial we heard the
jail phone call that he made where he was so angry with his mother when being confronted with the fact that she
murdered those two children Richie did we hear from anyone else so we also heard from K Woodcock and
you'll remember she's JJ's grandmother and the sister to Lori's fourth husband Charles valo just a reminder to
listeners that Lori is also facing trial for conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting death of Charles valo in
Arizona woodcock's testimony was so hard to listen to during trial and she was equally impactful during her statement
on Monday we believe there should never be a reason for her to be released from prison
she deprived JJ Tyler and Tammy of that right and should never be given what she
so easily took from them she went on to describe Lori in even harsher terms Lori
is undeniably a monster a monster that has taken away taken any has not taken any responsibility or shown an ounce of
remorse for her vile actions she deserves to never again breathe oxygen as a free member of society
her actions dismissive behavior and disinterest in court proceedings continue to validate her lack of
accountability and remorse or any possibility to be rehabilitated Lori Cox debail is a danger to society
her body and manipulative mind are weapons used for her selfish greed and satisfaction
Woodcock also mentioned something not discussed in too much detail during the trial the state of Lori's Mental Health
we firmly believe that she has zero mental illness that drove her to commit these heinous acts
the judge would go on to address questions of Lori's mental health but before that we heard from Lori herself
we'll hear from Lori right after the break [Music] and we're back Richie this was the first time we've
heard Laurie address the court and discuss the crimes she's now been convicted of right yeah that's right
she's given brief answers to procedural questions amongst other small comments and we heard her speak in telephone
calls during the trial um you know the jail calls between her and her family but in today's statement
she was emotional often repetitive and as I heard it not at all remorseful she also made it clear she hasn't strayed
too far from her much discussed religious beliefs even doubling down on them Jesus knows me
and Jesus understands me I mourn with all of you who more my children and Tammy Jesus Christ knows the truth of what
happened here Jesus Christ knows that no one was murdered in this case accidental deaths happen
suicides happen fatal side effects from medications happen as I listened to that now I still do not
understand what exactly she is saying it was bizarre and Rich I want you to get into it in a second but one thing that
did strike me was what she did not say she never said I'm sorry she did not appear remorseful she didn't acknowledge
any culpability I was surprised during her statement she made a claim of she herself died while she was giving birth
to Tyler she said she felt her spirit fall fall to the floor and that she was standing by her pregnant body watching
the doctors revive her she described going to heaven before returning to her body she claimed that this experience is
one of the reasons she was able to connect with what she described as the spirit world when Lori talks about her
religious beliefs it can be a little hard to follow and Monday was no exception she claimed she'd spoken with
Tyler and JJ and Tammy who she says told her that they're doing well and staying
busy not only that she says they told her that she'd done nothing wrong she went on to say I do not fear death
but I look forward to it I mean if she truly believes what she says she does it's no surprise to hear
her say something like she does not fear death according to her beliefs when death comes she'll be reunited with
those who have died one thing she didn't make mention of is her husband Chad who
is Accused alongside of her of murdering JJ tiley and Tammy when the judge finally spoke he made note of others
claims that Chad was really the Catalyst for the changes in her life and Her diagnosis of mental illness for which
Lori received a diagnosis earlier in the year the most current diagnosis the court has
is from Dr Watson from February of this year States you suffer from and I'll quote delusional
disorder mixed type with bizarre content and hyper religiosity continuous and unspecified personality
disorder with histrionic and narcissistic features so this comment was made in the context of the variety
of factors judge Boyce considered in making his sentencing judgment but these other factors don't change the facts
which are indisputable given her conviction Lori made a choice to kill her children you had so many other
options you could have gotten divorced you could have found someone to take care of those
kids but as the state was able to prove at trial you chose the most evil and destructive
path possible and his point was those children should still be alive today he also said that
the images shown during trial so often gruesome and disturbing will stick with them for the rest of his life but most
striking of always his comments on Lori's lack of remorse that we've spoken about and that the motive appeared to be
financial gain you'll remember that Lori was also convicted of stealing Social Security benefits JJ and Tyler were
receiving and I'd have to agree throughout the whole trial and throughout Lori's statement there's been
no evidence that Lori feels any remorse for the harm that she's caused it is the
most shocking thing really I can imagine is that a mother killed her own children
and you simply have no remorse for it even sitting here today there's no remorse for what you did
in judge Boyce's mind the lack of remorse was possibly offset by Lori's absence of a criminal history good
behavior in jail since she's been arrested and more but nevertheless ultimately he sentenced her to three
consecutive life sentences and there's a lot more to be seen in Lori and Chad dabel's cases as both of them face
future trials Richie thank you for joining us today and thanks to all of you for listening to this special
episode inside the Lori Bella Davao trial be sure to follow and listen to 48 Hours wherever you get your podcasts you
can also listen ad free on the Amazon music or wondering app foreign [Music]

Lori Vallow Daybell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, weeks after she was convicted of murdering her two youngest children and conspiring to kill the woman whose husband she went on to marry just weeks later. In the Idaho courtroom, Vallow Daybell spoke for the first time ahead of her sentencing. Her words stood in stark contrast with those of other family members seeking justice.

Listen to "48 Hours" and "Inside the Lori Vallow Daybell Trial" on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/ILVDTSYT

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

Brief Summary

Lori Vallow Daybell receives life sentences for murdering her children and her husband's first wife, with emotional courtroom reactions from victims' families.

Key points

Lori Valadebell Sentenced. Lori Valadebell receives life in prison for the murders of her children and Tammy.
Emotional Victim Impact Statements. Family members express their grief and anger during the sentencing hearing.
Lori's Bizarre Claims. Lori claims she died during childbirth and spoke to her deceased children.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I've lost my entire family in life.

Colby Ryan's statement about the impact of the murders.

8:17WatchAug 1, 2023

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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