Lori Vallow Daybell, known as the "Doomsday Mom," is representing herself in the murder conspiracy trial of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and has sparked intense courtroom exchanges during testimony. Prosecutors allege that Vallow Daybell conspired with her late brother, Alex Cox, to murder Charles Vallow in 2019 in order to collect a $1 million life insurance policy and marry her current husband, Chad Daybell.
This trial in Arizona comes nearly two years after Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 2019 murders of Vallow’s two youngest children, 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as the murder of Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell.
On the second day of the trial, witness Nancy Jo Hancock, who went on a date with Charles Vallow the night before he was killed, engaged in a heated exchange with Vallow Daybell during cross-examination. Vallow Daybell questioned Hancock about whether she knew Charles was still married at the time of their date.
"Would you have gone out on a date with him if he would have said he was married?" Vallow Daybell asked. Hancock replied, "If I would have realized how married he still was, maybe not. But I just met for dinner. I wasn’t sleeping with him or anything."
Vallow Daybell pressed further, asking, "Do you go on dates with married men, naturally?" The prosecution objected, calling the question "argumentative and harassment." The exchange continued, with Hancock eventually snapping, "Don’t flatter yourself. No, we did not spend the whole time talking about you." This heated interaction has since gone viral online.
At another point, Vallow Daybell asked Hancock if she was aware that Charles was on dating websites and seeing other women. The prosecution objected, and the judge sustained the objection. Vallow Daybell then rephrased her question, asking if Charles had informed Hancock about his separation from Lori. Hancock responded by saying Charles believed Lori was having an affair, so moving on was "a natural progression."
Later, Vallow Daybell abruptly cut off Hancock when she began discussing JJ Vallow, Charles’ adopted grandson. "Thank you. That’s enough," Vallow Daybell said when Hancock started to express condolences to Charles’ sister, Kay Woodcock.
Another bizarre exchange occurred during Vallow Daybell’s cross-examination of her brother, Adam Cox, who testified that he flew to Phoenix before Charles’ death to help stage an intervention for Lori. Vallow Daybell asked Cox if he remembered eating her green chile chicken enchiladas during a family gathering in 2018. Cox said he did not recall, to which Vallow Daybell responded, "That is what I made every time there was a family get-together, which was like 10 times a year."
Vallow Daybell, who is representing herself, explained to True Crime Arizona that she has been working on her case for five years and knows it "better than an attorney can learn it in two years." She also expressed frustration with the legal system, saying, "There are intelligent, strong, beautiful women in here that have been here for eight years because of family tragedies."
At the time of Charles Vallow’s murder, his daughter Tylee confronted him with a baseball bat after hearing screaming inside the house. Charles reportedly took the bat from Tylee, who told police she was trying to protect her mother, and allegedly tried to attack Cox. Cox told investigators he fired his gun in self-defense and was never charged in Charles’ death before he died of natural causes months later.
Vallow Daybell could face another life sentence if convicted in this trial and is also set to stand trial in Arizona in May for an alleged plot to kill her niece’s ex-husband after a judge denied her motion to dismiss the case.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this report. Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected].
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