‘Cult mom’ Lori Vallow’s prison chat with surviving son shows sick new low in delusion after killing kids, author says

OVER a distinguished 30-year career, criminal defense attorney Lori Hellis saw the absolute worst of humanity.

Yet once she retired and began to delve into the horrific case of Lori Vallow and the sickening murders of her children Tylee and JJ, the lawyer-turned-author insists the cult mom’s story is unquestionably a stomach-churning low.

Reuters

Lori Vallow will spend the rest of her life in prison following the murder of two of her children[/caption]

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Former attorney Lori Hellis painted a bleak picture to The U.S. Sun about the mental state of Vallow as she rots in jail[/caption]

YouTube / Colby J Ryan

Colby Ryan, Lori Vallow’s son from her third husband, recently conducted a podcast interview with his mother who proceeded to spout wild theories[/caption]

The discovery of the children’s charred bodies in husband Chad Daybell’s backyard in June 2020 resulted in both being found guilty of murder.

But a recent warped podcast interview with son Colby Ryan, whose father is Vallow’s third husband, Joseph Ryan Jr., reignited anger, fury, and complete disbelief as she claimed the kids’ death was a tragic accident.

Vallow bleated about her innocence and claimed Tylee unintentionally killed JJ, who had autism, when she was babysitting before killing herself, wracked with guilt.

Hellis listened to every word and laid bare her incredulity to The U.S. Sun about Vallow’s shameless interview.

“She’s firmly locked into her delusions, and she’s not coming out of them,” said Hellis.

“When Lori spoke to Colby, she mentioned that she had been given ‘special knowledge’ from Jesus Christ and still believed she could cast out demons. That’s how deeply embedded her religious delusions are.”

The former attorney knows exactly how to delve into the criminal mind. She spent a lifetime working out what makes murderers and villains tick.

In her book about the Vallow case, Children of Darkness and Light, Hellis painstakingly spoke to people closely connected to the case, including a number of people connected to Mormonism, and read books about the inner workings of relgious insitutions.

She rejected claims that Vallow was “faking it.”

“In my research, I’ve come to understand that Lori suffers from what’s known as a religious delusional disorder,” the Oregon based investigative writer continued.

“What’s unique about this condition is that someone can be entirely functional in other areas of life—able to cook, drive, manage daily tasks—while being utterly delusional in one specific area, in Lori’s case, her religious beliefs.

“So while she can still have conversations, engage with people, and even put on makeup for court appearances, she’s simultaneously living in a reality where she believes she’s a goddess, chosen by God, and destined to lead during the end times.”

Both Vallow and Daybell were found guilty of killing the children before going to Hawaii to celebrate their honeymoon while teaching disturbing doomsday religious beliefs.

Vallow was slapped with multiple fixed life terms in July 2023, while Daybell was found guilty of killing his wife Tammy and sentenced to death earlier this summer.

The cult mom is also accused of murdering her previous husband, Charles Vallow and is set to face yet another trial next year.

After hearing her twisted attempt to explain the heartbreaking deaths of her children, Hellis isn’t expecting her to feel any remorse as Vallow continues to rot in a prison cell.

She believes the chances of admission are “unlikely.”

“Throughout her trial and even in that conversation with Colby, she presented herself as the victim,” Hellis continued. “She’s always going to justify her actions in a way that fits her delusional narrative.”

“What’s especially frightening about Lori is that her delusions didn’t just lead to her children’s deaths—they also influenced others. Chad Daybell was wrapped up in those beliefs, too. Alex Cox, her brother, likely believed he was on a mission to protect Lori from ‘dark spirits.’

“It’s a chilling reminder of how dangerous belief systems can become when taken to the extreme.”

The notion that their murders were an accident is a “disconnection from reality shows that she’s still entrenched in her beliefs and refuses to face the facts of what happened.”

Hellis believes that as Colby hadn’t spoken to his mother for three years, the controversial push to invite her for an interview is understandable.

“I think for Colby, this was a necessary step toward closure,” she said.

“The last time he had spoken to Lori before this recent meeting was during that heart-wrenching phone call that was played in court, where he was crying, asking her, ‘Mom, why did you kill my siblings?’

“Lori, at the time, couldn’t or wouldn’t give him an answer. I believe this latest conversation allowed him to close that chapter.

“He’s stronger now; he’s done so much work on himself, and I think he wanted to see if Lori had changed at all or if she could give him some truth.”

In her interview with Colby, Vallow was predictably vague when pinned about precisely what happened on the fateful day the two children, aged 16 and seven, were killed.

“I wasn’t aware of what happened to them after I left that scene,” she said after admitting to fleeing their room.

“Their spirits were gone from their bodies. They were already in heaven.”

I hope that by telling their story, we can prevent something like this from happening again.

Lori Hellis on her book Children of Darkness and Light

Tylee and JJ’s bodies were discovered in a vault-style grave, buried alongside the Daybell family’s dead pets.

Chad Daybell, a former gravedigger, spent years writing books that promoted his bizarre Doomsday theories, which were loosely based on elements of Mormonism.

Vallow faces another murder trial next February in Arizona, which has been delayed, having originally been slated for August 1, 2024.

The delay was granted to allow the defense additional time to sift through the substantial discovery, which includes over 15 terabytes of data and more than 100,000 pages of material.

The 51-year-old faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder related to the death of Charles, her fourth husband, as well as the attempted murder of her former nephew-in-law, Brandon Boudreaux.

Vallow is set to remain behind bars for life, with Hellis suspecting her “deeply ingrained” religious beliefs could be used to prey on other prisoners.

“Even after being convicted, she continues to assert that she’s a goddess, chosen by God and that her children’s deaths were part of a divine plan. I think she’ll maintain that narrative for the rest of her life,” she said.

“There’s always a possibility that years down the line, she might begin to question her beliefs.

“Sometimes, people in these situations do come to a point of reckoning. But with Lori, I’m not sure we’ll ever see that. She’s shown no signs of remorse, and her delusions have been reinforced for so long that it’s hard to imagine her coming back from them.”

FBI

Stressing she was “following Jesus,” Vallow told Colby about wild fears of Satan attacking her family. It references Job, the biblical character whose dedication was tested after an attack by the devil.

“This is Lucifer attacking our lives. You have also been attacked,” she told Colby.

“I leave it in Jesus’ hands because he’s strengthening us through this attack.”

“The legacy of this case is one of deep, unthinkable tragedy, but also a warning,” said Hellis.

“It’s a reminder of how dangerous it can be when people’s beliefs spiral out of control, especially when they go unchecked by reality.

“Lori and Chad were able to convince themselves—and a small circle of followers—that they were on a divine mission, and that mission justified anything, including murder.”

Hellis can attack such a disturbing case from a unique angle – her mother was raised in the church.

She left at a “young age” but the experience was handed down to her daughter.

The internet has exposed the church and other religions to new, global audiences.

More people can have an opinion and, like Vallow and Daybell, are able to spout their beliefs to anyone who will listen.

“The has always been able to revise history and tell people ‘this is our truth,” Hellis, who is adamant Vallow will preach her gospel in jail.

“But now they can’t control the message.”

Hellis believes that has led to a “serious exodus” from the church as people question things far more readily.

Vallow was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and during her research, the author became acutely aware of “factions of fundamentalists” within its “insular” membership.

Daybell wrote books about the end of the world, and, during to witness testimony during the trial, claimed some people were possessed with dark spirits and needed to be dealt with.

“Some of them honestly believe the Second Coming is imminent,” Hellis said.

“At the same time, this story is about how institutions can sometimes fail,” concluded the author.

“There were many points where intervention could have happened, whether through law enforcement, family, or friends. But because Lori and Chad were so adept at hiding their true intentions, it was easy for people to miss or dismiss the warning signs.

“In the end, the loss of Tylee and JJ is the most heartbreaking part of all. They were innocent children caught in the middle of their mother’s delusional world.

“I hope that by telling their story, we can prevent something like this from happening again.”

AP

Author Hellis has written a book about the Lori Vallow case which shocked the world[/caption]