Lori is currently on trial on accusations she murdered her two children,Joshua “J.J.” Vallow, 7, andTylee Ryan, 16, and conspired to murder her fifth husband’s first wife Tammy Daybell.
When the prosecution began questioning Ryan, they showed photos of Tylee and J.J., and Ryan began to cry on the stand. When Tylee’s face came across the screen, Ryan said: “That’s my sister Tylee.” He also confirmed that J.J. was his adopted brother and that he had a good relationship with his siblings.
The visibly emotional Ryan detailed the events that occurred after Charles Vallow — J.J.’s adoptive father and Lori’s fourth husband — was killed.
Ryan claims that Lori told him Charles died of a heart attack, but in reality, her brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed Charles on July 11, 2019. Cox claimed self-defense and was never charged,Local News 8reports.
When Ryan went to visit his mother and siblings after Charles died, he said Tylee answered the door and gave him a hug, and he saw Cox sitting on the couch watching television and wearing a white bandage on his head.
When Ryan asked Cox what happened, Cox replied that he was hit in the head with a bat and shot Charles. While describing Cox, Ryan said, “He was crude and kind of funny and odd.”
Ryan also said that Lori often spoke to him about the finances she shared with Charles. “They were out of money,” Ryan said. But after Charles' death, Lori said she was not receiving any money from a life insurance policy.
Ryan described his mother, saying that for much of his life, she protected her children and supported him when he decided to go on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ryan also said that throughout his childhood, he loved his mother and didn’t think she could hurt someone — until she met her fifth husband, Chad Daybell, an author who wrote about religious doomsday scenarios.
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On Friday, Cox’s wife,Zulema Pastenes, testifiedand said her husband was speaking to Lori and Chad on the phone on Dec. 11, 2019. During the phone call, Pastenes testified, Lori and Chad told him that Tammy Daybell’s body was being exhumed.
Weeks prior, on Oct. 19, 2019, Chad reported that his 49-year-old wife Tammy had gone to bed with a cough and never woke up. Her death was quickly ruled natural, and no autopsy was performed. Last week, Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Blake revealed that after Tammy was exhumed, her cause of death was ruledasphyxiation.
Pastenes testified.: “I was very confused about the reason why they would be exhuming Tammy’s body, and I was asking why would they be exhuming her body if she died of natural causes.”
She continued: “And I asked [Cox] if he was involved in anything to do with Tammy’s death. He said no.”
“He was very quiet and unresponsive,” Pastenes continued. “He said, ‘I think I am being their fall guy.’ I said, ‘Fall guy for what? What have you done that you would be the fall guy?’ I kept pressuring him because he wasn’t answering me.”
The next day, Dec. 12, 2019,Cox diedin the home he shared with his wife of less than two weeks.
Cox’s cell phone recordsallegedly placed him at the property on two dates that aligned with the last time the children were seen.
According to atweet from Nate Eaton, the News Director atEast Idaho News, when Ryan left the courtroom for a break from testifying, he glanced at Lori and shook his head.
Lori’s current trial is ongoing. In March, it was ruled that she will not face the death penalty in the slayings. She faces life in prison if convicted. Chad is also charged in connection with the deaths of J.J., Tylee and Tammy, and has pleaded not guilty, but will be tried at a separate time.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
