The mother who killed her children has received a life sentence with no possibility of parole, according to reports.
50-year-old Lori Vallow Daybell, who was responsible for the murders of 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, as well as her husband Chad’s first wife, Tammy Daybell, was sentenced on Monday to life in prison.
Lori was found guilty of grand theft and given a 10-year sentence in addition to being ordered to pay more than $60,000 in fines, civil penalties, and restitution. The three sentences must be served one after the other.
“You had so many other options. You could have gotten divorced; you could have found someone else to take care of those kids. And as the state was able to prove at trial, you chose the most evil and destructive path possible,” said Judge Steven Boyce. “You justified all of this by going down a bizarre religious rabbit hole, and clearly you are still down there.”
Witnesses had testified that Lori and her husband held bizarre religious beliefs. Lori had spoken of casting out demons and her belief that humans had been replaced by demonic spirits, referring to them as “zombies.”
“Jesus Christ knows the truth of what happened here. Jesus Christ knows that no one was murdered in this case,” she said.
Lori also claimed that spirits have communicated with her murdered children and her “eternal friend,” Tammy Daybell.
“I’ve had many communications with Jesus Christ, the savior of this world, and our heavenly parents. I’ve had many angelic visitors, who came and communicated to me, have even manifested to me. Because of these communications, I know for a fact that my children are happy and busy in the spirit world,” she said. “Because of my communications with my friend Tammy Daybell, I know that she is also very happy and extremely busy.”
Prosecutor Rob Wood said that society needed to be shielded from a defendant who was willing to kill her own children by giving Lori a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office would start the extradition process right after her conviction in Idaho, according to CBS News.
