Lori Vallow murder trial day 9: Melanie Gibb, former best friend of ‘Doomsday mom,’ testifies
The high-profile trial of “doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow is underway in Boise, Idaho.
Ms Vallow, 49, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and grand theft over the deaths of daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, and son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven.
Tylee and JJ were last seen alive in September 2019. Their bodies were found buried on Ms Vallow’s new husband Chad Daybell’s property in June 2020.
Ms Vallow is also charged with conspiracy to murder Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy, who died suddenly in October 2019.
She has pleaded not guilty in a dramatic case spanning murders, unexplained deaths and bizarre cult beliefs about killing zombies.
On Thursday, her former best friend Melanie Gibb testified about the bizarre beliefs and rituals the couple engaged in, and how she unwittingly became a key part of the search for JJ, and how they called people they wanted out of their lives “zombies” who had been taken over by Satan.
The court adjourned after listening to an audio file of a 15-minute blessing Mr Daybell conveyed upon Alex Cox, Ms Vallow’s brother, whom he described as her “protector”. Mr Cox died just over two weeks later.
