‘Doomsday’ mom Lori Vallow is a no show at her Arizona trial competency hearing

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Infamous “doomsday mom” Lori Vallow Daybell was a no-show in Maricopa County Superior Court this week.

“I think this is just a unique case,” said Vallow’s defense attorney during Thursday’s hearing.

Vallow was convicted in Idaho last year and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2019 murders of her two youngest children, JJ and Tylee, and Tammy Daybell, her fifth husband’s previous wife.

The judge said she justified the crimes by going down a “bizarre religious rabbit hole.”

Now, she’s facing more charges in two Arizona cases.

She’s accused of orchestrating the murder of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. And she’s also alleged to have attempted to murder her niece’s husband, Brandon Boudreaux.

“It’s hard for me to get into the mind of a woman who is convicted of killing her own children because she thought they were zombies, so I really don’t know what’s going on in Ms. Vallow’s mind, but it’s certainly possible that she’s not cooperating with this process because she just doesn’t think it’s necessary,” said Russ Richelsoph, an Arizona criminal defense attorney that isn’t connected to the case.

Right now, Vallow refuses to speak with mental health professionals who are trying to determine if she is competent to stand trial.

In her Idaho trial, she was initially ruled incompetent and was ordered to receive treatment. Later, she was determined to be mentally fit.

Despite what happened in Idaho, Richelsoph says she could be found not competent in Arizona.

The attorney describes competency as a moving target that can change, and what matters now is Vallow’s current mental state.

“Just because she was incompetent in the past and then made competent doesn’t mean she’s competent today,” Richelsoph said.

Vallow’s previous attorneys requested the competency hearing, but her current legal team is asking to withdraw that motion.

“Unfortunately, Ms. Vallow not speaking with the mental health experts is causing some delay as we’re seeing here,” said Judge Travis Marderosian in court on Thursday.

“The public might view this as a delay tactic, but this is really about being thorough with the case,” said Richelsoph.

Marderosian gave the doctor two more weeks to determine if Vallow was competent.

“I know you want to move the case along,” said Marderosian.

Richelsoph says it’s in everyone’s best interest to continue with the competency hearings and mental health evaluations so that whether she’s mentally fit cannot be questioned in any potential appeals.

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