Lori Vallow Daybell trial in Arizona | Day 2 of testimony resumes

A key witness was cross-examined by the defendant about the 2019 shooting.

PHOENIX — Things got so heated in court on Friday morning that the judge had a deputy remove Lori Vallow Daybell from the courtroom.

This is the so-called “Doomsday Mom’s” third trial in as many years.  In this case, Vallow Daybell is facing a murder conspiracy charge out of Gilbert for allegedly conspiring to kill her niece’s ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux.  

Investigators believe Vallow Daybell’s brother shot at Boudreaux outside his home in Gilbert back in October 2019.  Boudreaux was not hit or injured, but a bullet shattered his car window while he was driving.

Vallow Daybell pleaded not guilty in this case and is representing herself in court.

She’s already been convicted in Idaho and Arizona on a slew of charges, including the death of her children, Tylee and JJ, and conspiring to kill her former husband.

On Thursday, the prosecutor and Vallow Daybell gave their opening statements and the state started calling witnesses, including alleged victim Brandon Boudreaux.  

You can watch a full recap from Thursday’s proceedings here: Witnesses start to testify in Lori Vallow Daybell’s third criminal trial

12News journalist Erica Stapleton is in the courtroom and will be providing live updates throughout the proceedings.  

4:28 p.m. – The prosecutor asks Pillar about the process of collecting fingerprints.  Court is in recess for the weekend.

4:23 p.m. – Pillar testifies to connecting with Rexburg PD to impound the Jeep after it was located in Idaho.  He describes getting a warrant for the Jeep. Then the prosecutor asks him about gun shot residue.

4:18 p.m. – Pillar explains that he learned about the July 2019 incident involving Lori and Alex in Chandler while talking with Brandon. He was able to get copies of the Jeep photographed from that crime scene. 

He also says they were able to get a read on the Jeep’s license plate on I-40.  He said that image showed that the Jeep did not have the tire on the back.

4:10 p.m. – The state continues to show photos of the Tesla at the crime scene.  Pillar is talking about their investigation that day, including efforts to try and find projectile fragments.

4:04 p.m. – The state asks Detective Pillar whether he talked with Brandon about who would want to kill him.  He said Brandon provided the names of Lori Vallow and Alex Cox.

3:51 p.m. – Detective Pillar talks about responding to the shooting scene. The state shows more pictures of the crime scene and the damaged Tesla.

3:47 p.m.– The state’s next witness is Ryan Pillar, who was with Gilbert PD’s criminal investigations division in October 2019.  He says he’s now a school resource officer and has been with GPD for nearly two decades.

3:35 p.m. – The state’s next witness is with Arizona’s Department of Public Safety (DPS).  He testifies to the infotainment system in Alex Cox’s truck. The state wraps ups his questioning pretty quickly and Lori has no cross-examination.

3:28 p.m. – Lori finishes her cross-examination of Detective Duncan.  Treena Kay goes up for redirect.

3:16 p.m. – Lori is cross-examining Detective Duncan.  She asks multiple questions about gathering cell phone data.

2:41 p.m. – The prosecutor brings up Brandon’s message to Lori in June 2025 when he confronted her about the accusations affecting his marriage. Brandon sent two follow-up messages that same day. Detective Duncan testifies that Lori read the messages. 

2:34 p.m. – Detective Duncan testifies about learning Lori and Alex’s cell phone numbers. He testifies that Lori has a second cell number.  He discusses how they accessed some phone data in this case.

2:31 p.m. – The state is allowed to introduce the photos. The prosecutor shows photos of the Jeep Wrangler. She points out the Wrangler has Texas plates.

2:22 p.m. – Detective Duncan affirms to the jury he was involved in a case involving Lori and Alex in July 2019.  He says they photographed a Jeep Wrangler in that investigation at the house.  The state tries to admit photos into evidence and Lori objects. The sides go into a sidebar.

2:20 p.m. – The state’s next witness is Detective Nathan Duncan with the Chandler Police Department.  He was the case agent in the Charles Vallow death investigation.  

2:18 p.m. – Brandon testifies that some of his communications with Detective Pillar are related to a separate investigation.   

The prosecutor asks him to confirm that he told the detective it could have been Lori Vallow and Alex Cox before he shared additional details like the Jeep’s VIN number.  Brandon confirms.  She ends her redirect and the jury has no questions. 

Brandon Boudreaux comes off the stand and sits back in the gallery with his family and supporters.

2:12 p.m. – The prosecutor asks Brandon why he called 911 on that day in 2019.  He said he believes in following the law and wanted to feel safe.  He explains again how he came to realize someone had shot at him. 

2:06 p.m. – Prosecutor Treena Kay is up on redirect.  She starts by asking Brandon why June 25, 2019 stands out to him.  He said it was a painful day. His family is the most important thing in the world and that day was the start of his family dissolving. 

The prosecutor follows up by asking whether one of the reasons the marriage was dissolving was because of things Lori told Melani. Brandon says that was one of the reasons.

2:05 p.m. – Lori asks Brandon if he was trying to have Melani charged with murder.  The state objects and the judge sustains.  Lori ends her cross-examination.

1:56 p.m. – Lori asks Brandon whether he owns a gun.  The state objects but the judge allows it.  He said he does, but didn’t at the time of the October 2, 2019 shooting. He said his wife Melani had a gun.  

Lori asks if he’s ever gone to a gun range and seen her brother Alex or other members of her family.  He says he doesn’t remember anything like that. 

1:50 p.m. – Lori asks Brandon if he changed his mind about the Jeep being green to gray.  He said he didn’t change his mind, that green and gray can look alike. 

1:45 p.m. – Lori asks Brandon whether he saw who was driving the Jeep.  He said he couldn’t see.  She asks if he’s ever seen her brother, Alex Cox.  He says yes.  She asks if Brandon would recognize him if he saw him.  He says he would.  She asks again whether he saw who was driving the Jeep.  He said he did not.  He testifies that he saw the Jeep in his rearview mirror and looked out his window to see the Jeep pass. 

1:18 p.m. – The parties go into a long sidebar with the judge.  The jury is still in the room.  The sidebar takes several minutes.

1:15 p.m. – The jury is back in and Lori continues her cross-examination of Brandon Boudreaux. She asks him about the documentation he could have provided to show Melani may have had financial gain – essentially the question approved by the judge.  Brandon said he provided his life insurance policy.

1:11 pm – Back on the record. The judge tells Lori she can ask Brandon whether Detective Pillar asked him to provide documentation of Melani’s financial gain if he were to die on Oct. 2, 2019.  

He also says this opens the door for the state to ask Brandon about whether this could pertain to other investigations. He said the door could open further, depending on how the rest of Lori’s cross-examination goes. He said Lori could also bring this up when Detective Pillar takes the stand.  The judge said there’s no reason to introduce Lori’s exhibit into evidence.

12:07 p.m. – The prosecutor says the emails could pertain to a number of things, including other investigations, like the deaths of Tammy Daybell or Charles Vallow. She confirms in court that there is still an open investigation into Melani Boudreaux.

She says they’ve intentionally not brought up a motive to avoid talking about the financial gain and cult aspect of this. But if they want to open the door, she can change her witnesses. Court will resume after lunch.

12:02 p.m. – Lori wants to introduce a document into evidence that apparently includes emails between Brandon and Detective Pillar. The jury breaks for lunch while the parties talk about this document.

Lori says she wants to ask Brandon about the communication. The judge explains to her what relevancy is. She says it’s relevant because of a line in an email where the detective asks about financial gain for her niece, Melani. The judge says this could be a fair area.

12:00 p.m. – Lori asks about Brandon’s communication with Detective Pillar.  Brandon says he doesn’t know exactly how many times he’s communicated over phone, text or email since Oct. 2, 2019.

11:55 a.m. – Brandon gets emotional describing that day again.  He said he was shaking and thought of his dad, who is his strength.  He was able to call two friends to be with him.  Lori asks who the friends are and where they were while Brandon was doing police interviews.

11:45 a.m. – Lori questions Brandon about his interview with Detective Pillar again.  She asked whether he thought it was just kids being kids. He said he never conveyed that. He walks her through his mindset when he was talking to the 911 operator and talking with Pillar.

He testifies that when he’s talking to the detective, he was certain someone shot at him. He says he saw the bullet hole in his car.

11:33 a.m. – Lori asks Brandon about the Jeep Wrangler’s color and whether he’d seen it before. He said he wasn’t made aware of all the details about the Jeep, but did have information from Charles Vallow about the Jeep. 

11:25 a.m. – Lori asks Brandon why Melani thought he was gay. This line of questioning gets a lot of objections.  She continues to follow up, asking Brandon whether Melani told him specifically that Lori convinced her of this. He says no.

11:21 a.m. – Lori questions Brandon about his interview with Detective Pillar on the day of October 2, 2019.  

11:19 a.m. – Lori asks Brandon whether he had other marital concerns with his then-wife Melani.  He says over a ten year marriage some things might have come up.

11:18 a.m. – The jury is brought back in and Lori continues her cross-examination of Brandon Boudreaux.

11:16 a.m. – The parties and Judge Beresky are back in the courtroom.  The judge tells Lori she needs to be careful or he could revoke her pro per (representing herself) status.  Lori apologizes to the judge.

11:00 a.m. – The jury is taking a recess and the parties discuss what happened in sidebar.  Lori Vallow Daybell says she should have a hearing if the state wants to bring in evidence that rebuts her “good character.”

She raises her voice at Judge Beresky and he cuts her off, saying “Stop!”

Lori tells him he doesn’t get to yell at her and he tells her, “You have been nothing near courteous to me.”

He eventually tells the deputy to take her out of the courtroom. 

10:33 a.m. – Lori continues to ask Brandon about his argument with Melani in June 2019. Lori asks about herself coming up in the argument.

10:25 a.m. – Lori asks Brandon if he was ever upset with her before his argument with Melani on June 25, 2019.  He says he’s sure there were times.  This line of questioning goes on for a few minutes with objections from the state.  Ultimately Brandon says he believes they probably had disagreements but that he’s not confrontational.

10:22 a.m. – Lori asks Brandon if they had a friendly relationship. He said he wouldn’t say always.

 Lori asks Brandon a slew of questions about their families – including whether she was there when one of Brandon’s children was born.  The prosecutor objects to most of these questions.  The judge says it was established they had a close family connection.  He tells Lori to move on to relevant information.

10:19 a.m. – The state is done with Lynette Mendoza. Lori has no cross-examination and the jury has no questions.

Brandon Boudreaux comes back up for cross-examination.

10:17 a.m. – The prosecutor plays Ring video showing a black vehicle.  When the video is played out, you can later hear what sounds like a bang.  Lynette said police asked neighbors for footage around this time that would show vehicles or would pick up a banging sound.

10:14 a.m. – Lynette lived in the same neighborhood as Brandon Boudreaux.  She had a Ring camera that captured an outside intersection.

10:08 a.m. – The state finishes redirect. No questions from the jury. The state’s next witness is Lynette Mendoza, who lived in Gilbert in 2019. We understand she might speak to something captured on Ring camera.

10:06 a.m. – Kay asks Frerer if someone was “lying in wait” in the Jeep and fired the shot, would the casing still be in the Jeep? He says the casing would most likely be in the Jeep.

10:01 a.m. – Lori Vallow Daybell finishes her cross-examination of Detective Frerer.  Prosecutor Treena Kay gets up on redirect.  

9:52 a.m. – The jury is brought in and Lori Vallow Daybell continues her cross-examination of Gilbert PD Detective David Frerer. 

9:45 a.m. – Now the prosecutor is putting on the record that Lori Vallow Daybell talking about having no malice and loving all people could open the door for them to rebut her character. She said under Arizona Rule 404, they can bring up her prior convictions and that she’s a four-time convicted murderer.  

She also says they’ve been trying very hard to say Chandler “incident’ when referring to the shooting death of Charles Vallow and not giving the back story. And that Lori talking about Brandon hiring a private investigator made it sound like they were after her, when in reality Brandon was fearful following Charles’ death.

Judge Beresky says he agrees and that Lori’s remarks during her opening statement was “opening a pretty big door right here.”

Lori tells the judge she understands what’s being said, but said she thought the state withdrew the 404b.

It sounds like this is a big warning for Lori to not bring in anything that could speak to her having good character.

“If you bring in your good character as a reason why that didn’t happen, they’re going to be able to rebut this type of testimony,’ Judge Beresky says.

The jury is not in here for this.

9:42 a.m. – Pamela Hicks comes into the courtroom and court resumes soon after.  Judge Beresky asks if Hicks has anything to say.  She says she just got the pictures last night and wasn’t able to print them. 

9:40 a.m. – Judge Beresky tells everyone why there’s been a delay.  He said one of Lori Vallow Daybell’s advisory council was planning to be late due to a childcare issue.  Then he said her other advisory council, Pamela Hicks, sent an email at 9:20 saying she was still printing off pictures at her office.  Court was supposed to start at 9:30 a.m.

Judge Beresky is not happy, saying this is “wholly unacceptable.”

He said if this were federal court, Hicks could be taken into custody.  He tells Vallow Daybell that she’s representing herself and doesn’t need the advisory council.  He said they will start at 9:50 a.m. even if Hicks isn’t here. 

9:38 a.m. – Lori Vallow Daybell is in the courtroom and Judge Beresky is on the bench.

9:26 a.m. – We are in the courtroom now. Prosecutor Treena Kay is at the desk along with her paralegal and Gilbert PD investigator Ryan Pillar. Brandon Boudreaux is in the gallery with some of his family and supporters.  Lori Vallow Daybell hasn’t been brought in yet.

A side note, we learned in court yesterday that Lori Vallow Daybell filed another motion to get Judge Justin Beresky removed from the case. She claims he’s biased against her and that she can’t have a fair trial. She’s tried unsuccessfully to get him removed before. Court minutes show that the latest request was denied.

9:04 a.m. – Court is starting a little earlier today to make up for some of the delays earlier this week and last. The trial is expected to resume at 9:30 a.m. Media and the public are currently waiting to be let into the courtroom.

In 2023, Vallow Daybell was convicted in Idaho for killing her children, Tylee and JJ, who used to live in the Valley. She was also convicted for her role in the death of Tammy Daybell, her current husband Chad Daybell’s first wife.  She was sentenced to life in prison in Idaho.

In a separate trial, Chad Daybell was also convicted of murder in that case and was sentenced to death in Idaho.

In April, Vallow Daybell was convicted in Maricopa County for conspiring to kill her former husband, Charles Vallow, back in July 2019. She represented herself in that trial, as well.

Investigators believe Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, is the co-conspirator in these cases. He was never charged because he died before charges were filed in these cases.

Twelve of the fifteen jurors will ultimately deliberate and three will be alternates.

The trial is expected to take about two weeks once testimony starts.

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