Did fear of apocalypse drive ‘doomsday mom’ Lori Vallow to murder her children?
“I’m basically a ticking time bomb,” Lori Vallow says with a wide smile and a laugh. She’s speaking at the Mrs Texas beauty pageant in 2004 where she is competing.
At the time it must have seemed an innocuous comment about balancing home and work life, but nearly 20 years later the words take on a more chilling aspect after she was found guilty of murdering her two children and conspiracy to murder her husband’s ex-wife.
Prosecutors say the mother-of-three became obsessed with a coming religious doomsday and believed her children were zombies whose bodies had to be destroyed so they could go to heaven.
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‘Doomsday mom’ jailed for life without chance of parole
Vallow and her fifth husband Chad Daybell went from being followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) to something altogether darker and cult-like, it was claimed.
Religious beliefs in doomsday have been used to harrowing effect by cult leaders again and again to exert control over their followers, sometimes with deadly consequences.
Was it fear of the apocalypse or a belief in the coming of a leader known as “One Mighty and Strong” that resulted in the deaths of seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and his big sister Tylee Ryan?
Jurors in Idaho returned guilty verdicts against Vallow in May.
A memorial for Tylee Ryan and Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow in Rexburg, Idaho. Pic: AP
A huge search, mysterious deaths and rumours of doomsday beliefs
Sometimes referred to as the “reddest place in America” for its conservative voting habits, the city of Rexburg in Idaho is home to around 40,000 people.
For many years it was perhaps best known for its large Mormon population – some 95% of people living there are Latter-day Saints (LDS) members – but in September 2019 it was thrust into the spotlight when two children vanished.
Vallow and Daybell told police that JJ was in Arizona with a family friend and that Tylee had died a year before and had been attending a university.
Their disappearance sparked a search which lasted months and grabbed huge media attention. Strangers from around the world became transfixed by the search for the children, rumours of doomsday beliefs… and the mysterious deaths of Vallow’s fourth husband Charles Vallow and Daybell’s ex-wife Tammy.
Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow and Tylee Ryan. Pic: Fremont County Sheriff’s Office
Charles Vallow had been shot and killed by Lori Vallow’s brother in July 2019, a few months after he filed for divorce. He claimed his wife threatened to kill him and that she believed she was a god.
Tammy was found dead in October 2019 of what doctors at the time thought was natural causes. Vallow and Daybell were married just two weeks after Tammy’s funeral.
It wasn’t until June 2020 that police found the mutilated remains of JJ and Tylee at a property in rural Idaho that belonged to Daybell.
JJ’s body was wrapped in rubbish bags, his arms bound in front of him with duct tape. Tylee’s remains were charred.
Vallow has now been found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder after a lengthy trial. Daybell is set to face court in a separate trial at a later date.
Investigators search for human remains at Chad Daybell’s residence in Salem, Idaho in June 2020. Pic: AP
‘Church of the Firstborn’
Vallow’s defence team say her religious beliefs began to change after she met Daybell, a fiction author whose books focus on the apocalypse and are loosely based on Mormon teachings.
But prosecutors say those beliefs veered toward the extreme, with the couple saying people were “dark” or “light”, telling friends and acquaintances that “dark” people had been taken over by evil spirits.
They eventually began teaching friends that once those evil spirits were strong enough, the person became a “zombie” and the only way to free that person’s soul was by killing them.
The pair met at a conference in Utah in 2018 and felt an “instant connection”, claiming they had been married to each other in a past life, according to police records.
Vallow’s longtime best friend, Melanie Gibb, told investigators that Vallow and Daybell believed they were part of the “Church of the Firstborn” and that their mission in that church was to lead the “144,000” mentioned in the Book of Revelation.
Lori Vallow seen outside court in Idaho in August 2022. Pic: AP
‘One Mighty and Strong’ to emerge after the apocalypse?
Apocalypticism – the religious belief that the end of the world is imminent – in Western culture goes back thousands of years, professor Stephen Kent, an expert on cults at the University of Alberta, tells Sky News.
While much of the Christian apocalyptic beliefs are rooted in Judaism, he says, the case of Lori Vallow highlights the connection with Mormonism.
“Mormonism has a belief that there will be a terrible apocalyptic period at the end of time.
“Mainstream Mormons are encouraged to stack up food and provisions that will allow them to survive a government collapse for a year – and in those last days before Jesus comes back governments will fall apart.”
Chad Daybell, Lori Vallow’s fifth husband, appears during a court hearing in August 2020. Pic: AP
Within that there is a belief among fundamentalist movements that a Mormon leader will reveal himself, known as “One Mighty and Strong”.
It is believed he will restore ideal Mormonism after the apocalypse, Professor Kent says, and the surviving Mormons will be the chosen ones.
Since the prophecy was made in 1832 a string of extremist individuals have claimed to be “One Mighty and Strong” and some have extracted dangerous behaviours from their followers, including murder.
Fringe Mormon groups involving apocalyptic beliefs have popped up over the years, often led by men who see themselves as “One Mighty and Strong”, Prof Kent said.
He described Chad Daybell as a “fringe Mormon character” and remarked on his authorship of fiction books about the end of the world.
“I’ve not seen specifically that he saw himself as being ‘One Mighty and Strong’, but he certainly fitted in that position and it seems to me that his followers saw him in that context.”
Briell Decker in 2017 looking out the window of one of the 44 bedrooms of a mansion that once belonged to Warren Jeffs
Escape from a fundamentalist Mormon cult
“Every time I would try to escape, the punishments would get heightened.”
It took Briell Decker four years and multiple attempts to break out of the Mormon cult she was born into, unscrewing a window in the compound where she was being held in solitary confinement and running for her freedom in 2013.
At age 18 she had become the 65th wife of Warren Jeffs, the now-disgraced prophet who led the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS).
It is one of a number of fundamentalist Mormon communities and emerged after its founding members were excommunicated from the mainstream Mormon church for their refusal to abandon polygamy.
Warren Jeffs appearing in court in 2010. Pic: AP
Jeffs was convicted of sexually assaulting two underage girls he took as brides and sentenced to life in prison in 2011.
“I didn’t dare say no to him because of his authority,” Briell tells Sky News about agreeing to marry Jeffs. He had been her school principal before becoming leader just before her 18th birthday. They were married soon after.
“I figured I’d be really punished if I said no to him, so I just went along with it.”
Sermons in the group featured warnings about doomsday, Briell said, comparing them to a “horror movie”.
“It’s used for control for sure, to scare people into being more faithful, praying harder, more loyalty.”
Briell Decker walks into the compound where Warren Jeffs used to live in Hildale, Utah.
‘The newer compounds have a guard tower’
Unlike so many others Briell was able to escape the FLDS – but it was no sure thing and involved a lot of failed attempts.
She spoke of being moved around for around three years, eventually managing to work her way to an older compound where security wasn’t as tight.
“The newer compounds have a guard tower, they have a gate around them. They’re really hard to escape from.”
She added: “They had four-wheelers that would drive around the perimeter of the property with the men that were assigned to keep the security.”
Briell was able to escape from the older compound and made it into the outside world, where she was adopted by a woman from an organisation that helps people escaping FLDS.
In the years since she gained her freedom Briell was able to obtain ownership of the 44-room mansion where Jeffs and his wives lived. It’s now a refuge for other women fleeing the church.
Her father was kicked out of the FLDS soon after she escaped, but Briell says she hasn’t spoken to her mother in 11 years.
Lori Vallow glances at the camera during a hearing in March 2020. Pic: AP
Lori Vallow guilty of murder
Lori Vallow’s trial began in April 2023 – more than three years after her children’s deaths.
Before she was charged with the murders in May 2021 she was ordered to undergo a mental competency evaluation and was declared unfit to stand trial on two counts of concealment in the deaths of her kids.
A judge ordered Vallow to be committed to a mental health facility for treatment. Less than a year later, she was declared mentally fit to stand trial.
The state of Idaho doesn’t allow for an “insanity” defence and requires that defendants have the competence to understand the charges against them.
In May, jurors found her guilty of the murders of Tylee and JJ, and of conspiracy to murder Tammy. She has now been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
US
Blue Origin sends NASA spacecraft to Mars and lands booster for first time – heating up race with Elon Musk’s SpaceX
Blue Origin has launched its huge New Glenn rocket with two spacecraft on board destined for Mars, as the firm makes a major step forward in its race against Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Crowds cheered at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as they watched liftoff, which had been stalled for four days by bad weather, and then on Thursday suffered two further delays.
Blue Origin latest: Successful launch after last-minute delay
On board were two identical Mars orbiters, named Escapade, which are now heading to the Red Planet and due to arrive in 2027.
But the firm’s big success was the recovery of the rocket’s reusable first-stage booster, a critical development in the space race with SpaceX. Mr Musk posted his congratulations on X.
On the launchpad, ready for liftoff. Pic: Blue Origin
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket launching from Florida on Thursday. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
It is only the second flight for this new type of rocket, from the company owned by Amazon tycoon, Jeff Bezos.
The rocket headed out over the Atlantic, where it split into its two stages.
The inaugural test flight in January delivered a prototype satellite into orbit, but failed to land the booster stage.
Relief after booster recovery
This time, staff cheered wildly as the booster landed upright on its platform 375 miles (600km) offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. The company had never managed the feat before with a rocket so large.
Blue Origin staff cheering wildly at their successful touchdown
Rockets fired on the booster to slow it down. Pics: Blue Origin
The booster stage safely landed on a platform 375 miles (600km) offshore in the Atlantic Ocean
The recovery of the booster is an essential step to recycle and slash costs. The feat has already been achieved with such large rockets by SpaceX.
Blue Origin had achieved this with its much smaller models, but if it wants to consistently run science-scale missions for NASA this is an important step.
The huge New Glenn rocket made it safely through Earth’s atmosphere. Pics: Blue Origin
The rocket’s upper stage deployed the two Mars orbiters in space. Pics: Blue Origin
The rocket, named after American astronaut John Glenn, weighs roughly the same as 20 trucks. It can put into space a payload of 45 metric tonnes.
At 98m tall and 7m wide, it is larger than most rockets, but not as big as SpaceX’s Starship nor the Saturn Vs which sent humans to the moon.
Blue and Gold to visit Red Planet
Meanwhile, NASA’s Escapade (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission comprises two identical orbiting spacecraft named Blue and Gold.
The probes intend to study how solar wind interacts with Mars’s magnetic environment and how this impacts the planet’s atmospheric escape.
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This matters because it will help scientists understand Mars’s climate and protect future crews intending to reach the Red Planet.
This was Blue Origin’s third attempt to launch, with the first on Sunday scrapped because of clouds and the threat of lightning strikes.
Wednesday’s attempt was also postponed as a powerful “cannibal storm” hit Earth.
US
Wife of British journalist held by US immigration issues warning to UK fans travelling to World Cup
The wife of British journalist Sami Hamdi, who was held for more than a fortnight by US immigration, has issued a stark warning to football fans travelling to the 2026 World Cup about the risk of being detained.
Mr Hamdi, who returned to the UK on Thursday, was initially detained at San Francisco International Airport on 26 October.
US officials revoked his visa without warning while on a speaking tour, during which he criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the tour was cancelled due to security rules and that he was in the country illegally.
Sitting alongside him in an interview for Sky’s The World With Yalda Hakim, Soumaya Hamdi explained her concerns about British people travelling to the US.
Soumaya Hamdi has issued a warning to British football fans ‘who value their freedom of speech’
“I would say to British citizens who value their freedom of speech to be very careful, because you got the World Cup in the United States coming up next year.
“If this could happen to Sami on a valid visa, a British citizen, a registered journalist, then it could very well happen again.”
Ms Hamdi added she was not happy about how the UK government had handled their case.
“The assistance that we received from the British government… was really very disappointing.
“I think this is really very concerning that the government is not taking more serious action with regards to our closest ally.”
Speaking about his arrest, Mr Hamdi said it had been “quite an aggressive experience”.
“They escorted me outside of the airport, there was this black car, the kind of things you see in the movies,” he said.
“When I asked them ‘Can I call my family to let them know I’m OK?’, a lady from behind grabs me, pushes me on the car, and says, ‘All right, that’s enough. You’re under arrest’.”
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He added that, while in detention, he felt there was an attempt to wear him down by restricting access to justice.
“You felt, like, with ICE, it’s a battle of wills. Based on the merits of the case, they can’t actually win, but what they do is they keep delaying you and delaying until you’re just desperate to go home.”
Mr Hamdi, who is Muslim and lives in London, insisted he had complied with all visa conditions and alleged the move was linked to his advocacy for Gaza.
According to Mr Hamdi’s legal team, he accepted an offer to leave the US voluntarily after being charged with visa overstay.
His family announced on Monday the US government had agreed to free him and confirmed on Thursday morning he was on a flight home.
Discussing his treatment while in detention, Mr Hamdi said he noticed a distinct change when news outlets like Sky News became aware of his case.
“They throw you in a cell, you sleep in the foot cuffs. They kept me there with 24 hours until my legs were swollen. When I told the guards, ‘Look, my legs are swollen, visibly swollen’, the guards simply ignored it.
“They only started treating me better when everybody at Sky News and the other media started raising their voices.”
The Trump administration has pursued a sweeping immigration crackdown this year, revoking visas for people accused of supporting terrorism and deporting foreign nationals who have voiced support for Palestinians.
After Mr Hamdi’s arrest, a spokeswoman for the US Department of Homeland Security said his visa had been revoked as “those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country”.
But he told Sky News he strongly disputed the reason for his detention. “On the charge sheet… there was no mention of anything related to terrorism or anything related to what they were saying online,” he said.
“They knew no evidence existed of any of the accusations they were making. And in the end, the deal was about face-saving. I was happy to go home.
“Of course, they get to say that Sami Hamdi ended up leaving America, the case gets closed, and it worked out for both of us.”
The US federal government’s longest-ever shutdown has come to an end after Donald Trump signed off a congressional vote with his presidential approval.
But the president was in no mood to field questions from the media after hailing the long-awaited funding bill, which he signed just hours after thousands of files related to Jeffrey Epstein – in which he was referenced – were released.
As it happened: Trump ends shutdown after Epstein files released
Mr Trump has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to the deceased billionaire paedophile, and said in a Truth Social post after their release that the “Jeffrey Epstein hoax” is a “trap” set by Democrats.
His appearance in the Oval Office came after the House of Representatives voted to reopen the government, after the Senate – the upper chamber of Congress – reached a deal on Monday.
The breakthrough came when a handful of Democrat senators rebuffed their party’s leadership – who’d spent weeks pushing for guarantees on healthcare subsidies – and teamed up with Republicans.
The deal then went to the president, who signed it into law.
“It’s a great day,” he declared, as he blamed Democrats for the 43-day shutdown that left federal workers without pay, food aid undelivered, air travel disrupted, and museums closed.
But the big media moment from behind the historic White House Resolute desk was short and sweet – with Mr Trump, unusually, taking no questions from journalists.
The bill will see the federal government funded until 30 January. Pic: AP
What’s in the latest Epstein files?
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee initially published several emails which they said “raises questions about Trump and Epstein’s relationship, Trump’s knowledge of Epstein’s crimes” and the president’s relationship to Epstein’s victims.
White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the “selectively leaked emails” were an attempt to “create a fake narrative to smear President Trump”. He has consistently denied any involvement or knowledge about Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.
It prompted Republicans to retaliate by releasing more than 20,000 pages from Epstein’s files and accusing Democrats of “cherry-picking” their documents.
Read more: What Epstein emails say about Trump
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The Epstein files: The main things you need to know
Epstein took his own life in prison in 2019 following a conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, for which he was registered as a sex offender. He was awaiting a trial for sex trafficking charges.
In his Truth Social post, Mr Trump said the release of the latest files were a “deflection” from the shutdown.
The shutdown, which started on 1 October, has disrupted the lives of millions of Americans as all non-essential parts of government have been frozen.
It was the first shutdown in almost seven years.
As he put pen to paper, the president accused the Democrats of an “extortion” attempt over their push for healthcare subsidies – provided under the Affordable Care Act brought in by Barack Obama – to be extended.
“Republicans never wanted a shutdown,” he said.
“It’s cost the country $1.5trn,” he added.
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