Lori Vallow Daybell, the Idaho mother accused of murdering her two youngest children and her husband's previous wife, appeared in court on Monday for her sentencing. Dressed in an orange-and-white jail jumpsuit, Vallow sat slouched in her seat, flanked by her defense lawyers. Family members of the victims delivered powerful statements urging the judge to impose a life sentence. Samantha Gwilliam, the sister of Tammy Daybell, who was killed shortly before Vallow married her husband, called Vallow a "liar, adulteress, and murderer" and stated, "No angels are coming to rescue you," referencing Vallow's apocalyptic religious beliefs.

Vallow was convicted in May on all charges related to the deaths of her two children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. Jurors also found her guilty of conspiring with her husband, Chad Daybell, to murder Tammy Daybell. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Vallow and Daybell were driven to kill by their extremist religious beliefs and a desire for money to start a new life in Hawaii.

The trial featured harrowing evidence, including the discovery of JJ's smothered body with a plastic bag duct-taped over his head in Daybell's pet cemetery. A DNA expert testified that a piece of Vallow's hair was found on the duct tape used to wrap JJ's body. Tylee's remains were found dismembered and burned in a fire pit near her brother, making it difficult to determine the cause of her death. Prosecutors also revealed that Tammy Daybell was asphyxiated in her Idaho home about a month after the children were killed.

Throughout the sentencing hearing, Vallow remained seemingly unaffected by the emotional statements, often looking away, talking to her lawyers, and even smiling. Her defense lawyers indicated that she may speak in her own defense. The sentencing marks the end of this trial, but Vallow still faces separate trials in Arizona for the murder of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and for conspiring to kill her niece's former husband, Brandon Boudreau. Chad Daybell's trial is set to begin next June, where he faces similar charges and the death penalty.

The case gained national attention after the children were reported missing in 2019, sparking a widespread search. Their bodies were eventually found buried on Daybell's property in Idaho. The trial shed light on Vallow and Daybell's extremist religious beliefs, including Vallow's belief that she was a goddess sent to usher in the apocalypse and that her children had become "zombies." Witnesses testified to the couple's involvement in religious groups and their belief in multiple past lives together.

Vallow Daybell's sentencing is expected to be a significant event, with family members of the victims delivering impactful statements and the judge deciding her fate. The trial itself was a surreal and emotional experience, filled with disturbing evidence and testimony about the murders and the defendants' religious beliefs. As the sentencing unfolds, the public will be watching closely to see if justice is served in this tragic case.