“Doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow has lost her bid to block her slain son’s grandparents from her bombshell murder trial.
The judge ruled on Thursday that Joshua “JJ” Vallow’s grandmother Kay Woodcock can hear the entirety of the testimony, while his grandfather Larry Woodcock can be present after his own turn on the stand.
The victory for the family comes after a former friend of Ms Vallow said she sees death as “mercy”.
The woman, identified only as Jess, told NewsNation that – because of her and her husband Chad Daybell’s cult beliefs – “killing the kids, to them, is mercy”.
After four days of questioning, the number of jurors needed to proceed with the trial was reached on Thursday. The court selected the 42 jurors initially planned and three backups, according to KSLTV.
The number will be narrowed down to 18 — 12 who will deliberate and six alternates. Prosecutors and the defence struggled to find jurors who were not familiar with the case which sent shockwaves across America.
Ms Vallow is charged with the murders of her seven-year-old son JJ and 16-year-old daughter, who were last seen alive in September 2019. Their bodies were discovered buried at her new husband Chad Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho, in June 2020.
Ms Vallow is also charged with conspiracy to murder Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy.
Opening arguments are set to begin on Monday.
