Lori Vallow Daybell was convicted in 2023 of murdering her two children; she now awaits an Idaho Supreme Court ruling on her appeal of multiple life sentences

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Lori Vallow Daybell, who was convicted of murdering her two children in 2023, is waiting for the Idaho Supreme Court to review her appeal challenging her convictions and multiple life sentences without parole.

The court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Nov. 2, 2026, as her lawyers seek to overturn the convictions, citing several constitutional and legal errors during her trial, according to Idaho News.

Daybell was found guilty in May 2023 of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children, Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7. She was also convicted of conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell, the former wife of her current husband, Chad Daybell.

In July 2023, Judge Steven W. Boyce sentenced her to multiple life terms in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge ordered the sentences to be served one after another, rather than at the same time.

Now, more than three years after the jury reached its decision, Daybell is asking the state’s highest court to reverse the convictions. Her appeal claims that several decisions made during the case violated her legal and constitutional rights.

According to the appeal, one major issue concerns the removal of her chosen lawyer. Her legal team argues that the district court made a serious mistake when it disqualified her retained attorney without proof of an actual conflict of interest or a serious risk of one.

The defense says the decision affected Daybell’s right to choose her own lawyer and receive a fair trial.

The appeal also raises concerns about her right to a speedy trial. Daybell is asking the Idaho Supreme Court to overturn her convictions and send the case back with instructions to dismiss all charges. As another option, she wants the court to order a new trial.

The latest appeal follows an earlier legal challenge filed in 2023, when Daybell’s attorney, James Archibald, said the defense planned to question whether she was mentally fit to stand trial, per CNN.

Before her trial, a judge had ruled that Daybell was not mentally competent to face the charges. She was sent to a mental hospital for treatment and later declared fit to continue with the court process after spending nearly a year there.

Her defense also requested a public defender to help with her appeal because Daybell said she could not afford to pay for a lawyer.

During the 2023 trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Daybell and Chad Daybell wanted to remove their family members as obstacles so they could begin a new life together.

The case also involved claims about unusual religious beliefs, including ideas about dark energy, zombies and the end of the world. Prosecutors said the couple used these beliefs to support their actions.

Daybell has continued to maintain that she is innocent.

During her July 2023 sentencing, she spoke in court for about eight and a half minutes. She denied that anyone had been murdered and said her children and Tammy Daybell had visited her in spiritual form.

She also told the court that her children were happy in the afterlife.

However, Judge Boyce rejected her claims and said he believed the state’s case that she killed her children to remove them as obstacles and gain money.

The judge also said she had chosen what he called “the most evil and destructive path possible.”

The case began in 2019 when family members became worried about JJ and asked police in Rexburg, Idaho, to check on him.

JJ and his older sister, Tylee, had last been seen in September of that year. When officers visited the family’s home, they could not find JJ. Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell reportedly told authorities that the boy was staying with a family friend in Arizona.

When police returned the following day with a search warrant, the couple was no longer at the home.

Months later, authorities found them in Hawaii in January 2020 while the search for the missing children continued.

In June 2020, investigators discovered the remains of Tylee and JJ on property owned by Chad Daybell in Fremont County, Idaho.

Prosecutors believed Tylee died between Sept. 8 and 9, 2019, while JJ died between Sept. 22 and 23.

The discovery brought a heartbreaking end to the search and led to further investigations into the deaths.

Lori Vallow Daybell was also accused of collecting Social Security benefits for her children after they had died. Prosecutors said the money was part of the financial motive behind the crimes.

Chad Daybell was also charged in connection with the deaths of the children and his former wife. He faced separate criminal proceedings.

The two were married just weeks after Tammy Daybell died in Oct. 2019. Tammy’s death became another major part of the investigation.

The court’s review will focus on the legal questions raised by the defense, including the removal of her chosen attorney and her right to a speedy trial.

The appeal does not mean that her convictions have already been overturned. She remains under multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole unless the court issues a decision that changes the outcome of her case.

For now, Daybell remains in prison as she waits for the Idaho Supreme Court to consider her arguments.

The court’s eventual ruling will determine whether the 2023 convictions stand, whether Daybell receives a new trial, or whether the charges covered by the appeal are dismissed.

Related: Steven Avery was convicted in 2007 of murdering Teresa Halbach, who vanished 21 years ago Oct. 31; he is serving life in prison without parole

This story was originally published by Parade on Nov 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Source: Crime