A mother involved in a “Doomsday” cult callously murdered her two children, believing they were ‘zombies’.
Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty of killing her children, Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow, seven, in a highly publicized trial.
Additionally, she was convicted of conspiring to murder her husband’s former spouse, Tammy Daybell, 49, and grand theft by a jury.
During the trial, Vallow Daybell drew widespread criticism for her bizarre beliefs influenced by her partner, Chad Daybell, who preached about apocalyptic scenarios.
Chad Daybell claimed to have lived multiple lives on different planets and shared a history of reincarnation with Vallow Daybell.
He categorized people as “light” or “dark”, associating the former with followers of Jesus Christ and the latter with followers of Satan.
Daybell referred to his wife as an “eternal being” with multiple past lives, some of which involved marriage to him. He propagated the idea of “zombies” – deceased individuals possessed by evil spirits.
It is speculated that Vallow Daybell and Daybell believed Tylee and JJ were ‘zombies’ and believed killing them would release their souls from the evil spirits.
In a disturbing revelation during her 2023 conviction, Vallow Daybell claimed to have heavenly experiences during childbirth, connecting her to Jesus Christ and the spiritual realm.
She asserted that through divine communications, she knew her deceased children were content in the afterlife and that her deceased friend, Tammy Daybell, was also happy.
Vallow Daybell’s son, Colby Ryan, who was not living with her at the time of the killings, participated in a panel discussion at CrimeCon 2025 in Denver.
During the panel, journalist Nate Eaton relayed a message from Vallow Daybell to Colby, expressing her love regardless of the circumstances.
Colby interpreted her message as an attempt to portray herself as virtuous, citing a biblical reference about separating the righteous from the wicked.
He declined any desire to communicate with his mother again, as reported by People.
The legal proceedings resulted in Vallow Daybell receiving a life sentence without parole in July 2023, while Daybell faced a separate trial and was sentenced to death in June 2024. Vallow Daybell was further convicted in Arizona for plotting the murders of her ex-husband and her niece’s ex-husband.