Idaho Supreme Court sets date to hear appellate oral arguments in Lori Vallow Daybell case
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BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Supreme Court has set a date to hear oral arguments regarding Lori Vallow Daybell’s appeal.
The hearing will be held on Nov. 2 at 11:15 a.m. at the Supreme Court building in Boise.
Daybell was convicted in 2023 for murdering her two children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, along with conspiring to commit the murder of Tammy Daybell, her husband’s first wife.
RELATED | Jury convicts Lori Vallow Daybell in murders of JJ, Tylee and Tammy Daybell
She filed an appeal, arguing that she was denied her constitutional right to retain her lawyer of choice when the judge removed Mark Means, her original attorney, in December 2021. Daybell says she was left without legal representation during key hearings over that decision and argues important hearings were held without her while she was deemed incompetent to stand trial.
Craig H. Durham, Daybell’s appellate attorney, further challenged the use of evidence involving Daybell’s crimes in Arizona and argued the Idaho case should have been dismissed because her right to a speedy trial was violated.
In response to the appeal, the state said the judge in the case made no reversible errors and Daybell’s convictions should stand. Deputy Attorney General Jeff Nye argued Means was properly removed because of conflicts involving his previous representation of Chad Daybell, who was later convicted for his role in the murders.
The state says evidence from the Arizona cases was properly admitted because it helped show a larger plan connected to the Idaho murders. Nye also disputes Daybell’s speedy-trial claim, arguing the delay resulted from competency proceedings, a change of venue and the complexity of the case.
During the Supreme Court oral arguments, each side will be allowed 30 minutes to present its case. Justices will have reviewed the written arguments already submitted by the attorneys and may ask the parties questions. Lori Daybell is not expected to attend the appellate hearing.
The Supreme Court in Idaho provides a live video feed of hearings, and Courtroom Insider will livestream Daybell’s proceedings.
