The jury in the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell, known more commonly as the "Doomsday Mom," concluded the closing arguments section on Wednesday and will return for deliberations on Thursday, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. Daybell stands accused of conspiracy to commit murder against her niece's ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux, an accusation she has pled not guilty to. In court, no defense was presented by Daybell, who has chosen to represent herself throughout the proceedings.
Daybell, ignored the tradition of mounting a defense, declined to testify or call any witnesses on her behalf, which is in line with her strategy in previous trials. The state conversely, wrapped up its case on Wednesday after calling its final witness, as noted by 12News. Investigators claim she was involved in planning the shooting with her brother, Alex Cox, who passed before charges could be filed against him, using burner phones and modified vehicles as part of the alleged scheme. She has already faced and been convicted on multiple charges including the deaths of her children and her fourth husband in different states.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Treena Kay emphasized the implication of a conspiracy, relaying to the jury, "We don’t need words, we have actions," and urging them to find Daybell guilty, as mentioned on 12News. Vallow Daybell's rebuttal, which lasted roughly seven minutes, was marked by several objections from the prosecutor, all of which were sustained by the judge. "I cannot tell you what happened that day, October 2, 2019, because I was not there," said Daybell during one of her statements in court obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix.
New evidence presented in the trial included phone data and surveillance footage that prosecutors argue connect Daybell to the attempted shooting. This includes testimony from FBI special agent Nicholas Ballance about cell phone records analyzed for both Lori Vallow and Alex Cox, the usage of an intentionally purchased Tracfone, and movements around key locations on dates close to when the shooting occurred. Ballance also clarified during an examination, that a phone must be on and opt in to location services to generate location data.
The jury, made up of twelve members with three alternates, is set to reconvene today at 10 a.m. MST, to begin their deliberations.
