Lori Vallow murder trial abruptly adjourns for the day
BOISE, Idaho — “Doomsday mom” Lori Vallow Daybell’s double murder trial abruptly adjourned Wednesday morning after a leading member of the prosecution team experienced a death in the family, The Post has learned.
Prosecutors told District Judge Steven Boyce just after 12:30 p.m. local time that there were “unforeseen circumstances that have required that we adjourn for the day.” Vallow Daybell’s lawyers did not object.
Susan Ryan, a spokesperson for the prosecution team, later told The Post in a statement: “There has been a death in the family of one of the prosecutor’s lead attorneys.
“The Court and defense have been gracious in allowing the prosecution to adjust to this personal situation.”
Lindsey Blake, who delivered the prosecution’s opening statements Monday, was absent from the courtroom Wednesday.
Prior to the announcement, Vallow Daybell had entered the court with what appeared to be a slightly furrowed brow as she briefly sat.
There were audible reactions from some in the crowd of attendees, many of whom were members of the public who have been following the case.
Court will also not be in session Monday.
The announcement came a day after Boyce denied Vallow’s request to leave the court as the state’s witness gave gruesome testimony about finding her two children’s decomposing bodies buried in her husband Chad’s yard.
Vallow Daybell, 49, pleaded not guilty to two charges of first-degree murder for the slayings of her children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, in September 2019.
Prosecutors claim she and Chad, who was the children’s stepfather, killed and buried JJ and Tylee to be free of the burdens of parenting.
The court was adjourned Wednesday after a short midmorning break, which came after testimony from Lt. Joseph Powell of the Fremont City Sheriff’s Office.
Earlier in the day, the jury heard for the first time the voices of Vallow Daybell and her husband in a jail call played in court.
In the call, which had been previously made public, Lori called her husband from Madison County Jail, where she was being held for failing to produce her children.
The call was placed on June 9 — the same day investigators executed a search warrant at Daybell’s property and located JJ’s and Tylee’s remains.
“Are you okay?” Lori can be heard asking.
Daybell responds: “They’re searching the property.”
“The house right now?” Lori asks. “Are they in the house?”
Vallow and Vallow Daybell mumbled at times in the call, and used clipped words.
“No, they’re out in property,” Daybell says.
She asks if they’re “seizing stuff again.”
Daybell responds, “they’re searching,” before mumbling inaudibly and saying something about “the kids.”
“What do you want me to do? Pray?” Lori asks.
“Yeah, pray.”
Daybell later tells his wife he’s “feeling pretty calm.”
She ends the call asking her husband if she should “try to call” him later.
“I don’t now, I don’t know,” he says. “You can try, yeah. I’ll answer if I can … I love you and I’ll talk soon.”
Lori replies, “Okay, baby, love you.”
Daybell was taken into police custody later that day, after searchers recovered JJ’s remains buried under a tree on his property.
Police stopped and detained him after he was allegedly seen driving away from the area at a high rate of speed, a detective previously testified.
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