FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho (Court TV) — Lori Vallow Daybell, convicted of killing her two youngest children and her new husband’s first wife, has filed an amended notice of appeal through her new attorney.
Lori Vallow Daybell sits between attorneys during her sentencing hearing at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho, Monday, July 31, 2023. Vallow Daybell has been sentenced to life in prison without parole Monday in the murders of her two youngest children and a romantic rival. The case has included bizarre claims that her son and daughter were zombies and that she was a goddess sent to usher in the Biblical apocalypse. (Tony Blakeslee/EastIdahoNews.com via AP, Pool)
Lori was convicted of the three murders as well as conspiracy to commit the murders and grand theft by deception in May. Judge Steven Boyce had previously ruled she could not face the death penalty, and so he sentenced her to serve three life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.
While Lori had initially filed a notice that she intended to file an appeal, the amended appeal was filed by her new appellate attorney. Jim Archibald represented her during the trial and filed the initial paperwork relating to the appeal before filing notice that he was withdrawing from her case. In his place, Craig Durham was appointed to represent Lori.
Court TV’s Legendary Trials: ID v. Lori Vallow Daybell (2023)
In the notice of appeal, Lori’s attorneys listed 16 issues that spanned from pre-trial rulings to the sentencing. Among the issues were questions of whether the court erred when it found Lori competent to stand trial after spending 10 months in a mental hospital, whether there were problems with the prosecutor’s opening statement to the jury and whether the court abused its discretion with her sentence.
Added to the filing are requests for sealed portions of the court record, specifically those related to Lori’s mental health, and a complete transcript of the trial as well as transcripts of all pretrial hearings, including those focused on her mental health and competency.
No hearing date has been set.
Lori is awaiting extradition to Arizona for two separate cases where she’s accused of conspiring to kill her niece’s ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux, as well as her own fourth husband, Charles Vallow. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs’ communications director told Scripps News Phoenix on Aug. 16 that the extradition request had been signed and sent to Idaho.
