Child killing 'cult mum' Lori Vallow has been back in court weeks after being found guilty of murdering her two children.
The evil 'doomsday cult' killer was seen smiling and chatting with her lawyers before hearing her request for a new trial be denied by a judge.
Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty of murdering her two children JJ, 7, and Tylee, 16, and conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell, who is the former wife of her husband and fellow cult member, Chad Daybell.
Vallow, through her attorney Jim Archibald, argued she should be given a new trial because her indictment was changed during the court proceedings.
But Magistrate Judge Steven Boyce denied the request today.
East Idaho News reporter Kaitlyn Hart has been tweeting from court, and reports that Judge Boyce said: "I don't find any sufficient evidence for a new trial to be admitted."
At one point, the reporter wrote: "Court is in recess. Lori is again smiling at reporters as she leaves the room."
Hart also reported that Vallow struggled with her prison shackles, which are chained to her ankles.
"Lori has reentered the courtroom. She just ran into the wall and almost tripped due to her ankle shackles," she wrote.
Mr Archibald had argued that Vallow was treated unfairly because her original indictment accused her of conspiring with a group of five, but it was then later changed to just two.
He said: "Not until seven weeks later was the jury and my client told that 'just kidding, the conspiracy is really two or more (people)."
But prosecutor Lindsey Blake said changing indictments was permissible by law, saying "the indictment may be amended at any time before the prosecution rests", according to Hart.
Mr Archibald also tried to argue that a juror appeared to have been confused by the instructions of the court, evidence of which, he claimed, could be seen in an interview the juror gave to a reporter after the case.
But Ms Blake said this was also a false claim, saying "juror 8 is unequivocal in stating the jury instructions were clear."
Meanwhile, Chad Daybell is scheduled to go to trial in April next year, and Mr Archibald added that Vallow had not wanted her trial to be separated from his.
Daybell previously pleaded not guilty to murdering his former wife, and JJ and Tylee.
Mr Archibald suggested any new trial for Vallow should be held at the same time as Daybell's.
Vallow's sentencing hearing is set for July 31, and she faces another trial in Arizona, accused of conspiring to kill her fourth husband Charles Vallow.
Vallow was found guilty on May 12 at Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho of murdering her children.
JJ and Tylee were last seen in September 2019, however, it wasn't until June 2020 their remains were found buried at Lori's home.
Tammy died one month after their disappearance in October 2019.
It took jurors just seven hours to decide her fate after a 28-day trial in which the prosecution presented more than 15,000 texts as evidence, along with chilling testimony from witnesses and graphic and gruesome photos from the scene after the kids' bodies were found.
Ms Vallow and Chad Daybell had met at a religious conference in October 2018 when they were both married.
However, the pair soon started an affair and went on a religious mission after Mr Daybell told her they had been married in several previous lives and she was a “sexual goddess” who was supposed to help him save the world by gathering 144,000 followers so Jesus could return.
However, it ended up in the deaths of Ms Vallow's children after she told friends they had become "demons".
Prosecutors claimed the mum used used her religious beliefs in order to try and "justify" the murders of her kids and Chad's wife, Tammy.
The juror heard the murders were “premeditated” and as she “groomed” and “manipulated” Mr Daybell and Alex Cox into helping committing the horrific murders.
Prosecutor Rob Wood said: “They used religion as a tool to manipulate others. Lori manipulated Alex Cox through religion. She manipulated Chad through emotional and sexual control.”
Police officers testified about finding JJ and Tylee’s remains buried in Chad Daybell’s yard with Tylee's body found "burned beyond recognition."
Mr Wood said: "Her body was dismembered in such a grotesque and extreme manner,” that the medical examiner couldn’t determine the cause of death.
“JJ Vallow’s voice was silenced forever by a strip of duct tape over his mouth," he said.
“A white plastic bag was placed over his head, and secured with duct tape around and around from his forehead to his chin.”
He concluded the "evidence in this case points to one common thread and that thread is Lori Vallow."
