Court proceedings on hold for Lori Vallow Daybell in Arizona as judge orders mental competency evaluation
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PHOENIX — Court proceedings for Lori Vallow Daybell have been put on hold in Arizona while officials determine whether she’s competent to stand trial.
Daybell’s attorneys recently filed a motion asking Judge Justin Beresky to order a mental health evaluation for Daybell, who faces two charges of conspiracy to commit murder in connection to her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and her former nephew-in-law, Brandon Boudreaux.
Beresky granted the motion Monday and ordered Daybell’s attorneys to turn over all of Daybell’s medical and criminal history records to Maricopa County Correction Health Services within three days.
“The documents should include at least (1) police reports, (2) charging documents, (3) the competency screening report (if one exists), and (4) all other available medical, mental health, criminal history records and collateral records,” Beresky’s order says.
The judge ordered two qualified mental health experts be appointed to conduct an “examination and complete mental health evaluation report” on Daybell’s competency.
All hearings in the case, including Daybell’s February trial, have been canceled.
Daybell was admitted to a mental health facility in Idaho after being found incompetent for trial in June 2021. Ten months later, she was deemed competent. Court proceedings were again paused for about a month in 2022 due to competency issues, but Judge Steven Boyce ultimately deemed Daybell fit for trial.
In Idaho, she was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of her two youngest children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, along with her fifth husband’s former wife, Tammy Daybell.
