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Lori Vallow Daybell's trial began on **Monday, April 7, 2025**, with prosecutor **Treena Kay** outlining the case against her. Vallow Daybell is accused of conspiring with her brother, Alex Cox, to murder her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, in **July 2019**. Treena Kay presented text messages sent by Lori to Alex two days before the murder, including references to **Nephi**, a prophet from the Book of Mormon, which Lori used to justify her actions.
Treena explained that Lori and Charles were married at the time, but Lori wanted to marry Chad Daybell, whom she had met in 2018 at a religious conference. Lori and Chad allegedly referred to Charles as an "evil spirit" named **Ned** in their communications. Treena revealed that Lori and Alex used their religious beliefs, including ideas about "zombies," to rationalize their actions.
The prosecutor detailed witness testimonies, including one from **Serena Sharp**, who recalled Lori claiming that Charles was possessed and asking for help to "cast out" the spirit. Another witness, **Christina**, shared that Lori admitted to drugging Charles and that Alex openly expressed his desire to kill him. Christina warned Lori about going to the police if Charles died, but Lori dismissed it as a joke.
Treena emphasized that Lori's motives included financial gain, as Charles had a **$1 million life insurance policy**, which he had changed to benefit Kay Woodcock, unbeknownst to Lori. Treena concluded by stating that Lori and Alex became increasingly determined to eliminate Charles, leading to his death one month after Christina's warning.
Treena also mentioned that Lori's brother, Adam Cox, would testify about Lori's departure from mainstream LDS beliefs and her increasingly bizarre statements. Adam and Charles had planned an intervention for Lori, which was set for July 10, 2019, the day before Charles was shot. Treena highlighted text messages between Lori and Alex discussing their plan to "be like Nephi," with Alex staying close to Lori. Alex was at Lori's house the night before Charles was killed, prepared with a gun, ammunition, and a garbage bag containing clothes.
Additionally, Treena revealed that Charles went on a date on July 10, 2019, with a woman named Nancy Jo, whom he had met on an LDS dating site. They talked and texted for hours, during which Charles shared details about his relationship with Lori and the change to his life insurance beneficiary. Nancy Jo described the situation as "a lot of drama with Lori." She jokingly suggested that Charles tell Lori about the change in the life insurance policy. Nancy Jo expected to meet Charles again on July 11, after he picked up JJ, but she never heard from him again. She initially thought he was ghosting her until she saw the news of his death.
Treena also described the events of July 11, 2019, the day Charles was killed. She told jurors they would see the movements of Charles' phone that day. When Charles arrived to pick up JJ, he texted Adam, saying, "Alex is at the house. They’re planning something." Adam responded, "Absolutely." Charles knocked on the door of the house he had rented for Lori, picked up JJ, and put him in the car. However, Lori took Charles' phone and refused to give it back. Treena stated, "Lori Vallow, Lori Daybell, whatever name you want to call her by, is why Charles didn’t just leave with JJ that morning. Lori Vallow is why Charles is dead."
Treena described the house as mostly empty, with no furniture. She explained that Charles was shot twice. The first shot, fired by Alex, hit Charles in the chest, exiting through his back and piercing his heart. Treena noted that this type of wound could take up to two minutes to cause death. As Charles lay on the floor, Alex fired a second shot, which Treena described as deliberate and not accidental. A medical examiner is expected to testify about the bullet wounds and exit patterns.
Treena further revealed that after the shooting, Lori left the house with JJ and Tylee in Charles' car. They went to Burger King and Walgreens before dropping JJ off at school. Lori and Alex spoke three minutes after Lori left the house and again 17 minutes later, but neither called 911. Treena stated, "Alex did not call 911 until 47 minutes after Lori left." During this time, Charles lay dead on the floor while Alex began "staging the scene" and "making mistakes."
Treena highlighted inconsistencies in Alex's self-defense claim, noting that his gun had no blood transfer despite his claim of holding Charles' head to stop the bleeding. The only blood in the house was pooling around Charles, with no evidence of blood in the kitchen or hallway where Alex claimed to have washed his hands. Treena also pointed out that Alex's sunglasses remained intact and unmoved during the supposed altercation. She described the trajectory of the bullet, which ended up across the room in a baseboard, and another bullet defect found in the wood flooring under Charles' left shoulder. Treena concluded that this was not self-defense but a staged murder.
When Lori returned to the house, she did not ask about the police or fire trucks outside or why Alex was sitting on the curb. Police pulled her aside to inform her that Charles was dead. Treena stated, "She knew. She was there." Lori admitted to police that she was the reason Charles didn’t just leave with JJ that morning, explaining that Charles had demanded his phone back, but she refused to return it. Lori also admitted to witnessing the shooting before leaving the house with Charles' phone, which police were unaware she had taken. While processing the scene, police searched for Charles' phone but could not find it. Later that day, Lori and Alex were called back to the scene, and Lori claimed she had found the phone in the car. She provided the detective with Charles' PIN to access the phone.
Treena also revealed that Lori did not inform Charles' family about his death until the next day. She texted Charles' two sons from a previous marriage to tell them their father had died. A few days after Charles' death, Lori called Banner Life Insurance to inquire about the life insurance money, only to learn she was not the beneficiary. Treena mentioned a message Lori sent to Chad, stating, "I talked to the insurance company. He changed it in March. It was probably Ned before we got rid of him." After discovering she was not the beneficiary, Lori became angry and searched Charles' computer, finding the form that changed the beneficiary. She then texted Kay Woodcock about it.
Treena concluded by stating that the evidence would show Lori conspired with her brother to kill Charles so she could be with Chad and obtain the life insurance money. She said photos of the crime scene and witness testimonies would prove this was not self-defense. Treena urged the jurors to find Lori guilty.
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