MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Chandler, Arizona Police say Lori Vallow Daybell will potentially face a conspiracy to commit murder charge in the death of her then-estranged husband, Charles Vallow.
"I can't confirm the exact date or timeline when the case will be sent over [to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office], but a good estimate is 4-6 months. The charge, which will ultimately be decided by the MCAO, is common in these types of cases," a Chandler Police spokesman told FOX 13.
Alex Cox, Lori Vallow Daybell's brother, shot Charles Vallow to death on July 11, 2019.
Cox then called emergency services to notify them of the shooting, which occurred at Lori's residence in Chandler, where Cox had slept the previous night.
“I got in a fight with my brother-in-law and I shot him in self-defense,” Alex said to a dispatcher during the call.
Police body camera footage captured their interaction with Cox after they responded to the shooting.
Cox told a Chandler officer that Charles Vallow started a fight with Lori Vallow, and began to get physical. He claimed that Lori’s daughter, then 16-year old Tylee Ryan, grabbed a bat.
According to Cox, Charles took the bat. At some point, Cox indicated that Lori left with her children—Tylee Ryan and Joshua "JJ" Vallow—using the rental car Charles arrived in.
“I turned around and he hit me in the back of the head with the bat,” Cox recounted. “So, I went to my room and got my gun.”
Police went into the home and found Charles Vallow dead. Officers brought Cox in for further questioning and ultimately released him.
Cox died of natural causes in December, about three months after Tylee and JJ were last seen. In March, the FBI and the Rexburg, Idaho Police Department released a photo of Cox, Tylee and J.J. taken at Yellowstone National Park last September, shortly before the two children were last seen.
Lori Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, are both charged with conspiracy to commit destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence in connection with the disappearance of Tylee and JJ.
After a two-day preliminary hearing earlier this week, Magistrate Judge Faren Eddins ruled there is sufficient probable cause for Chad Daybell's case to go to trial. He is scheduled for arraignment on August 21.
On Thursday, Lori Vallow Daybell attended a hearing in which she confirmed she has waived her right to a preliminary hearing. Her arraignment date has yet to be scheduled.
