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Day three of Lori's trial included testimony from veteran officer Daniel Coons supporting the sequence of Charles's shooting, Nancy Jo Hancock's insight into Charles's kind yet strained personality and her shock at his death, and Christina Atwood's account of disturbing beliefs and actions within Lori's relationship. Darkmatter: "Doomsday Mom" Lori Daybell's Trial 2025 Day Three Recap.
Adam Cox, Lori’s brother and a professional pickleball coach, testified as the next witness. He previously worked as a radio morning show host in Wichita and grew up in Southern California. Adam mentioned his four siblings—Stacy, Alex, Lori, and Summer—and noted that Lori and Summer were particularly close. Melanie Boudreaux, Stacy’s daughter, is Adam’s niece. Adam acknowledged that Lori, his sister, was present at the defense table.
In July 2019, Lori was married to Charles, with whom she had been together for over ten years. After Charles’s death, Lori married Chad. Lori had two children, Colby and Tylee, from a prior marriage before marrying Charles. During their time together, Adam’s son Zac lived with Lori and Charles. Charles also had two sons from a prior marriage, who visited occasionally but did not live with them. In 2019, JJ and Tylee resided with Lori and Charles.
Adam confirmed that Lori and Charles didn’t always live in Arizona—they had also lived in Texas and Hawaii. When asked about his relationship with his brother Alex “Al,” Adam described it as somewhat close. He noted that Lori and Alex had a normal sibling relationship but grew closer over 4-5 years, with a brief period when their closeness became “odd.” He said Charles and Alex had a typical brother-in-law relationship. Their family often held big events where everyone came together.
Adam grew up as a member of the LDS Church and is still a member. He noted that Alex was excommunicated twice as an adult but was unsure of the exact dates. When asked about excommunication, Adam explained that it involves the church removing certain privileges and denying access to the temple.
Adam shared that he and Charles communicated through texts and phone calls. Charles had a family cell phone plan, though Adam was unsure about car insurance. Charles worked in insurance, assisting schoolteachers with their financial situations, and traveled frequently for work. Prior to marrying Charles, Lori worked as a hairstylist, but she stopped working after their marriage to focus on caring for the children "for the most part."
Adam mentioned discussing Lori and Charles’s marital problems with Charles. He revealed that Lori held beliefs outside the teachings of the LDS religion. Lori told Adam she was in the process of transitioning from a mortal to an immortal, celestial state—a concept Adam had not encountered in the LDS faith. She also claimed to have more priesthood authority than the priesthood itself, which Adam found strange, as the priesthood is traditionally held by men in their religion. While Adam did not confront Lori directly, he expressed his disbelief, saying, “I don’t know if you’re crazy but what you’re saying is not real.” After this interaction, Lori stopped speaking to Adam.
Adam tried to inform his family about Lori’s unusual beliefs, but one reaction was that Lori was in a delusion and would eventually come out of it. Adam said, “They basically cut me off,” referring to his family. At the end of June 2019, Adam reviewed an email Charles received about Chad coming to Arizona to write a book about him. Charles, who had played minor league baseball, was not interested in the proposed book. The email was from someone impersonating Charles, which led Adam to suspect that Lori was having an affair with Chad Daybell. Adam and Charles discussed the matter. Adam noted that Charles thought Lori was overboard in her behavior, including attending the temple five times a week. Charles believed that if Lori’s temple recommend were revoked, it might bring her back to normal.
Adam also spoke with Charles about planning an intervention for Lori. Charles was desperate because members of their family refused to speak with him, likely due to Lori’s influence. Charles proposed an intervention to record Lori’s statements, share the recording with the stake president, and attempt to bring Lori back to mainstream LDS beliefs. Adam explained that wards are smaller church groups, and several wards form a stake, which is led by a stake president—a high-ranking figure in the LDS Church. The intervention’s goal was to revoke Lori’s temple recommend. Charles discussed flying Adam to Arizona to assist with the intervention and offered to buy his plane ticket. At the time, Lori, Charles’s parents, Alex, and Summer all lived in Arizona.
Adam reached out to Alex and asked if he could stay with him during his trip to Arizona. Alex agreed initially. Adam flew to Phoenix on July 10 but ultimately did not stay with Alex. Upon landing in Phoenix around lunchtime, Adam texted Alex but received no response, which he found unusual. Adam also tried calling Alex, but Alex did not answer—a behavior Adam considered strange and bizarre. Alex never followed up or contacted Adam. As a result, Adam stayed at his parents’ house instead. Adam did not see Charles or Lori on July 10. His parents picked him up, and they went to lunch and later spent time at the house. Zac, Adam’s son, was living with his grandparents at the time. Charles had planned to pick up JJ and take him to school. Adam noted that Charles and JJ shared a very close relationship.
On July 11, Treena Kay moved to admit text messages from the morning of that day. Lori objected, claiming the texts were a report, not an extraction. The judge overruled the objection, and the texts were displayed in court. Adam knew Charles had reached out to Lori about the fake email from Chad and recalled Charles also reaching out to Tammy Daybell. The texts revealed exchanges between Charles and Adam regarding their travel plans. At 9:11 a.m. on July 9, Charles messaged Adam about how they could all meet without Lori discovering the intervention. Adam responded that he would visit Lori and record her without her knowledge. In the texts, Adam emphasized the importance of being on record to have “proof for Holmes,” the stake president. Another text mentioned Zac and Brandon, who had played basketball with Adam and Holmes. Adam thought Brandon might be able to help with the intervention.
At 1:13 p.m. on July 9, Charles informed Adam that his flights were booked and expressed concern that Lori might grow suspicious. Adam noted that when Charles had previously tried to serve Lori with divorce papers, she had disappeared, and no one knew her whereabouts. Charles worried she might flee again, as she was “flighty,” according to Adam. Charles planned to take JJ to school and mentioned using a second recording device to ensure they captured Lori’s statements. Adam described Charles as “desperate,” viewing the intervention as a last-ditch effort to free Lori from the "spell she was under." Despite everything, Charles stated that he still loved Lori. The texts showed ongoing communication between Adam and Charles. Adam did not recall speaking with Charles on July 10, the day before he was shot, and assumed they would meet on July 11 without specific plans. On the morning of July 11, Charles texted Adam, “Al is here. At Lori’s.” This shocked Adam, who responded, “Really...I wonder why he never called me back.”
Adam then texted Charles, “They are planning something.” Adam felt deeply suspicious, especially about Alex being at Lori’s house that morning, which “felt like something was really off.” Adam texted Alex again, but Alex did not respond. At 7:49 a.m., Adam texted Charles to say he planned to play basketball with Zac, noting that Holmes, the stake president, was usually present either playing basketball or conducting interviews. Adam intended to catch Holmes for a conversation, describing him as “an old friend.” Charles never responded. That evening, Adam and Zac played basketball, but Holmes was not there. Adam did not learn of Charles’s shooting on July 11, as no one in his family informed him. On July 12, Adam still heard nothing from Lori, Alex, or any other family members. The following day, Adam visited a friend named Eric in Tucson, taking Zac with him. Adam expressed to Eric how suspicious it was that he had not heard from Charles, saying, “My mind was spinning. I had no clue what was going on.” Adam speculated that Charles might simply have wanted to be with JJ but wondered if other issues were involved.
Adam eventually asked his family if anyone had heard from Alex, but no one had. Adam had kept the intervention a secret at Charles’s request, fearing that Alex, Mom, Dad, or Summer might try to prevent it. While speaking with Eric, Adam mentioned that something felt off. Eric asked for Charles’s last name, Googled him, and discovered that Charles Vallow had been killed by his brother-in-law. Adam described the moment as “chaos, a knot in my stomach, probably one of the worst feelings I’ve ever felt in my life.” Adam knew Alex regularly went shooting. He never told anyone in the family about the intervention, yet Lori told police she was aware Adam had been planning one. When asked if he had told her about it, Adam responded, “No.”
Treena asks Adam to recount the story of Nephi, a prophet whose brothers attempted to kill him. Nephi was sent to retrieve sacred plates from Jerusalem, making multiple attempts as directed by the Lord. During his final attempt, he encountered King Laban, who was drunk and lying on the ground. Adam explains that Nephi was instructed by the spirit or God to kill Laban, which he did.
The conversation then shifts to Charles’s death. Adam describes the emotional impact of learning about it—shock, grief, and anger. He stuck up for Charles, which created a break in the family and led to a period where they didn't speak for a long time. Since then, communication has resumed. Adam first reached out to Kay to confirm the news, and she had just learned of it herself. He then called his mom, who knew about Charles’s death but acted strangely, challenging Adam to explain the situation. This strained their relationship further, and a tense conversation at her house deepened the rift.
Treena has no further questions, and Lori begins her cross-examination. Lori lists all the cities where Adam worked and notes, “And I was in Texas, Arizona, Hawaii.” She asks if they have not been physically close during the last 20 years, to which Adam agrees. Lori then asks if Adam saw, heard, or personally witnessed her conspiring with Alex Cox to murder Charles Vallow. Adam states, “No.” Lori thanks him and concludes her questioning.
Treena resumes questioning and asks Adam if he has spoken to Lori since Charles’s death. Adam says no; he had cut off all communication after Lori began expressing beliefs about becoming a celestial being and sharing other ideas that conflicted with LDS faith. After Adam challenged her beliefs as untrue, their relationship effectively ended. Treena also asks Adam if he was supposed to be with Alex on the 10th until the 11th, to which Adam responds, “If I would have spent the night with him, yes.” Adam reflects that this stood out to him, as he had made plans with Alex.
Later, Adam testifies about concerns regarding Alex and guns. Adam was aware his brother had guns and was concerned about Alex being at Lori’s house so early. It seemed unusual that Alex brought a loaded gun with extra magazines to a house where JJ was present. Lori objects, claiming this line of questioning is beyond the scope, but the judge overrules. Adam didn’t know at the time that Alex had a gun and extra ammunition at the house, but he now believes it was excessive. Adam told his family afterward that he believed Lori and Alex had conspired to kill Charles. He mentions Lori's claim that Charles’s body was inhabited by a zombie named Ned. Adam firmly states, “No doubt in my mind that they killed him.” Treena has no further questions, and the judge acknowledges that this line of questioning was beyond the scope. Lori is allowed to re-cross on these issues but declines after consulting her advisory attorneys. The judge asks if the jury has any questions; they do not. Adam’s testimony concludes.
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