SAINT ANTHONY, Idaho — Lori Vallow Daybell was handed three life sentences without the possibility of parole to be served consecutively, and two more life sentences to be served concurrently.
On Monday, Vallow spent several minutes proselytizing her religious beliefs in court, telling the judge that her dead children visit her from the spirit world.
But the judge criticized the defendant for not expressing any guilt for playing a role in her children's deaths.
"You simply have no remorse," the judge told Vallow before sentencing her to life in prison.
Vallow is also facing two felony cases in Arizona. In 2021, Vallow was indicted on a charge of conspiring to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. She was recently indicted on charges that she conspired to kill her niece's ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux.
In May, Vallow was found guilty of murdering her two children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua "JJ" Vallow, and conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell, her fifth husband's previous wife. In addition to the murder charges, the jury found Vallow guilty of grand theft since prosecutors accused the mother of also collecting benefits that were being allocated to her children.
Tammy's sister and aunt, as well as JJ's grandmother, spoke at the hearing.
Vallow's defense asked for a fixed sentence of 20 years in prison with an indeterminate life sentence, which would have left the possibility of release open to Vallow.
The remains of 7-year-old JJ and 16-year-old Tylee were found buried on a property in Idaho.
Vallow never reported the kids missing but continued to collect the survivor benefit checks each child was receiving because of the earlier deaths of their fathers, prosecutors said.
The strange saga began in July 2019, when Vallow's then-husband, Charles Vallow, was shot and killed by her brother, Alex Cox, at his home in Chandler.
Lori Vallow was later charged in Arizona in connection with Charles Vallow's death; she has not yet had the opportunity to enter a plea in that case.
She then moved to eastern Idaho with her brother and kids to be closer to Chad Daybell, her alleged co-conspirator in the case.
LORI VALLOW DAYBELL CASE
The mystery behind the case involving Lori Vallow and her missing kids continues to grow. It's a complex story that spans several months across many states.