‘Fighting for my life:’ Lori Vallow Daybell gives final interview before trial

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Just days before her high-profile trial is set to begin in Phoenix, so-called “Doomsday Mom” Lori Vallow Daybell sat down for an interview with True Crime Arizona.

“I’m fighting for my life here,” she told True Crime Arizona correspondent Briana Whitney.

But regardless of what happens in this trial, Vallow Daybell has already been convicted in Idaho of conspiracy to murder her children, Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow, and her husband’s first wife, Tammy Daybell. She’s already set to spend the rest of her life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

That was Idaho. Following her conviction, she was extradited to Maricopa County in November 2023 on two indictments.

First up, she’s set to represent herself in a murder conspiracy trial in the 2019 death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, who was shot to death by her brother Alex Cox in Chandler. He claimed self-defense at the time and died from natural causes months after the shooting. A jury has been seated, and opening statements are scheduled for Monday.

But why represent herself?

“I’m not an attorney. I don’t have training to be an attorney. There’s something that I figured out when I got to this jail, you know,” she said. “This experience has been five years running, OK. I went through a whole trial, you know, before in my other state. And then I was brought here to Arizona to face some more serious charges.”

Other questions have also been raised.

“There’s this notion from people in the public that feel you are representing yourself because you have nothing to lose; that this is kind of a challenge, kind of a show—a game for you. Do you agree with that?” Whitney asked.

“I never hear any of this stuff because I’m in a room 23 hours a day, and we don’t have access to any kind of news,” she replied. ” So I didn’t know that people were saying that, but I wouldn’t agree with that, obviously.”

Vallow Daybell also says it’s about having a speedy trial, not only for herself but for other women she’s incarcerated with.

“There are intelligent, strong, beautiful women in here that have been here for eight years because of family tragedies. It’s the same, like my case, a family tragedy, not crime. A family tragedy, and they’re waiting and they’re facing the death penalty for a family tragedy,” she said. “I know these women. I talk to them every day. I try to uplift, strengthen and help women in this jail, and I think that’s the purpose, why I’m here.”

She described what happened in her life as a “family tragedy” and that she was wrongly convicted in Idaho.

“Why are we at the place we’re at now?” Whitney asked. “You had that life. Why throw it away?”

“It’s a tragedy. Families have tragedies,” she replied. “Things happen and there was a domino effect of tragedies in my life. And that’s really sad.”

When asked to describe the domino effect, Vallow Daybell smiled, responding, “It’s probably something that we should save for next time.”

Regarding her mindset, Vallow Daybell says she’s “a little bit stressed” as the trial approaches.

“It’s a big case. It’s stressful. There’s a lot of things,” she said. “There’s a lot of legal things that have to be done. We’re working on stuff every day. We’re working late into the night. The biggest challenge for me in this trial will be the logistics.”

Her trial is expected to last until next month. You can watch it in its entirety on Arizona’s Family.

“Do you believe you can convince a jury, this jury, to find you not guilty?” Whitney asked.

“I don’t think I’m here to convince anybody. I think I’m there to just tell the truth,” Vallow Daybell replied. “I’m defending myself against being wrongfully accused.”

Watch the full interview in the video player at the top of the report. Note: There are sections of the video that are muted at the request of her legal team, who were in the room at the time of the interview.

She’s tentatively set to go on trial once again in June in connection with conspiracy in the 2019 attempted murder of her niece’s ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux.

Her husband, Chad Daybell, was sentenced to death last June after being convicted of murdering Tammy Daybell, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan. The two children went missing in 2019 and their bodies were found the following year in Chad Daybell’s eastern Idaho yard.

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