Lori Vallow Daybell committed to mental health facility. Chad Daybell expected to enter plea in court.
Published at | Updated at
UPDATE
During an arraignment on Wednesday, Chad Daybell pleaded not guilty to all nine charges brought against him. Read about the latest here.
ORIGINAL STORY:
ST ANTHONY – A judge has committed Lori Vallow Daybell to a state mental health facility and her husband Chad Daybell is expected to enter a plea in court Wednesday morning.
Lori’s order signed by District Judge Steven Boyce on Thursday will send Daybell into the care of the Department of Health and Welfare to undergo treatment to restore her mental competency. Daybell’s competency was called into question in March and last month Boyce put a stay or temporary pause on her criminal case.
“The court finds that the Defendant does lack (the) capacity to make informed decisions about treatment,” Boyce writes in the order. “The court finds that the defendant is not dangerously mentally ill.”
RELATED | Chad Daybell hears murder charges read in court; Lori Daybell given a continuance
Last month, a Fremont County Grand Jury indicted Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell on various charges, including first-degree murder for the deaths of Chad’s first wife, Tammy Daybell, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow — Lori’s two children.
With Lori’s commitment, Idaho law allows her to be held in a health and welfare facility for up to 90 days to restore her competency. If that happens, court proceedings resume as normal. If not, the pause extends another 180 days, and she would continue to receive treatment. It’s unclear which state facility Lori will be sent to.
RELATED | Court proceedings on hold after psychologist finds Lori Vallow Daybell incompetent
Chad is expected to enter a plea on the charges Wednesday morning. He will appear before District Judge Steven Boyce at the Fremont County Courthouse for his District Court Arraignment. The hearing is expected to last only a few minutes.
The hearing is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. and EastIdahoNews.com will stream it live in the player above.
EastIdahoNews.com will provide updates on this story.
