The Law of Lori Exoneration or Delusion
This week, she sat down with NBC’s Keith Morrison for what’s being described as an “extensive and often combative” interview. And if there’s anyone who can handle combative, it’s Keith Morrison. The full special is set to air on ‘Dateline,’ where Lori, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and purple handcuffs, tells the world exactly what she wants them to believe.
She’s going to be exonerated.
Not only that—she’s seen the future, and in that future, she and Chad are free. She claims Jesus himself showed her this vision when she was in heaven. Now, most people who claim to see heaven aren’t sitting in a jail cell convicted of murdering their own children, but then again, Lori has never been like most people.
Lori was sentenced to life in prison in 2023 for the murders of her two youngest children, 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as for the murder of Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell. The details of those crimes were horrifying—JJ and Tylee’s bodies were found buried on Chad’s Idaho property, their remains showing the unthinkable levels of brutality they endured. Tammy’s death, originally ruled natural, was later determined to be a homicide.
Chad was convicted of the same crimes. His fate, however, was different. In 2024, he was sentenced to death. The man Lori still refers to as her eternal husband is now waiting for his execution date while she sits in an Arizona jail, awaiting trial for yet another murder—that of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. Charles had long suspected Lori’s descent into religious extremism was dangerous. He tried to get help, to warn people. Then one day, in July 2019, he was shot dead by Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, who conveniently died later that same year, taking any potential confessions with him.
Lori, undeterred by any of this, is still talking. In the upcoming ‘Dateline’ special, she’s not just giving her side—she’s doubling down. It’s not a confession, and it’s certainly not remorse. It’s Lori being Lori. Believing that no matter what happens, she’s special. She’s chosen. The rules don’t apply to her.
The special also features interviews with key figures in the case, including Rexburg police detective Ray Hermosillo, Madison County Sheriff Ron Ball, Madison County prosecutor Rob Wood, retired FBI agent Douglas Hart, and journalist Nate Eaton, who has covered the case from the beginning. But the voice that carries the most weight belongs to Lori’s eldest son, Colby Ryan.
Colby, the only surviving child of Lori’s, has watched as the mother he once knew disappeared into a twisted world of doomsday prophecies and murder. And in his interview, he doesn’t hold back. He describes how the way his sister was treated, even after her death, was so depraved it changed the way he sees people altogether. And he’s right—because what happened to Tylee wasn’t just a murder. It was something that defies humanity.
This will be the seventh ‘Dateline’ episode dedicated to Lori and Chad, and if history is any indication, it won’t be the last. The fascination with this case isn’t just about crime—it’s about belief. About how two people could convince themselves they were on some divine mission while leaving behind a trail of destruction.
For those who still can’t wrap their heads around how any of this happened, ‘Dateline’ might provide some answers—or at least another look into the mind of a woman who remains convinced she’s destined for something greater than a prison cell.
‘Law of the land’ says she’s guilty. ‘Law of Lori’ says she’s getting out.
#LoriVallowDaybell #Dateline #TrueCrime #ChadDaybell
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