ST. ANTHONY, Idaho — A judge has suspended the upcoming murder trial of Lori Vallow Daybell until her competency can be determined.
Judge Steven Boyce of the Seventh Judicial Court in Idaho issued his ruling Thursday, meaning the Jan. 9, 2023 trial start date has been vacated.
Daybell's attorneys filed a motion to continue the trial, and a status conference was held this week to discuss the issues brought up by her legal team.
Last year, Daybell was sent to a state hospital and put in the care of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to determined her competency. After nearly 10 months in the facility, Daybell was found in April to be fit to stand trial.
It's not known what circumstances led Daybell's attorneys to file the new motion.
Both Lori and Chad Daybell were to be tried together.
However, Chad Daybell's attorney filed motions in court last month to sever his trial from Lori's and to postpone his trial significantly later than the January 2023 date. Boyce's ruling did not address Chad Daybell's request or whether his trial will continue without his wife.
The Daybell's are charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan — two of Lori’s kids — and Chad’s first wife, Tammy Daybell.
