Live tweeting. Will add updates as it becomes available. 7th April 2025.
They started streaming the trial at 11 a.m. so there is a link available at that time below. ( There is a half hour delay as required by the court.)
Lori Vallow Daybell is on trial in Maricopa County, Arizona, on one charge of conspiracy to commit the murder of Charles Vallow, her fourth husband. Nate Eaton is live in the courtroom with updates. Please excuse any typos. Times listed below are in Mountain Standard Time, so they are an hour...
www.eastidahonews.com
LIVE UPDATES: Day 1 of Lori Vallow Daybell’s Arizona trial
Published at 11:12 am, April 7, 2025Updated at 11:51 am, April 7, 2025
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Lori Vallow Daybell is on trial in Maricopa County, Arizona, on one charge of conspiracy to commit the murder of Charles Vallow, her fourth husband. Nate Eaton is live in the courtroom with updates. Please excuse any typos. Times listed below are in Mountain Standard Time, so they are an hour behind Idaho. (Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time.) The most recent updates are at the top.
4:31 p.m. We are breaking for the day. Join me tonight on “Courtroom Insider” at 8 p.m. MT to discuss everything that happened today. I’ll stream live on the East Idaho News YouTube channel.
4:31 p.m. Treena asks if there was anything about Alex that made Cowden believe he was injured. Cowden says no. Cowden believes Charles was dead before he entered the house. Cowden believes it was highly unlikely anyone performed CPR on Charles. Treena has no further questions.
4:30 p.m. Cowden recalls seeing an individual with a police officer in the driveway when he arrived. He did not notice any injuries on the person. En route, firefighters were told brother-in-law shot brother so Cowden assumed it was that person.
4:29 p.m. Cowden recalls actively working on the patient for close to five minutes. Once the death if called, firefighters leave the body and gather what they can (equipment, etc.).
4:26 p.m. Cowden and his crew made patient contact at 8:45 a.m. They discontinued and called the death at 8:48 a.m.
4:25 p.m. Cowden says this was the first call of his shift that day. Their shift begins at 8 a.m.
4:24 p.m. Treena asks if there was anything about Charles that made him think CPR may not have been performed prior to Cowden arriving. “It was just simply the fact of what I saw on the chest, when I first looked at it, and then what I felt during the first couple of chest compressions.”
4:23 p.m. Cowden said there were changes in Charles’ skin color as blood had not been circulating. There were also injuries to his chest and abdomen, which caused internal injuries, so lividity was starting to form.
4:21 p.m. Cowden wears gloves when he does CPR and he had blood on his gloves when he did CPR.
4:20 p.m. Charles had no heart activity. Cowden recalls seeing two gunshot wounds. They rolled Charles at one point and another firefighter commented there were two wounds on the backside of the patient.
4:18 p.m. When another firefighter went to cut the shirt, Cowden told her not to cut through the bullet hole in his shirt. She cut around it and Cowden did chest compressions.
4:17 p.m. At first, Cowden did not see a depression in Charles’ chest from someone else who may have done CPR. When Cowden started CPR, he felt the crack and crunch you would typically feel when you first start CPR. Cowden did CPR for at least a minute.
4:16 p.m. Cowden performed CPR. Treena shows the photo of firefighters/paramedics working on Charles. He describes the people who are in the photo.
4:15 p.m. Charles was unresponsive, pulseless and not breathing. There were no signs of life, Cowden testifies.
4:14 p.m. Cowden says there were no signs of life from Charles – no breathing, moaning, etc. “Definitely was a possibility (he was deceased) and no obvious signs of life.”
4:13 p.m. There was no blood at the scene other than on Charles’ chest, Cowden says. He didn’t need to avoid kneeling or standing in blood because there wasn’t a lot spread around. They didn’t have to worry about where to place their equipment because there was not a lot of blood.
4:11 p.m. Cowden recalls the front room being empty and there was no furniture. That jumped out because it made it easier to work on Charles.
4:09 p.m. Cowden says on the way to the house, the computer screen said the patient was getting CPR and police were also talking on their radio about Charles getting CPR. When firefighters entered the house, an officer was inside. Nobody was giving Charles CPR.
4:08 p.m. Cowden remembers responding to the shooting. In Chandler, there are typically at least four on fire engines. A captain is upfront, and Cowden is a fire engineer, so he drives the fire apparatus. Two firefighters sit in the back seat. Cowden and his crew were about 30 seconds away the morning of the shooting.
4:06 p.m. Treena asks Cowden if he has performed CPR on someone who is shot. He is pretty sure he has. She asks if blood could come out of the person’s mouth when they are getting CPR after they’ve been shot. Cowden says yes, it could happen.
4:05 p.m. Cowden says he may not be able to hear a crunch or crack during CPR but you can definitely feel it. He compares it to cracking knuckles “but more extreme.” Cowden has felt it multiple times. “In teaching CPR, you want to warn people of that. You don’t want them to think they have caused more harm.”
4:04 p.m. Cowden says if CPR is done and it’s been done effectively enough, you can see an impression on the skin “because you need to do it forceful and deep enough to force the heart to deliver blood.” If you stop CPR during the call and then resume, you’ll see where your hands were on the body. That area can be vulnerable to breaking, Cowden testifies.
4:03 p.m. Treena: “When you are called to a scene, are you guys given updates from the 911 operator so you know what to expect?” Cowden says yes, they are given updates and there is a computer screen in their vehicles that they can follow so they know what they are walking into.
4:02 p.m. Cowden explains what CPR is and how the person giving chest compressions is acting for the heart, pushing blood throughout the body. CPR would be given to a person if they don’t have a pulse and their heart is not beating.
4:01 p.m. Cowden was a CPR instructor for over 12 years and is certified in CPR.
4 p.m. Cowden takes the stand and talks about the training firefighters need to get certified. He went to paramedic school and graduated in 2007. EMT is basic, entry-level position, paramedics are more advanced with training and skills.
3:57 p.m. Prosecution calls next witness: Scott Cowden. He’s a Chandler firefighter who testified in Lori’s Idaho trial. You can hear his testimony from Idaho
here.
3:56 p.m. State follows up with question about when he was finished with this call. He was done before the end of his shift and did not go back to the scene. Krautheim is done testifying.
3:55 p.m. Judge, defense and prosecution put on headphones with mics and white noise is played.
3:54 p.m. Treena has no further questions. Beresky asks if there are any juror questions. There is at least one.
3:53 p.m. Treena’s paralegal brings up the CAD report so Krautheim can be refreshed about the time he took Alex to the police precinct. Krautheim arrived at the station at 9:18 a.m. with Alex.
3:52 p.m. Treena asked about her meeting with Krautheim beforehand. He watched the entire body camera and initialed it exhibit #1 so it could be shown in court.
3:50 p.m. Treena asks if Krautheim remembers seeing Alex Cox touch his head. Yes. Krautheim recalls seeing Alex rubbing his head. The only item Krautheim ever saw Alex using to rub his head was the paper towel and it was mostly white the entire time – was not soaked in blood.
3:49 p.m. Treena begins by talking about people being nonchalant and calm. “How you just got someone?” No. “Had the firefighters just shot anyone?” No. “So it’s not really exactly the same to compare you to the shooter, correct?” Krautheim says he would not compare them. Treena asks if Alex was nonchalant and calm when Krautheim showed up his gun drawn. He was nonchalant and calm.
3:48 p.m. Lori has no further questions. Treena will now have re-direct questioning.
3:47 p.m. Lori asks where Krautheim entered the police department. He doesn’t remember where he parked or what entrance he used. Krautheim walked Alex into the police station and into an interrogation room. Det. Moffatt then took over. “I just wanted to be clear,” Lori says.
3:46 p.m. Krautheim says it was about 8-10 miles from the home to the police department and the ride took 10-15 minutes.
3:45 p.m. Lori says, “It took you three pages to write what you were told but less than a minute to discuss what happened with detectives?” He responds, “Yes.” She replies, “Ok.”
3:44 p.m. Lori asks Krautheim if he had conversations with his supervisor when he arrived. He says yes. She asks when. He says sometime between the time he arrived and the time he left.
3:43 p.m. Lori asks how many people came up to him at the scene. He says one man came up and he told him he needed to leave. Then Lori and Tylee came up and he told them to go wait by their car.
3:42 p.m. Lori asks Krautheim if he reviewed his report before he came to testify. He did. She asks if it was part of his duty to check anything in the perimeter, if he was just dealing with the shooter. He says he was part of the scene management and coordinated in setting up a perimeter.
3:41 p.m. Lori asks Krautheim if he met with the prosecutor to go over his testimony. He says yes. Two weeks ago. Lori asks how long the meeting lasted. He says around an hour.
3:40 p.m. Lori asks how long Krautheim spoke with his supervisors. He says under a minute. Lori responds, “Under a minute? For the briefing?” He responds, “Yes.”
3:38 p.m. Back in the courtroom. Lori is at the podium and continues to question Krautheim. She asks Krautheim what she told the detectives when she briefed them. Treena objects based on hearsay. Lori asks why his statements are hearsay. Judge says any out-of-court statements are hearsay.
3:19 p.m. Lori asks Krautheim if he observed a next-door neighbor coming out to speak with Lori. He did. Lori asks about police blocking off the street so neighbors couldn’t go to work or school. Krautheim says not really – people could leave if they needed to. Lori says people tried to come up to her to find out what was happening. Treena objects. Judge sustains. We are now taking a 15 minute break.
3:18 p.m. Lori begins to ask a question and Treena objects. Judge sustains. Lori begins to ask a question again about the bat in the house. Treena objects based on hearsay. Judge sustains. Lori asks again about the bat and what Alex says. Again, Treena objects. Again, judge sustains.
3:17 p.m. Lori asks Krautheim if he ever entered the house. He did not. He stayed outside the entire time.
3:16 p.m. Lori asks how long the cut on Alex’s head was bleeding. Krautheim says he can’t answer that. He wasn’t standing behind his head when he first made contact with him and he doesn’t know when it started to bleed. Lori asks if it appeared to be bleeding when he exited the house. Krautheim didn’t look at his head when he exited the house so he’s not sure.
3:15 p.m. Lori asks if it’s possible Alex could have been in shock. Treena objects – says speculation. Judge sustains.
3:13 p.m. Lori asks what happened when Krautheim and Alex arrived at the police station. He says he sat Alex down and he thinks he got him some water. Det. Moffatt took over and Krautheim left the station. He did not stay for the interview.
3:12 p.m. Lori asks, “someone on the video, I don’t remember who it was, put a phone into an evidence bag. Was that you?” Krautheim doesn’t remember. Says it’s probable. Lori says she didn’t see it in his report. Treena objects and says the defendant is testifying. Judge tells her to only ask questions – not share her observations. Lori apologizes.
3:11 p.m. Lori asks if Krautheim briefed the detectives in the front yard of the house. He says yes, he made contact with them. Lori asks what he told them – what Alex had conveyed to him. Krautheim confirms. Lori asks where Krautheim’s report goes once he’s done. He says it went to his supervisor.
3:10 p.m. Lori asks when he did his report on the July 11 incident. He says he stopped and started numerous times throughout the day. He finished it by the end of his shift that day – 4 p.m. He did not revise it later on, he says.
3:09 p.m. Lori begins to ask about what Alex said on the car ride to the police station. Treena objects based on hearsay. Judge sustains.
3:07 p.m. Krautheim was with Alex from the time Alex left the house until he got to the police station.
3:06 p.m. Lori asks how hot it was that day. “No, but it was hot.” Lori laughs and says, “It was hot.” Lori asks the extent of his duties that day. She asks who was the first officer on the scene. “Whiz was,” he says. Lori says, “Oh, that’s correct.” Krautheim was 10-15 seconds behind “Whiz.”
3:05 p.m. Lori moves on to the next question. She asks why she had to park across the street that morning. There were police cars, CSI van, fire trucks. “So there was nowhere to park except across the street. Is that correct?” Krautheim says no, she could have parked anywhere along the street, on the other street, or on the other side of the house on the street.
3:03 p.m. Lori asks if Alex was disoriented. Krautheim says no. Lori asks Krautheim what nonchalant means – his definition. “Kind of like how I am now. Not a lot of emotion, not afraid.” Lori asks if that’s his typical demeanor. He says it depends on the situation. Lori asks if this was Alex’s normal demeanor, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for him to be nonchalant. Treena objects, judge overrules and lets the question in.
3:02 p.m. Lori asks about Krautheim using the phrase “small knot” on his head. Lori asks if it’s the same as a goose egg. Krautheim says, “Tomato, Tomatoe.” Lori asks how many times he asked if Alex needed medical treatment. He believes three times.
3:01 p.m. “When I arrived at the scene, things were pretty calm?” Lori says. Krautheim says it was calm. “If I could have been hysterical, it would have been out of character if everyone else were calm.” Treena objects based on speculation. Judge sustains.
3 p.m. Lori: “You mentioned about Alex being calm when he left the house. Correct?” Krautheim responds, “Yes.” Lori asks if the scene was chaotic. Krautheim says no. She asks if people were running around screaming or running in and out of the front door. Krautheim says no. She asks if Krautheim and the other officer were calm. He says yes.
2:59 p.m. Krautheim transported Alex to the police station. He was “calm, we just talked about things not related to this at all. A conversation between like me and you – normal, average tone. Calm.” Krautheim remained with Alex at the police station until a detective arrived. That ended his involvement in the case. Lori will now cross-examine.
2:57 p.m. Krautheim also got biographical information from the teenager – Tylee Ryan. Treena pauses the video. She asks if he went and briefed detectives. He did and said he had not advised Lori that her husband was dead. “I was the understanding this just happened, she just arrived back on scene and I did not advise her about what happened in the house.” He didn’t know that Lori was aware of what had occurred.
2:56 p.m. Krautheim asks for Lori’s ID. He asks what her middle initial stands for – Norene. Tylee is standing next to Lori with her arms folded. Lori is wearing black sunglasses. Krautheim asks how long she has lived here. She says three weeks. He asks if she’s working. She says no. She is 5’6″ and weighs around 120 lbs.
2:55 p.m. We now hear audio as Krautheim approaches Lori and Tylee. Audio is soft – Treena asks if it can be turned up.
2:53 p.m. Krautheim needed to talk to Lori as part of his fact-finding investigation.
2:51 p.m. Treena asks if it’s normal for a patrol officer to stay with a shooter so nobody has contact with them. Krautheim says yes – that’s normal. He tries to keep them separate as he’s learning facts.
2:49 p.m. The bodycam video continues to play. There is no audio, just video.
2:48 p.m. We now see a red ambulance pulling up in front of the house.
2:46 p.m. Treena asks if a team of detectives or crime spree specialists come out to handle a case when someone is shown. He says yes, detectives will come out.
2:45 p.m. We now see part of the video where Lori and Tylee arrive. Treena asks Krautheim if he knew the name of the person inside the house. He says yes, Charles Vallow. Krautheim knew that Lori was Charles’ wife.
2:44 p.m. Krautheim says Alex refused medical attention.
2:43 p.m. Another officer is seen in the video and Treena asks who it is. It’s Officer “Whiz.” “Sorry – I’ve been calling him Whiz since I’ve known him.” Jurors are looking at the screens, a few look like they are taking notes.
2:42 p.m. Treena asks whose truck is parked in the driveway. Krautheim isn’t sure but he believes it’s Alex’s pickup.
2:41 p.m. Treena asks if Alex had the sunglasses on the top of his head when he walked out of the house. Krautheim says he did. He asked Alex to move away from the fire truck so he could hear him.
2:40 p.m. Krautheim pulled his weapon when he arrived at the home because he had just been told someone shot someone at the house. The video shows Alex Cox exiting the home and sitting on the curb. Krautheim is chatting with Alex. We don’t hear the audio but we see the video.
2:38 p.m. We see the video. Krautheim is in his police car and showing up to the home in the gated community.
2:37 p.m. Treena asks to admit an exhibit. It’s Krautheim’s body camera footage. Audio has been removed other than his interaction with Lori Vallow Daybell. Exhibit is admitted.
2:36 p.m. When Lori first arrived, she walked up to where Alex was sitting. Krautheim asked her to go stand by her car. Lori never asked how Alex was doing, never asked why so many police cars were there, never asked about Charles, never asked why a fire truck was in front of her house, Krautheim testifies.
2:34 p.m. Krautheim says Lori Vallow and a teenage girl arrived at the scene. He went and spoke with her. Treena asks Krautheim to identify if Lori is in the courtroom. He says she is sitting at the defense table. Krautheim went to speak with Lori at the crime scene.
2:33 p.m. Krautheim is asked if he offered Alex medical treatment. The officer says he did offer medical treatment, Alex declined. Krautheim says it did not appear that Alex needed treatment – “Zero, none.”
2:32 p.m. A weird sound begins to play in the courtroom. Nobody is quite sure what it is. After about 10-15 seconds, it stops.
2:31 p.m. When Alex exited the house, he was holding a rag on his head. Alex had no difficulty walking, talking, sitting or standing, according to Krautheim. Alex was not sweating when he first came out and didn’t have any jitters. No uneven or broken voice, according to the officer. Krautheim noticed an injury on the back of Alex’s head.
2:29 p.m. Krautheim was wearing a body camera. He started recording as he was driving to the house. The 911 caller was still on the phone. Dispatch told the caller to come outside of the house without anything with his hands up in the air. He came out of the front door.
2:28 p.m. On his way to the scene, he was given information about the shooting via dispatchers. When he arrived at the house, he says Officer Whiz was there – meaning Wierzbicki.
2:27 p.m. Robert Krautheim is the next witness. He retired three years ago from the Chandler Police Department. He was a patrol officer on July 11, 2019. He was working day shift.
2:24 p.m. Treena asks Wierzbicki if he provides briefing and information to his supervisors. He says yes as the supervisor wants to know what’s going on so the detectives know what’s happening.
2:22 p.m. Treena shows the officer the CAD report – a report showing the 911 call was received at 8:36 a.m. The CAD report shows he was dispatched at 8:37 a.m.
2:21 p.m. Treena asks if the body is “basically a crime scene.” He says yes. Treena asks if Fire/EMS has EKGs and other tools to help find a pulse and potentially give CPR. “Would giving CPR to a deceased person change the crime scene?” He says yes. He did not want to modify the crime scene.
2:20 p.m. Lori has no further questions. Treena has questions on re-direct. She asks about the shooter’s demeanor. “Were you just telling us about what you observed?” He says yes – he was very calm and collected after just shooting somebody.
2:18 p.m. Lori asks Wierzbicki how many times he’s spoken with Det. Nathan Duncan about this case. He says very few. Lori asks how many. He says maybe five times. Lori asks if these conversations are in person. He says they weren’t really discussions – just in passing. Lori asks how many times Wierzbicki has emailed Duncan about the case. Treena objects on relevance. Judge overrules. Wierzbicki doesn’t have any idea.
2:16 p.m. Lori asks Wierzbicki if he recalls seeing her arrive at the scene. He thinks she got there as he was leaving. Lori asks about two wounds. “How did you see the two wounds through the shirt?” He responds: “Just was an observation I made when I saw him on the ground.” Lori asks if there were two holes in the shirt. He doesn’t recall. She asks if EMTs opened his shirt when they did CPR. Wierzbicki doesn’t remember.
2:15 p.m. Lori asks Wierzbicki if he stayed for a while at the house. He doesn’t recall. Lori asks Wierzbicki who his direct supervisor is. He says it was Sgt. Yosello (sp?). Lori asks what contact Wierzbicki had with Det. Moffatt that day. Wierzbicki doesn’t think he had any contact on scene. Lori asks about Det. England. He says he may have briefly spoken with England that day.
2:14 p.m. Wierzbicki was dispatched to the call at 8:41 a.m. He believes he was at the residence within ten minutes.
2:13 p.m. Lori asks about the casings being to the left or right of Charles. Wierzbicki says he didn’t say it was either one. Lori apologizes – says that was her interpretation. Lori asks about the handgun and the projectile that was in the baseboard. Wierzbicki doesn’t recall.
2:12 p.m. Lori asks Wierzbicki about fire giving time of death. He says that’s correct. Wierzbicki cleared the house before time of death was given. Lori asks if Wierzbicki has any crime scene investigation experience. “Just my 20 years of experience as a police officer.”
2:10 p.m. Lori begins by making sure she pronounces Wierzbicki’s name correctly. She asks about him saying Alex was nonchalant. He clarifies that he means “cool and unbothered.” Lori asks, “Does everyone ask the same in a stressful situation?” He says no. Lori asks if he’s qualified to give a psychological evaluation. He says no. Lori asks Wierzbicki if he performed CPR. He says no because it appeared he was deceased.
2:08 p.m. After Wierzbicki cleared the house, he was tasked with putting up crime scene tape. The tape keeps the public and media out of the scene to keep it secure. That ended Wierzbick’s involvement. Treena has no further questions. Lori will now question.
2:07 p.m. The exhibits are screenshots from the video. The first screenshot is a photo of Charles’ head on the floor. It shows Wierzbicki checking for a pulse. There is blood pooling toward Charles’ neck area. The next exhibit shows EMS/Fire working on Charles.
2:06 p.m. Video is over. Treena asks to admit two other exhibits.
2:04 p.m. Wierzbicki says Alex was extremely calm. Treena asks if it was unusual that Wierzbicki could not find Charles’ wallet. He says it wasn’t unusual because he didn’t know if Charles lived there or not.
2:03 p.m. Treena Kay asks Wierzbicki if he was able to find any ID on the victim. He was not. Video now shows Wierzbicki walking outside and approaching Alex Cox on the curb. He’s dabbing his head. Jurors are not hearing audio from the video – just watching it.
2:01 p.m. The police body camera footage is played in court. Treena asks about a portion in the video where Wierzbicki checks to see if Charles had a pulse. You can see a blurred version of the video here (video being shown to jury is not blurred):
1:58 p.m. Treena Kay wants to show a video to the jury. It’s the footage from Wierzbicki’s body camera.
1:57 p.m. We now have video from the courtroom. Watch
here.
1:56 p.m. Fire/EMS was called out. Treena Kay asks if Wierzbicki recalls seeing any projectiles on the ground around the victim. Lori objects and says the question is leading. Judge overrules and Wierzbicki answers.
1:55 p.m. Wierzbicki walked through the entire house. When he went inside, he saw someone lying on the ground motionless. The room was empty – no furniture. The man on the floor was lying on his back. Wierzbicki went and checked the pulse of the man. There was no pulse and he had two gunshot wounds to his chest. Blood was pooling in his neck area. Wierzbicki says he appeared dead.
1:53 p.m. Wierzbicki told Alex to go have a seat on the curb. The sgt. then went into the home to make sure nobody else was in there and to check on the victim. The other officer stayed with Alex outside.
1:52 p.m. Wierzbicki says other officers arrived and he was communicating with dispatchers. Wierzbicki told whoever was in the house to come out. A man exited the home – “very nonchalant, very complaint with us.” He is referring to Alex Cox.
1:50 p.m. Sgt. Wierzbicki was in full patrol uniform when he was dispatched to the house in Chandler the morning of the shoot. He was wearing a body camera on his left shoulder. It recorded audio and he activated his camera at the scene.
1:48 p.m. State is calling its first witness – Sgt. Irwin Wierzbicki with the Chandler Police Department. He has worked for the department for ten years.
1:47 p.m. Lori says self-defense is not a crime. A family tragedy is not a crime. She turns around and walks back to the defense table.
1:46 p.m. Lori says the Chandler Police Department treated this as self-defense. Treena Kay objects. Judge sustains and orders the jury to ignore what Lori said. Lori says Alex died five months after Charles died – almost to the date. She says Alex died of a blood clot. State objects, judge sustains.
1:45 p.m. Lori says by the time she, Tylee and JJ returned to the home, all police were gone. The next day, she called police and said Charles’ belongings were still at the hotel. She was told that officers would take care of it. Lori asked what was next. She says she was told they would be in touch with her in about three weeks.
1:44 p.m. Lori says, “the evidence will show” before each statement. Lori talks about getting Charles’ cell phone and giving it to police.
1:43 p.m. Lori talks about going to the police station for questioning and meeting a victim’s advocate “who was very kind to us.” After the interview, Lori says they went back to the house and then later picked up JJ. “We drove to Alex’s residence where we attended to the wound on the back of his head.”
1:41 p.m. Lori says they went to Burger King “that Charles has promised JJ” and then continued to school. The gate wasn’t open, so Lori went to Walgreens to buy flip-flops “so we could walk JJ into school on the hot pavement.” Lori says she and Tylee then went “directly to our residence” where they met with police. Lori continues to cry.
1:40 p.m. Lori says she ran outside and JJ was struggling to get out of the car but Tylee was trying to keep him in. Lori says she and Tylee drove away with JJ. “The evidence will show you that I drove the children away from the residence towards JJ’s school.” Lori is sniffling and asks for a tissue.
1:39 p.m. Lori says Alex did not have a gun when he came out during the commotion. Lori says Alex and Charles got into a physical struggle. “The evidence will show that Tylee, who was on the ground, was lifted up by me and sent outside to be with JJ.” Lori says after teh struggle on the ground, Charles “prevailed with the bat” and came toward her as she ran away. “At some point, as I was running away from Charles who was chasing me with a bat, Alex retrieved his gun.”
1:38 p.m. Lori says JJ was in the rental car and Charles went into the house to get his phone. She says he began screaming and it woke Tylee up. “She came out of her room with a bat to protect her mother.” Lori is getting emotional.
1:37 p.m. Lori says Charles planned to pick JJ up on July 11 and take him to school. Lori says school started at 8:25 a.m. Charles showed up in a rental car. Lori says Charles began texting with her brother, Adam, about Alex being at the home.
1:36 p.m. Lori says Charles began sending Lori threatening text messages and Charles insisted on flying to Phoenix on July 10. “I advised Charles he could not stay with us because he could not get along with Tylee.” Lori says she and Charles agreed he would stay in a hotel and Lori would book it for him.
1:35 p.m. Lori says she, JJ and Tylee moved back to Arizona to re-enroll JJ in a special school in Arizona. “Charles and I agreed it was in JJ’s best interest where more services were available to him.” Lori says “on the day in question,” Charles and her were renting two houses – one in Houston, one in Chandler.
1:34 p.m. Lori says Tylee and Charles had major arguments and lists out dates when they argued with “the worst of all in July 2019.” Lori says in March 2019, Charles pulled JJ out of school in Arizona and moved him to Houston. Lori says she joined Charles to reconcile.
1:33 p.m. Lori says when Tylee became a teenager, Tylee and Charles’ relationship was so bad they had to go see a therapist. Lori says Tylee’s biological father died of a heart attack, and at that time, Charles called Social Security to get money. Treena Kay objects to hearsay. Judge sustains it.
1:32 p.m. Lori says she helped Charles with his job. In 2017, Charles purchased a new $2 million life insurance policy on Lori, she says. Lori says Charles was a baseball player, a left-handed pitcher but a right-handed batter. Lori says in 2014, their family moved from Chandler to Kauai where they lived for 3.5 years before returning in 2017.
1:30 p.m. Lori tells the jury that Charles and Lori married in 2006. She talks about their kids. “Charles and I were married for over 13 years and were raising five children.” Lori says she was a licensed cosmetologist and Charles was a licensed life insurance salesman. Before each of these statements, Lori says, “The evidence will show.” She says Charles purchased maximum life insurance policies when they got married. Because he had blood pressure issues, the maximum amount he could get was $1 million. Lori could get $2 million.
1:29 p.m. Lori Daybell approaches the podium for her opening statement. She puts on her glasses. “I have been charged with a crime. A serious crime.” Lori says she is charged with conspiracy. “There has to be an agreement.”
1:27 p.m. Back in the courtroom. Jurors are being brought in.
12:04 p.m. Judge says the juror can go to the waiting room. Judge clarifies that the jury fund is not for alimony or child support. Judge says he would hate to lose a juror on day 1 but feels the juror should be excused. State agrees. Lori has no problem with it. There are now 3 alternates.
12:03 p.m. Juror says serving on the jury would also affect him financially with child support. Judge asks why this wasn’t brought up last week. The man said he didn’t realize the lack of benefits at work. Treena asks the juror if he’s aware of the jury fund that will pay him up to $300 a day for jury service. The man said that won’t cover his alimony and child support. Lori has no questions for the juror.
12:02 p.m. Jurors have left the room except for one. Judge asks him if his boss has a problem with him serving jury duty or if it’s the juror himself having an issue with it. Judge asks if he can write a letter to the employer about his jury service.
11:59 a.m. Treena says the jurors will hear from witnesses and see text messages during the course of the trial. She asks the jurors to find Lori guilty. Treena rests. Jurors are going to lunch. Lori will give her opening statement after lunch at 1:30 p.m. Phoenix time.
11:58 a.m. Treena says the evidence of this case is going to show that Lori conspired with her brother to kill Charles so she could be with Chad and get the life insurance policy. Treena says photos of the crime scene will be shown and testimony will be given that proves this was not self-defense.
11:57 a.m. After Lori found out she wasn’t the beneficiary of the life insurance, she was angry and went through Charles’ computer. She found the form changing the beneficiary and texted Kay.
11:56 a.m. Lori called Banner Life Insurance a few days after Charles’ death and asked about getting the life insurance money. That’s when she learned she was not the beneficiary. Treena mentions the message Lori sent to Chad. “I talked to the insurance company. He changed it in March. It was probably Ned before we got rid of him.”
11:54 a.m. Lori didn’t tell any of Charles’ family about his death until the next day. She texted Charles’ two sons from a previous marriage and told them their father was death. I reported about those texts a few years ago. You can read that story
here.
READ: The text messages Lori Daybell sent Charles Vallow’s sons after he died
11:53 a.m. Treena talks about Lori seeing the shooting of her husband “and then she told the police she left.” She took Charles’ phone and police did not know that she had his phone. Police were processing the house, looking for Charles’ phone, and they couldn’t find it. Later that day, police called Lori and Alex and asked them to return to the scene. “Lori told the detective she found the phone in the car,” Treena says. She gave the detective Charles’ PIN to get into the phone.
11:51 a.m. When Lori returned to the house, she didn’t ask about all the police or fire trucks or why her brother was sitting on the curb. Police pulled her aside to let her know her husband was dead. “She knew. She was there,” Treena says. Treena says Lori was interviewed by the police. “She admitted she was the reason Charles didn’t just leave and take JJ to school. She told police, in no uncertain terms, that Charles was demanding his phone back and she refused to give it back.”
11:50 a.m. Treena says this was not self-defense — this was a staged murder.
11:48 a.m. When detectives found Charles on the ground, they found another bullet in the ground. “When they finally moved Charles, they cleaned up the blood on the ground and they noticed a defect in the wood flooring consistent with a bullet striking the ground. That defect was where Charles’ left shoulder had been,” Treena says.
11:47 a.m. Treena mentions the sunglasses that remained on Alex’s head during the supposed altercation with Charles. There is no blood anywhere and the sunglasses never moved and did not break. Treena mentions the trajectory of the bullet from the shot into Charles’ body and how it ended up across the room in a baseboard.
11:44 a.m. Treena says the only blood in the house was pooling blood around Charles. There was not a drop of blood down the hall or in the floor of the kitchen where Alex went to go wash his hands. There are no towels, sheets, clothing, napkins with blood on it as Alex was holding his head and trying to stop the bleeding.
11:43 a.m. Treena talks about the baseball bat in the house and Charles being a semi-professional baseball player. She says Alex’s gun had no blood transfer on it despite his claim that he shot in self-defense.
11:41 a.m. Treena says Lori left the house with JJ and Tylee in Charles’ car. They went to Burger King and Walgreens before dropping JJ off at school. Lori and Alex spoke three minutes after Lori left the house. They also spoke 17 minutes after Lori left. Neither of them had called 911 yet. “Alex did not call 911 until 47 minutes after Lori left.” “Charles Vallow lay dead on the floor of that house for 47 minutes before Alex called 911.” Alex began “staging the scene” and “making mistakes,” Treena says.
11:40 a.m. As Charles lay on the floor, Alex Cox fired another shot into Charles, Treena says. She says a medical examiner will testify about the bullet wound and exit patterns. It was a short wound “that shows there was nothing accidental about this second shot.”
11:38 a.m. Treena describes the house. A big room that’s empty and no furniture. She talks about Charles being shot two times. The first shot was to his chest and the bullet exited out his back. “Charles Vallow fell to the ground. He put his left hand to his wound and blood transferred onto it. The shot went through his heart. “A person can take a second up to two minutes to die from this type of wound.”
11:37 a.m. Charles went to the front door of the house he had rented for his wife. A house he paid for, Treena says. Charles knocked on the door, picked up JJ, put him in the car and then Lori Vallow “who wanted to be Lori Daybell” took Charles’ phone. “She refused to give it back,” Treena says. “Lori Vallow, Lori Daybell, whatever name you want to call her by, is why Charles didn’t just leave with JJ that morning. Lori Vallow is why Charles is dead.”
11:35 a.m. Treena tells jurors they will see the movements of Charles’ phone the day he died. When Charles pulled in to pick JJ up, Charles texted Adam that Alex was at the house. “They’re planning something,” Charles said. Adam responded, “Absolutely.”
11:34 a.m. Nancy Jo never heard from Charles after July 11. She thought he was just ghosting her until she saw the news that he was dead.
11:32 a.m. Charles went on a date on July 10 with a woman named Nancy Jo. She will testify in the trial. They met on an LDS dating site. They talked and texted for hours. “Charles told her everything about the relationship and the change to the beneficiary of his life insurance,” Treena says. Nancy Jo said it sounded like a lot of drama with Lori. The date knew Charles would be picking up JJ the following morning and then they were going to meet up later in the day. “She actually told Charles, kind of joking, why don’t you just tell Lori that you changed the life insurance policy so she knows it’s not her?”
11:31 a.m. Lori and Alex talked for 56 minutes a few days before Charles was killed, according to Treena. “Alex would stay close with his gun and he and Lori would be like Nephi,” Treena says. Alex was at Lori’s house the night before Charles was shot. “He was prepared” with a gun, ammunition, and a garbage bag with clothes inside.
11:29 a.m. Treena talks about Adam and Charles moving to Phoenix on July 10 – the day before Charles was shot. Lori is looking at Treena as she talks and is turning back and forth in her swivel chair. Treena mentions the text messages between Lori and Alex about being like Nephi. An intervention was planned with Adam and Charles = Lori wanted Alex to stay close.
11:28 a.m. The jurors are focused on Treena. None of them are taking notes – they are looking at Treena and seem to be listening intently. Treena talks about the iCloud account and text messages that were sent back and forth.
11:27 a.m. Adam Cox, Lori’s brother, will testify and talk about how Lori moved away from the mainstream LDS beliefs and started saying unusual, bizarre things. Charles found out that Lori was having an affair with Chad. Charles reached out to Lori and Chad’s wife. Treena says numerous search warrants were issued in this case.
11:25 a.m. “JJ was everything to Charles. JJ was the reason Charles and Lori were together,” Treena says. She mentions the $1 million life insurance policy and Lori was the beneficiary – but Charles changed that in February 2019. Kay Woodcock became the beneficiary and Charles did not tell Lori.
11:24 a.m. As the year went by, Lori and Alex became more determined to get rid of Charles, Treena says. Another witness, Christina, will talk about a gathering in June 2019 and Alex was there. This was the first time Christina met Alex and Alex said “that he just wanted to kill Charles.” Christina heard this a few times and Lori said she had been drugging Charles – crushing up JJ’s pills and putting them in his protein drinks. Christina was disturbed and confronted Lori about this. Christina said if Charles ended up dead, Christina would have to go to the police. Lori said she was joking. One month later, Charles was dead.
11:22 a.m. A witness named Serena Sharp will testify that they had a girls weekend with Lori and Lori said that Charles was possessed by an evil spirit named Ned. Charles was no longer in his body, and Lori asked the women to come together to cast out of the evil spirit. Lori said Charles was already gone. This was in March 2019. Later that month, Alex texted Lori, “Ned is still alive. Just confirmed.” Lori responded, “It’s not Ned. It’s a new one. Ned is gone. No one has seen him, right?”
11:21 a.m. Treena says jury will see text messages where Lori and Chad referred to Charles as Ned. Treena says jurors will hear from spiritual women within the LDS Church who found Lori’s spirituality interesting but the more they listened to Lori, the more they became concerned with what she was saying. “Lori began saying things like she didn’t need to repent. She was beyond that.”
11:20 a.m. Treena says Lori used religion to kill Charles. “So how did this begin? Go back to 2018. Lori Vallow met Chad Daybell. In November 2018, Chad Daybell came to Arizona for a Preparing a People conference and Chad stayed at Lori’s house.”
11:19 a.m. “So what about Nephi?” Treena says. “Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell and Alex Cox all believed that those who disagreed with them were evil spirits – sometimes called zombies. Sometimes they had names for these evil spirits – like Ned. Lori used religion – the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – as a justification to kill Charles Vallow.”
11:18 a.m. Treena says in July 2019, Lori and Charles were married. Lori lived in Chandler, Charles lived in Texas. “Lori Vallow wanted to be Lori Daybell – wife of Chad Daybell.” “She could get this if Charles was dead.”
11:17 a.m. Treena Kay moves to podium in front of jury. “I’m going to need you to stay close to me the next few days,” Treena begins quoting from text messages. Messages between Lori and Alex. “Thanks for standing by me.” “It’s all coming to a head this week. I will like Nephi, I am told, and so will you.” Treena: “Lori Daybell, seated over here, wrote this to her brother two days before they killed Charles Vallow.”
11:16 a.m. Jury has been seated. Beresky tells the jurors that prosecution will have an opening statement and then defense can give an opening statement or wait until after prosecution rests. Beresky says the opening statements are not evidence – just arguments.
11:13 a.m. Judge says jurors will now be brought into the courtroom.
11:12 a.m. Sidebar is over. Beresky says Brandon Boudreaux is struck from the witness list without prejudice meaning, if Lori has relevant information to the case, he could be added back to the list. Brandon can remain in the courtroom.
11:11 a.m. Lori’s investigator is back at the defense table chatting with the advisory attorneys. Lori is wearing a RACC belt under her clothes and there are two armed deputies within ten feet of the defense table. She is not in handcuffs or ankle shackles. Should something go wrong, the deputies push a button and the RACC belt will shock her.
11:09 a.m. Sidebar still underway. Jurors have not yet entered the courtroom.
11:06 a.m. White noise is now being played in the courtroom as judge, Lori and Treena have on their earphones for a sidebar. Lori’s investigator just stood up from the table and quickly walked out of hte courtroom.
11:03 a.m. Treena just entered the courtroom and so did Brandon. It appears he will be able to stay.
11:02 a.m. Still waiting for jurors to assemble. Beresky has just taken the bench again.
11 a.m. We have started the video stream. You can watch
here.
10:50 a.m. Sidebar is over. Treena Kay just motioned to Brandon Boudreaux to walk out of the courtroom with her. They exited the room. Judge says the jurors are assembled on another floor. Court will resume shortly.
10:46 a.m. Sidebar has been underway for ten minutes now. Lori appears passionate as she addresses the judge. Again, this is all on headphones as white noise plays in the courtroom so we don’t know what she or the prosecution are arguing.
10:43 a.m. An exclusionary rule is in effect for witnesses in this trial meaning they can not be in the courtroom while other witnesses testify. Brandon is listed as a defense witness, but he was never served a subpoena. Lori also had me on her witness list but we argued against having me on her list and the judge struck me from the list during a hearing last week. You can watch that
here if you missed it.
10:37 a.m. Sidebars in this trial are different as Lori is the defendant and can’t approach the judge. The prosecutor, judge and Lori all put on headphones with microphones attached and speak to each other while white noise is played in the courtroom.
10:36 a.m. Lori says she can’t give more information without giving away her entire defense. Judge says witnesses can’t just be called to talk about the weather or whatnot. “His relevance that day is to an intervention that day on me, the family.” Beresky requests a sidebar.
10:35 a.m. Treena says “things” and says she needs more relevant information as to what Brandon will testify about. Beresky asks Lori for more specifics. She responds, “His communication with my husband up until the date of his incident.” Beresky asks what the communication is and how it is not hearsay. Lori says they are communications with Brandon to Charles.
10:34 a.m. Treena Kay mentions that Brandon Boudreaux is in the courtroom and he is a defense witness. Boudreaux has not been served with a subpoena and Treena asks that he be allowed in the courtroom for the trial. Beresky asks Lori if this is a witness who has relevant information and will likely be called as a witness. Lori says yes. “He will be called to talk about things he was involved in with my husband during that time,” Lori responds.
10:33 a.m. One juror has not arrived. Once the juror arrives, opening statements will begin.
10:32 a.m. Beresky will speak with the juror during the lunch hour and says he can write a letter to the man’s employer. Someone’s phone goes off and the judge tells everyone to silence their phones.
10:30 a.m. Lori reads the letter and gives a thumbs up. She turns around and smiles at her advisory attorneys. Beresky says the same juror called his office last week and the employer has a problem with jury service. “We do have alternate jurors,” Beresky says. Treena Kay asks that the juror remain on the panel. Lori has no objections to him being dismissed.
10:29 a.m. Lori Vallow Daybell just walked in. Wearing a black dress suit with white blouse. Judge says he has a letter from one of the juror’s employer that he needs the state to look at. After Treena Kay looks at the letter, Beresky asks her to show Daybell.
10:24 a.m. Judge Beresky is on the bench. He made it clear that week that he wants to start on time.
10:21 a.m. Judge Justin Beresky is allowing a video camera in the courtroom but is requiring a 30 minute delay for livestreaming or broadcasting. You can watch
here.
10:17 a.m. Kay Woodcock and Gerry Vallow, Charles Vallow’s siblings, are in the courtroom. Brandon Boudreaux is also here. Rex Conner, Lori’s uncle, and two of her cousins are in the courtroom.
10:15 a.m. Maricopa County Prosecutor Treena Kay is at the state’s table with a paralegal and Det. Nathan Duncan. Lori’s legal advisors are on the defense side. Lori is not yet in the courtroom.
10:13 a.m. Every seat is full in the courtroom. Several people won’t be able to watch inside. One lady just asked if she could stand or sit on the floor. Court staff say that isn’t allowed.
10:12 a.m. We are in the courtroom for day 1 of Lori Vallow Daybell’s conspiracy to commit murder trial. Around 15-20 reporters/media are here. The public is filing here. The line started around 5:30 a.m. Here’s a picture our videographer Jordan Wood took around 7:30 a.m.
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