10 Things to Know about the Doomsday Killer

10 Things to Know About the Doomsday Killer

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re going over everything you need to know about the Vallow–Daybell doomsday murders.

When Lori Vallow Met Chad Daybell

After writing “An Errand for Emma,” Chad Daybell and then-wife Tammy Douglas started Spring Creek Book Company, through which he self-published other religious novels targeted at Latter Day Saint readers. Among Daybell’s fans was Lori Vallow, a former Miss Texas contestant. Vallow and Daybell were married to different people when they first met in 2018 at a “Preparing a People” event to “prepare the people of this earth for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.” According to Vallow’s friend Melanie Gibb and future sister-in-law Zulema Pastenes, there was an immediate flirtation between Lori and Chad, who started getting together for doomsday conferences. Gibb recalls the two discussing “zombies” and “dark spirits” while another friend, April Raymond, says that Lori called her then-husband Charles a “demon.”

Lori Vallow’s Previous Marriages

Upon meeting Daybell, Vallow was on her fourth marriage. Vallow had been 19 when she married her high school sweetheart, Nelson Yanes. That marriage ended quickly and Vallow soon tied the knot with William Lagioia, the father of her first-born child, Colby. Vallow had a daughter named Tylee with her third husband, Joseph Anthony Ryan Jr., who also became Colby’s adoptive father. Accused of abusing his wife and children, Ryan lost custody amid an intense divorce and legal battle. Months before Vallow met Daybell, Ryan died from a heart attack. A year after splitting from Ryan, Lori married Leland Charles Anthony Vallow, who converted from Catholic to Mormon for her. The couple adopted Joshua Jaxon “J.J.” Vallow, Charles’ grandnephew who was diagnosed with autism.

Religious Beliefs

A strong believer in reincarnation, Daybell proclaimed that in one of his 31 past lives, he was Jesus’ follower James the Less and Lori was his wife, Elena. Lori was also Joseph Smith’s great-grandmother and the prophet Moroni’s wife, according to Daybell. His thoughts on the apocalypse are reflected in his books, which he doesn’t view as fiction. Following multiple brushes with death, Daybell claimed he gained the power to see “beyond the veil.” Daybell and Vallow scored people based on how good and evil they appear, using a scale ranging from “light” to “dark.” They utilized a “vibration” scale to measure special powers. Despite belonging to LDS, the couples’ beliefs contradicted many of the church’s teachings, sharing more in common with a doomsday cult.

Charles Vallow’s Death

Although Vallow and Daybell were growing closer, they were “not allowed to” divorce their respective spouses due to a message from “beyond the veil.” Regardless, Charles Vallow filed for divorce in February 2019. Charles feared for his life, claiming that Lori said he was “possessed by a dark spirit by the name of Ned Schneider.” Meanwhile, Lori viewed herself as “a God assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ’s second coming.” Charles also worried about Tylee and J.J., the latter of whom he was about to pick up when Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, confronted him. Alex fatally shot Charles in what he called self-defense. He wasn’t charged, although further investigation suggested a conspiracy with Alex calling Charles a “zombie.”

Tylee Ryan & J.J. Vallow Disappear

Hours after Charles died on July 11, 2019, Lori supposedly threw a pool party. A week later, Lori learned that Charles changed his life insurance beneficiary to his sister Kay. No longer receiving $1 million, Lori moved from Chandler, Arizona to Rexburg, Idaho where Chad resided. Alex, Tylee, and J.J. accompanied Lori, who removed the children from her life insurance policy that August. On September 8, 2019, the family visited Yellowstone National Park, marking Tylee’s last sighting. J.J. was last seen by Melanie Gibb’s boyfriend David Warwick as Alex carried him to bed on September 22. Aside from some activity on Tylee’s Venmo account, she had vanished along with J.J. Yet, Lori showed no concern while Chad claimed both children were “zombies.”

Brandon Boudreaux’s Shooting

In 2008, Brandon Boudreaux married Lori’s niece, Melani Cope. While Brandon had been close to Lori’s family, his marriage to Melani neared its end by the summer of 2019. Brandon claimed that Melani shared many of Lori’s spiritual ideals, convinced she had joined a cult. Lori classified Brandon as a “very high dark,” claiming he was linked to Hitler. Driving to his new home in Gilbert, Arizona on October 2, 2019, Brandon was shot at by someone in a Jeep registered to the deceased Charles Vallow. Melani was one of only five people who knew where Brandon now lived. Hours before the attack, Alex Cox had looked up directions to Brandon’s address. Lori had searched about the shooting online, fueling suspicions that she was involved.

Tammy Daybell’s Murder

Tamara ‘Tammy’ Douglas married Chad Daybell in 1990, having five children together. In February 2019, Chad predicted his wife of almost 30 years would die before age 50. On October 19, five months after turning 49, Tammy was discovered dead. Although Clad claimed she died naturally in her sleep, there were several red flags. A month earlier, Tammy’s life insurance policy was increased. Ten days before her death, a masked man with a seemingly unloaded gun - theorized to be Alex Cox - harassed Tammy on her driveway. Chad displayed little grief, swiftly arranging Tammy’s funeral as if it had been preordained. Against Chad’s wishes, the suspicious authorities arranged an autopsy, finding in December that Tammy died “at the hands of another and died of asphyxiation.”

Daybell & Vallow’s Hawaiian Wedding

As other family members and the authorities questioned what happened to Tylee and J.J., Lori and Chad booked a trip to Hawaii where they got married on November 5, 2019. Charles died four months earlier while Tammy had only been deceased two weeks. A day after learning Tammy’s body would be exhumed, Alex Cox mysteriously died from natural causes attributed to blood clots. The newlyweds returned to Hawaii around this time with suspicions and media attention growing around them. On February 20, 2020, Lori was arrested in Kauai, facing the charges of desertion and not supporting her dependent children along with three misdemeanors. Lori spent almost a week in a Hawaiian jail before being extradited to Rexburg with her bail reduced to $1 million.

Finding the Bodies

On June 9, 2020, the authorities acquired a warrant to search Chad Daybell’s home. In the backyard pet cemetery, they uncovered Tylee’s remains while J.J. was buried by a pond on the property. Chad had notably been a gravedigger before becoming an author. After attempting to flee from the crime scene, Chad was arrested and charged with concealment of evidence. By May 2021, the charges against Chad and Lori had grown more serious with both indicted for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, among other felonies. The following June, Lori was also indicted for conspiring to murder Charles Vallow, although the authorities couldn’t link Chad to this case. The couple would be tried separately with both pleading not guilty to all charges.

Trials & Verdicts

Lori’s trial began in April 2023 with the jury finding her guilty on all charges the following month. For murdering her children and conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell, Lori received three consecutive life sentences without parole. Rejecting a speedy trial, Chad’s day in court finally came in April 2024. By the end of May, he was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, grand theft, and insurance fraud. Although the death penalty was taken off the table for Lori, Chad was sentenced to death on June 1, 2024. Lori faces further charges in Arizona where Charles died. While Alex Cox shot Charles, it’s been argued that he was working through his sister. Lori continues to deny any wrongdoing while Chad has remained silent.

Have you been following the Doomsday case? Let us know in the comments.