Monday 21st April 2025
Morning
REFRESH FOR UPDATES
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.
Standard Time, so they are an hour behind Idaho. (Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time.) The most recent updates are at the top.
11:30 a.m. Jury leaves. Lori asks that the exhibit with her interview be admitted for appealate purposes. Prosecution does not object.
11:28 a.m. We will take lunch until 12:45 p.m. Closing arguments will then begin.
11:27 a.m. Jurors cannot communicate with anyone about the case. All 12 must agree on the verdict and must be unanimous. The foreperson will fill out the form and sign it. Judge shows the jury a sample verdict form. An official form will be given to the jury when they are ready to deliberate.
11:26 a.m. Judge says jury must follow instructions and refer to them to answer any questions. Should any jurors have a question for the judge, the question form should be utilized. Judge will consider the questions before answering in writing as quickly as possible.
11:25 a.m. All jurors must agree on the verdict. A verdict form will then be completed and handed over to the court. The foreperson will not read any verdict to the court – that will be done by the court. Judge tells the jury to set their deliberation schedule and then advise the courtroom assistant. The case should only be discussed when all jurors are together.
11:24 a.m. Judge says a jury foreperson will be chosen from amoungst the group. His/her opinion does not matter more than the other jurors and they all are equal. The foreperson will make sure the discussions are open and free so all jurors can participate.
11:23 a.m. Deadly weapon means anything designed for a lethal use including a firearm. Judge explains what deadly physical force means.
11:22 a.m. Judge explains what an accomplice is, what aggravated assault means and what “act” means.
11:21 a.m. Lori is following along with an instruction packet in front of her on the defense table. Treena Kay is also following along.
11:17 a.m. If the state fails to carry the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt, the jury must find Lori not guilty.
11:14 a.m. Judge explains what self-defense means and when the use of deadly physical force is justified.
11:13 a.m. Judge says all the alleged participants should be considered in determining whether a conspiracy existed. Lori and Alex are both named in the charge.
11:12 a.m. To prove a conspiracy, you don’t have to show a formal meeting or an official agreement, judge explains. One may become a member of a conspiracy without full knowledge of all the details of the conspiracy.
11:11 a.m. Crime requires the person caused the death of another person, acted with premeditation and worked with a co-conspirator.
11:10 a.m. All evidence must be considered to determine if the defendant committed the act. The state need not prove motive, but jurors can consider motive or lack of motive. Lori is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
11:07 a.m. Jury must start with the presumption that the defendant is not guilty. The state’s proof must be beyond a reasonable doubt – “they must be firmly convinced of the defendant’s guilt.”
11:06 a.m. Judge tells jurors law enforcement officer testimony should not be considered higher than other testimony simply because they are an officer. Judge says the defendant need not produce any evidence and her decision not to produce evidence is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is not required to testify and that choice cannot affect their deliberation.
11:05 a.m. Judge tells jurors they can accept everything a witness says or just part of it.
11:04 a.m. Judge continues reading instructions. “The state has charged the defendant with a crime. A charge is not evidence. The state has charged the defendant with a crime. The state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt.” Judge says Lori’s decision to represent herself should not affect the jury’s decision in determining facts.
11:03 a.m. We are now streaming here.
11:02 a.m. Judge says any testimony stricken from court record must not be considered. If something was objected and sustained, jurors should not consider. Many jurors following along with the instructions. Each of them has their own packet.
11:01 a.m. Judge begins reading jury instructions. He tells them to determine the facts only by what was given in court – evidence and witnesses only. “You are the sole judges of what happened.” He tells them all instructions must be considered.
11 a.m. A reminder – there are 14 jurors. Two women and 12 men. Judge reminds jury that the prosecution rested on Wednesday. Then he says it’s time for the defense. Lori says, “The defense also rests, your honor.” None of the jurors have a visible reaction.
10:59 a.m. Judge is back in the courtroom and jurors are being brought in.
10:43 a.m. Judge says jury instructions are being copied. When the jurors are here and the copies are ready, court will resume.
10:42 a.m. Lori asks if the interview that was admitted can be replaced with the entire interview. Judge says no. Lori asks why not. He says there is a significant amount of hearsay in the interview. Judge says, “Anything else?” Lori is clearly irritated and responds, “That’s it.”
10:40 a.m. Lori claims the prosecution said they were admitting her entire interview with Det. Ynclan but the actual exhibit is around 20 minutes (far shorter than the actual interview). Lori says this could create a problem if the jury believes it was the entire interview. Judge says the state has rested and this issue could have been raised on cross.
10:39 a.m. Lori has questions about the exhibit and the judge says she could have cross-examined Ynclan about it but she didn’t and now it’s too late to bring up the issue.
10:35 a.m. Lori says she has two issues she wants to bring up. She asks how the alternate juror process will go. Judge says two numbers will be drawn after closing arguments and those people will be the alternates. Twelve will then go back and deliberate. If one of the 12 is unable to deliberate, an alternate will be brought back. Lori has another question about an exhibit – her interview with Det. Ynclan. She wonders about the entire interview being admitted or just the snippets. Judge says it’s just the snippets played in court that were put together into one exhibit. Portions have been redacted.
10:34 a.m. Prosecution has no further corrections to make to the jury instructions. Lori has no changes. Judge asks Lori if she plans to rest today. She says yes. When jury comes in, Lori will tell them she is resting. Judge will read jury instructions. We will then break for about an hour and closing arguments will happen this afternoon.
10:32 a.m. Judge just said jurors were told to be here at 11 a.m. today so we may be waiting a little bit. Before we walked into the courtroom, I saw several jurors in the building.
10:31 a.m. Judge says a few modifications have been made to jury instructions. The judge’s assistant just reminded someone in the gallery that eating is not allowed in the courtroom.
10:29 a.m. Defense advisory attorneys just walked in. Lori’s investigator is seated at the main defense table. Lori just walked in dressed in a navy pant suit. She is carrying a paper document holder. Judge Justin Beresky is on the bench.
10:28 a.m. Every seat is full and several members of the public (around two dozen) were turned away. No seats left.
10:27 a.m. Treena Kay is at the prosecution table with her paralegal and Det. Nathan Duncan. Defense attorneys and Lori Vallow Daybell are not yet in the courtroom.
10:24 a.m. We are inside the courtroom now. Kay Woodcock, Gerry Vallow, and Susan Vallow are all here.
10:14 a.m. Video from today can be found
here.
10:09 a.m. Here is the schedule for today. Video will be delayed 30 minutes, except for the verdict when Judge Justin Beresky is allowing a 5-minute delay.
10:07 a.m. Just saw Brandon Boudreaux walk into a private room near the courtroom. Madison County Sheriff Ron Ball is also here from Rexburg.
10 a.m. Waiting to get into the courtroom for day 9 of Lori Vallow Daybell’s trial. If all goes as planned, the jury will begin deliberating this afternoon. I stayed at a hotel next to the Maricopa County courthouse last night. Below is a photo I took from my window around 5 a.m. of the line for the trial. Lots of people here today – some flew in, others drove many hours.
READ LIVE UPDATES WATCH TRIAL HERE
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