For the first time in several months, Lori Vallow, dubbed the “Doomsday Mom” and convicted of murder in Idaho, appeared in Maricopa County court.
Vallow faces charges in the deadly shooting of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, as well as the attempted murder of her niece’s ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux. Chandler and Gilbert police also suspect her of conspiring to commit murder in two separate crimes.
The court scheduled a status conference on November 6 to review her mental competency proceedings, potentially delaying her murder conspiracy trial. Vallow’s new public defenders appeared in court for the first time, urging Judge Justin Beresky to grant their motion to withdraw the Rule 11 request.
Vallow’s former public defenders submitted the motion for the Rule 11 evaluation. The public defenders have since withdrew from the lawsuit. According to the Maricopa County Superior Court website, under Rule 11, the Forensic Services Division assesses defendants’ competency in criminal matters. The request has resulted in the cancellation of Vallow’s February 2025 trial.
One of Vallow’s new attorneys, Pamela Hicks, informed Judge Beresky that after a “lengthy” conversation with Vallow, they believe she does not need to be under Rule 11, and the defendant wants to proceed with her trial while representing herself.
Meanwhile, when Judge Beresky granted the initial request on October 21, the prosecution informed him that he had already determined that a Rule 11 process was required. Vallow’s prior public defenders, who have since resigned from the case, filed that request.Prosecutors stated that they had discovered ‘a reasonable foundation’ for conducting the competency test, and if the state granted the request to withdraw, they would pursue a mental evaluation.
In the end, the judge seeks additional details regarding Vallow’s Idaho case, where the court declared her incompetent for more than a year before restoring her to competency in April 2022. The court ultimately found Vallow guilty of the deaths of her two youngest children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, and of plotting to murder her romantic rival Tammy Daybell, who was the first wife of her co-defendant and current husband, Chad Daybell.
The judge overseeing Vallow’s Idaho case declared her diagnosis of personality disorder and extreme religiosity. Trial testimony indicated that Vallow and Daybell utilized a grading system to determine if someone was a ‘light’ or ‘dark’ spirit and that they believed it was their job to rid the earth of zombies as the end of the world approached. Judge Beresky is now interested in determining whether medication played a role in restoring Vallow’s competency, and she has chosen to proceed with the Rule 11 procedure, particularly if she intends to represent herself in court without legal assistance.
We anticipate reports from two court-appointed doctors as early as November 7, and the judge has scheduled Vallow’s Rule 11 hearing for November 14. The judge has scheduled a status conference for November 20 to discuss the current state of the case.
