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Lori Vallow Daybell's trial began on April 7, 2025, with prosecutor Treena Kay alleging that Lori conspired with her brother, Alex Cox, to murder her husband, Charles Vallow, in July 2019, staging the crime as self-defense to marry Chad Daybell and claim life insurance money. Darkmatter: Day One in "Doomsday Mom" Lori Daybell's Trial 2025 Prosecution Opening Statements.
Representing herself, Lori denied the charges, highlighting her family life, strained relationships, and asserting that the events on July 11, 2019, stemmed from Charles' threatening behavior and a physical altercation, which she claimed was a matter of self-defense to protect her children. Darkmatter: Day One in "Doomsday Mom" Lori Daybell's Trial 2025 Defense Opening Statements.
The state called its first witness, Sgt. Irwin Wierzbicki of the Chandler Police Department, who has served for ten years. Sgt. Wierzbicki, in full patrol uniform, was dispatched to the house on the morning of the shooting, wearing a body camera on his left shoulder that recorded audio and was activated at the scene. He testified that other officers arrived, and he communicated with dispatchers before instructing whoever was inside the house to come out. Alex Cox exited “very nonchalant, very compliant,” and was directed to sit on the curb while Wierzbicki entered the house to ensure no one else was inside and to check on the victim, as another officer stayed with Alex outside.
Wierzbicki described walking through the house, which was empty with no furniture, and finding a man lying motionless on his back with two gunshot wounds to his chest and blood pooling in his neck area. He checked for a pulse but found none, stating the man appeared dead, and Fire/EMS was called to the scene.
Treena Kay played footage from Wierzbicki’s body camera in court, showing the sergeant checking for Charles’ pulse and later walking outside to approach Alex Cox, who was dabbing his head and appeared extremely calm. Treena asked Wierzbicki if he found any ID on Charles, and he confirmed he did not. She also inquired about the absence of Charles’ wallet, which Wierzbicki said was not unusual since he did not know if Charles lived at the house.
After the video concluded, Treena introduced two additional exhibits: screenshots from the footage. The first screenshot showed Charles’ head on the floor with Wierzbicki checking for a pulse and blood pooling toward Charles’ neck area. The second screenshot depicted EMS/Fire personnel working on Charles. Wierzbicki testified that after clearing the house, he was tasked with putting up crime scene tape to secure the area from the public and media. This marked the end of Wierzbicki’s involvement, and Treena concluded her questioning, allowing Lori to begin her cross-examination.
Lori began her questioning by ensuring she pronounced Wierzbicki’s name correctly. She asked about his description of Alex as nonchalant, which he clarified meant “cool and unbothered.” Lori questioned whether everyone reacts the same way in stressful situations, to which Wierzbicki replied "No." She also asked if he was qualified to give a psychological evaluation, and he confirmed he was not. Lori inquired if Wierzbicki performed CPR, and he stated he did not because Charles appeared deceased.
Lori then asked about the fire department giving the time of death, which Wierzbicki confirmed, noting that he had cleared the house before the time of death was given.
When asked about his crime scene investigation experience, Wierzbicki responded, “Just my 20 years of experience as a police officer.”
Lori further questioned Wierzbicki about the location of the casings relative to Charles, which he clarified he had not specified. She apologized, acknowledging it was her interpretation. Lori asked about the handgun and the projectile in the baseboard, which Wierzbicki did not recall.
He stated he was dispatched to the call at 8:41 a.m. and believed he arrived within ten minutes. When asked if he stayed at the house for a while, Wierzbicki said he did not recall.
Lori also inquired about his direct supervisor, whom he identified as Sgt. Yosello, and his contact with Det. Moffatt and Det. England that day, to which Wierzbicki responded he did not think he had contact with Moffatt and may have briefly spoken with England.
Lori continued her questioning by asking if Wierzbicki recalled seeing her arrive at the scene, to which he responded that he thought she arrived as he was leaving. She asked how he observed two wounds through Charles’ shirt, and he explained it was an observation he made when he saw Charles on the ground. Lori asked if there were two holes in the shirt, which Wierzbicki did not recall, and whether EMTs opened Charles’ shirt during CPR, which he also did not remember.
Lori then asked Wierzbicki how many times he had spoken with Det. Nathan Duncan about the case, to which he replied very few—maybe five times—and clarified that these were not discussions but brief interactions in passing. When asked how many emails he had sent Duncan about the case, Wierzbicki stated he had no idea, despite Treena’s objection on relevance, which the judge overruled.
Lori concluded her questioning, and Treena began her re-direct by asking about the shooter’s demeanor. Wierzbicki confirmed he was simply describing his observations, noting that Alex Cox appeared very calm and collected after shooting someone. Treena then asked if the body was “basically a crime scene,” to which Wierzbicki agreed. She inquired if Fire/EMS had tools like EKGs to help find a pulse and potentially give CPR, and Wierzbicki confirmed they did. He explained that giving CPR to a deceased person could alter the crime scene, which he wanted to avoid. Treena presented the CAD report, showing the 911 call was received at 8:36 a.m., and Wierzbicki was dispatched at 8:37 a.m. She also asked if Wierzbicki provided briefings to his supervisors, and he confirmed he did to ensure detectives were informed about the situation.
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