MCAO to extradite Lori Vallow Daybell on charge in death of estranged husband

PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said Friday it would extradite Lori Vallow Daybell on a charge stemming from the 2019 death of her then-estranged husband.

Vallow Daybell, who was found guilty Friday in Idaho of killing two of her children and a romantic rival, was charged in 2021 with one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Charles Vallow in Chandler.

MCAO said it would likely be months before the extradition process gets underway.

“MCAO has made the state of Idaho aware of our intent to prosecute the defendant in Arizona for charges stemming from these submittals,” the attorney’s office said in a statement.

Charles Vallow was shot and killed by Lori Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, at his home in July 2019.

At the time, Cox told police he acted in self-defense, and he was never charged in connection with the death. Cox died later that year of what authorities determined were natural causes.

According to prosecutors, Vallow Daybell was already in a relationship with Chad Daybell, who was still married to his wife, Tammy Daybell, at the time.

She moved to eastern Idaho with her brother and kids to be closer to Chad Daybell, who ended up being her fifth husband.

Vallow Daybell’s Friday conviction was for conspiring to commit the murders of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, and Tammy Daybell.

She was also convicted of grand theft as well as first-degree murder of the two children, a charge that indicates a more direct role in the crimes.

Chad Daybell faces the same charges as his wife, but his trial is still months away.

Friday’s verdict culminated a three-year investigation that included bizarre claims that Vallow Daybell’s son and daughter were zombies and she was a goddess sent to usher in the Biblical apocalypse.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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