ST. ANTHONY, Idaho, Oct. 6, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — The trial of accused murderer Lori Vallow Daybell has been suspended due to concerns about her mental competency.
This is the second time a 7th District Court judge ruled that Vallow’s trial be suspended. Daybell was also ruled incompetent to stand trial in June of last year after a psychological evaluation.
On Wednesday, Daybell attorney Jim Archibald asked Judge Steven Boyce to continue the trial and toll limits in the case, according to an article by the East Idaho News. Tolling time limits essentially pauses deadlines required by the court to file certain motions.
Daybell and her husband, former Utahn Chad Daybell, have pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua “J.J.” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan – two of Lori’s children – along with Chad’s previous wife, Tammy Daybell. The Daybells’ joint trial had been scheduled to begin in January.
Wednesday in court, a large portion of the two-page motion is redacted, but Archibald hinted the reason for the continuance request is related to Lori Daybell’s mental health, East Idaho News wrote.
Archibald called Daybell’s mental health “extremely complex and fragile” in court documents filed five months ago and noted she had the potential to be hospitalized again.
Thursday’s announcement confirms the murder trial will be postponed. No new date for the trial has been confirmed.
Attorneys for Chad Daybell had already filed a motion for the trials to be severed rather than linked as one trial.
