Lori Vallow to be prosecuted for attempted murder of niece’s husband Brandon Boudreaux

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Arizona has announced that in addition to pursuing charges against Lori Vallow over the murder of her fourth husband Charles Vallow, they also plan to prosecute her in the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux.

On Friday, Vallow was found guilty on all six charges at her trial for the murder of her children Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, and for her role in the conspiracy to murder her current husband’s late wife Tammy Daybell.

In July 2019, two months before the murders of the children, Mr Vallow was shot dead by his wife’s brother Alex Cox at their home in Chandler, Arizona. He claimed he shot his brother-in-law in self-defence.

The preponderance of evidence at Vallow’s trial in Boise, Idaho, suggests that his death was the first step in a wider plot by Vallow and her current husband Chad Daybell to rid their lives of “obstacles” as they termed their spouses and her children, as the court heard in text messages entered into evidence.

Mr Boudreaux was married to Vallow’s niece Melani Pawlowski (she remarried in November 2019 to Ian Pawlowski, who testified at Vallow’s trial). Melani was very close to Vallow and believed in many of the same bizarre doomsday prophecies espoused by her and Mr Daybell.

This ultimately ended her marriage to Mr Boudreaux with whom she shared custody of their five children. From evidence heard at Vallow’s trial it is apparent that he too was considered an “obstacle” and — in their beliefs — a “dark” spirit had possessed him.

Google location data showed Alex Cox travelling to and from Gilbert, Arizona, from Idaho in early October 2019. On 2 October an attempt was made on the life of Mr Boudreaux when he was shot at after returning home from the gym. He had earlier taken his older children to school and dropped the youngest off at Ms Pawlowski’s home.

The shots were fired from the back window of a grey Jeep Wrangler that had had its back spare tire removed. Video footage from a storage facility in Idaho showed Mr Cox and Vallow placing the spare tyre in a storage facility the day before he drove south to Maricopa County and then taking it back out a few days later.

In a statement to Justin Lum of Fox 10 Phoenix, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office says it has reviewed submitted charges for matters involving Lori Vallow that occurred in Chandler, Arizona on 11 July 2019 — Charles Vallow’s death — and Gilbert, Arizona on 2 October 2 2019 — the attempt on Mr Boudreax’s life.

“MCAO has made the state of Idaho aware of our intent to prosecute the defendant in Arizona for charges stemming from these submittals. After the defendant is sentenced and transferred to the Idaho Department of Corrections, at the request [of] MCAO, the extradition process will begin.”

It continues: “The extradition can take from several weeks to several months. Because this is a pending matter, this office will not provide any further comment, including any charging decisions made by this office.”

Mr Boudreaux gave heartbreaking testimony at Vallow’s trial about the end of his marriage to Ms Pawlowski and broke down as he recalled having to be the person who identified JJ Vallow’s remains.

Questions linger over Ms Pawlowski’s involvement in the attempt on her former husband’s life. She was present in court in Boise for Vallow’s trial as her husband testified, but did not take the stand herself much to the surprise of those closely watching the case.

Other women — Zulena Pastenes and Melanie Gibb — who were close to Vallow and involved in the strange rituals she conducted as part of their shared beliefs about the second coming did testify.