ST. ANTHONY, N.Y. — Lori Vallow Daybell’s case has been set for trial, but in order for it to take place on the planned dates, her case would have to be separated from her husband’s.
According to documents filed Wednesday, District Judge Steven Boyce has set the jury trial for Oct. 11 in Ada County, with a completion date of Dec. 16. On September 6, a pre-trial conference will be held.
Daybell did not renounce her right to a speedy trial during her arraignment on Tuesday, therefore the trial must take place within six months. Lori and her husband, Chad Daybell, face several charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the murders of Chad’s previous wife, Tammy Daybell, and Lori’s children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan.
Lori invoked her right to remain quiet on Tuesday after Chad pleaded not guilty to the allegations. Instead, her lawyer, Jim Archibald, requested that Boyce plead not guilty on her behalf.
Both lawsuits have been merged, and a trial is scheduled to commence in January 2023. If Lori’s trial is set to begin in the autumn, Boyce will have to divide the cases. Boyce refused Chad’s attorney, John Prior’s, move to sever last month.
Lori’s case was reopened three weeks later after she was declared competent to stand trial. She had been admitted to State Hospital North in June after being deemed unfit.
Prosecutors are pursuing the death sentence in Chad’s case, and they have 60 days from Tuesday to file a notification with the court whether they want to do the same with Lori. Lori’s court-appointed public attorneys, Jim Archibald and John Thomas, are both death penalty qualified in Idaho. Archibald has defended numerous high-profile offenders, including Brian Dripps, who raped and killed Angie Dodge, and Erik Ohlson, who murdered Jennifer Nalley and her unborn child.
While both trials are scheduled to take place in Ada County, prosecutors said in a separate hearing on Tuesday that busing jurors into Fremont County from the Boise region would be much less expensive than transferring all proceedings to Ada County. Prior and Archibald are both against it. Boyce has yet to make a decision on the request.
Lori was also charged with murder conspiracy in the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, by an Arizona grand jury. Lori’s Idaho case will be completed before she faces the charge in Arizona, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office told EastIdahoNews.com in June.
