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Doomsday Mom Lori Vallow Deemed Competent to Stand Trial—Again

She is accused of killing her two children and her ex-husband, and of being involved in the murder of her fifth husband’s previous wife.

Lori Vallow Daybell, the mom accused of killing her two children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, has been deemed competent to stand trial—again. District Judge Steven W. Boyce made the determination, lifting the Oct. 6 stay on the case and announcing that the trial will be rescheduled. The reversal comes after a sealed Nov. 9 competency hearing evaluated and documented her mental health. Vallow Daybell and her fifth husband, Chad Daybell, who were both obsessed with preparing for a supposedly imminent doomsday, were arrested in June 2020 after a string of suspicious incidents, including asking an Arizonan friend to lie about their missing son’s whereabouts, leading cops to their Idaho backyard where Tylee and JJ’s bodies were found. The pair also face charges in the murder of Daybell’s ex-wife and Vallow Daybell’s ex-husband. A joint trial was expected to begin in January, though a new date has not yet been announced. State prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Vallow Daybell.