Boise, Idaho – Idaho mother Lori Valor Daybell was convicted Friday of murdering her two youngest children and a love interest. strange claim Her son and daughter are zombies and she is a goddess sent to guide the biblical apocalypse.

Valor Dabell was expressionless until the verdict was read. Some in the courtroom wiped tears from their eyes.

The prosecutor in the case described Valor Daybell as a power-hungry operative who would kill her. 2 youngest children Lawyers said she was usually a protective mother, but had fallen into a romantic relationship. Aspiring cult leader.

Jurors heard both stories during closing arguments in the seven-week-long trial on Thursday, deliberating for about four hours before an evening break. They resumed deliberations on Friday morning, with the verdict announced shortly after noon.

Valor Dabell was found guilty of conspiring to murder 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Valor, 16-year-old Tyree Ryan, and 16-year-old Tyree Ryan. Tammy Daybell. She was also convicted of grand larceny and first-degree murder of two children, charges that point to a more direct role in the crime.

Valor Daybell’s fifth husband, Chad Daybell, faces similar charges, but his trial is still months away.

Prosecutors say they worked with Valor Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, to commit the crime. Cox died in December 2019, but was never charged.

Valor Deibel could face a life sentence at trial, and the judge said the sentence would take at least three months.

JJ’s grandparents Larry and Kay Woodcock held an emotional press conference outside the courtroom, and at one point Larry Woodcock began singing Willie Nesron’s song “The Party’s Over.”

“JJ, I love you,” he choked. “It started with two kids. I said, ‘Where are the kids?’ Where are the kids?” …give me back my children,” he said. “This is not the end.”

Prosecutors said they could not comment on the verdict because charges against Chad Daybell were pending. In a statement, they thanked the jury for their efforts and said they “remain committed to seeking justice for Tyree Ryan, JJ Varrow and Tammy Dabell.”

Madison County Attorney Rob Wood told jurors in closing arguments that Valor Daybell used sex and power to manipulate his brother and girlfriend into committing crimes because he wanted the victim’s money. Told.

” money, power and sex‘” said Mr Wood, reiterating the allegations made by his team at the start of the trial. He argued that Valor Dabel only saw the three victims as obstacles to his goals.

“What does it take for justice for these victims? We need convictions on all counts,” Wood said.

Attorney Jim Archibald countered that while there was no evidence linking her client to the murder, there was plenty of evidence that she was a loving and protective mother, and that her fifth husband, Chad Archibald, My life took a sudden turn when I met Davel and fell into a “weird” eschatology. Religious claims of cult leaders. He suggested that Davell and Cox were responsible for the deaths and that Valor Davell’s only crime was lying to the police about the children’s whereabouts.

Ms. Daybell told her that they had been married several times in previous lives, that she was a “sex goddess” and that she wanted to help save the world by gathering 144,000 followers so that Jesus could return. He said he was supposed to, said Archibald.

“Why can’t people get out of cult figures, why can’t they get out, why can’t they get out of mind control?” said Archibald. “Promises are great to some people, even if they sound like silly bullshit to others.”

sometimes, The testimony of this incident was heartbreaking. — Colby Ryan, the only surviving child of Valor Dabell, accused her of murdering his brother In a recorded phone call in prison.

Other testimonies are also bizarre, such as Valor Daybell’s former friend Melanie Gibb, who testified that Valor Daybell believed the people in her life had been possessed by demons. Turned into a “zombie” — including JJ and Tyree. Witnesses said four of the people the defendant called “zombie” were later killed or shot.

Others were gruesome, including law enforcement officers testifying about the finds. JJ and Tyree’s bodies Buried in Chad Daybell’s garden.

When Tyree was murdered in September 2019, Wood told jurors that everything in life was waiting for Tyree.

“Tyree’s body was burned beyond recognition. Her body was mutilated in such a grotesque and extreme manner that the coroner could not determine the cause of death, Wood said. He said he had stab wounds on his pelvis.

Only two weeks later, Mr. Wood said, “J.J. Varrow’s voice was forever silenced with duct tape over his mouth.” “A white plastic bag was put over my head and wrapped with packing tape from my forehead to my chin.”

Wood said evidence showed JJ struggled, and at one point the boy’s arms and legs were broken. tied up with duct tape.

“He stopped breathing, his heart stopped beating and he died. It was a brutal and horrifying murder of a 7-year-old boy with special needs,” he said.

Wood said Valor Daybell never reported his children missing, but continued to collect checks for survivor benefits each child had received because their father died earlier.

Wood said Tammy Dabell was killed between October 18 and October 20, 2019.

Defense attorneys countered that Valor Daybell wasn’t even in the state when Tammy Daybell was murdered. She said she was visiting Hawaii with her friends.

Archibald did not call witnesses during the trial, and Valor Deibel refused to testify. Instead, Archibald argued that prosecutors had failed to prove their case, suggesting that there was insufficient evidence to find beyond reasonable suspicion that she had committed the crime. .

“Out of the 15,000 documents you have in your evidence, show me one that Lori is involved in that conspiracy,” Archibald said in his closing statement.

Under Idaho law, conspiracy to murder carries the same penalties as committing murder. Wood reminded jurors of the law, pointing out that aiding or abetting a crime is the same as committing a crime.

The incident began in July 2019, when Valor Dabell’s then-husband Charles Valor was shot dead by his brother Alex Cox in his suburban Phoenix home. The couple were separated and she had filed for divorce, claiming her husband believed her wife was a goddess sent to guide the biblical apocalypse.

Cox told police at the time that he was acting in self-defense, and no charges have been filed in connection with the death. Cox died later that year when authorities ruled him a natural death. Valor Dabell was later indicted in Arizona in connection with Charles Valor’s death. She has not yet been given an opportunity to plead on the matter.

Prosecutors say Valor Daybell was already in a relationship with Chad Daybell, who was still married to his wife Tammy Daybell at the time. She moved with her brother and children to eastern Idaho to be closer to Chad Daybell.

The children were last seen alive in September 2019. A month later, police discovered the children missing, much to the concern of relatives. Their bodies were found the following summer.

The case has generated widespread interest, not only in Idaho, but around the world. the judge banned the cameras From courts to limit pre-trial publicity. The trial was also moved to Boise, the capital. 1,800 jury candidates was summoned and elected to a committee of 18 members.