Vallow’s trial costs totaled nearly $1.8 million

As of Oct. 31 the pricetag for Lori Vallow’s trial was nearly $1.8 million.

Fremont County paid $1,643,612.55 and Madison County paid $123,857 for a combined total of $1,767,469.55. That total represents the costs associated with the prosecution and defense including travel, hotel, law enforcement overtime and other expenses incurred in having the trial take place in Boise.

Vallow was convicted May 12 on all six felony counts against her, the Rexburg Standard Journal reported. She was found guilty of the murders and conspiracy to commit the murder of her two children J.J. Vallow, 7; and Tylee Ryan, 16. She also was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in the death of her romantic rival, Tammy Daybell. Tammy Daybell was married to Chad Daybell at the time Vallow and Chad Daybell started a relationship. In addition, the jury found Vallow guilty of grand theft involving the continued taking of her children’s Social Security benefits after police said the children had died.

Seventh District Judge Steven Boyce sentenced Vallow on July 31 to serve three consecutive life sentences.

Since prosecutors originally sought the death penalty, the counties were able to tap into the Idaho Association of Counties’ Capital Defense Fund. Once it was announced the death penalty was being pursued and after Fremont County paid a $10,000 deductible, the fund covered costs until the death penalty was removed as an option for punishment, according to Kelli Brassfield, the Idaho Association of Counties’ staff liaison.

The capital defense fund helped Fremont County with $825,885.01 in the Vallow case, Brassfield said in an email. That left the counties’ remaining costs at $941,584.54.

Madison and Fremont county prosecutors Rob Wood and Lindsey Blake announced May 2, 2022, that the state would seek the death penalty in the cases.

Boyce on March 21 of this year granted the defense’s motion to dismiss the death penalty, citing at the time the “voluminous” amount of recently discovered evidence the defense received and the defense attorneys’ concern about reviewing it all in time for the trial, the Standard Journal reported. He also expressed concerns that a sentencing could be reversed upon appeal.

The counties shared costs for the trial with Fremont County shouldering most of the load after it was determined the crimes occurred in that county. The case originated in Rexburg in November 2019 when Rexburg police went to the Pioneer Road residence Lori Vallow shared with Chad Daybell to conduct a welfare check on J.J. at the request of his grandmother, Kay Woodcock.

The Post Register submitted a public records request for a detailed breakdown of the trial costs, including any law enforcement overtime directly related to having law enforcement have to make trips to Boise for the trial, but that request was partially denied.

“After consulting with our prosecutor’s office and the court, the only thing I can release in this case is the total amount paid as this is a sealed case,” Madison County Clerk Kim Muir wrote in response to the records request. “Further, there are attorney/client privileges in this matter pursuant to Idaho Code §§ 3-201(5) and 74-104(1), which expressly exempts records recognized by other state laws such as this privilege. Finally, this case remains an ongoing investigation and we need to protect the confidentiality of the case. This will ensure an impartial trial for the remaining defendant, and protect the integrity of the case.

“Per Idaho statute sections 74-104, 74-105, and 74-124, et seq., judicial, law enforcement, confidential and/or investigatory records cannot be disclosed to the public during an active investigation. The matters which you have requested are all subject to an ongoing investigation. Hence, the majority of information your (sic) requested are exempt from disclosure and cannot be disclosed to you.”

Vallow is currently in a Maricopa County, Arizona, jail on charges related to conspiring to kill her estranged husband as well as her niece’s ex-husband.

Daybell, Vallow’s husband and alleged co-conspirator, is charged with three counts of murder involving the murder of his first wife Tammy Daybell and the killings J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan. He’s also charged with two counts of insurance fraud for accepting $430,000 in life insurance benefits from Tammy Daybell’s insurance policies following her death. His trial is scheduled to begin April 1 in Boise and he is facing a possible death penalty sentence.

The capital defense fund also is assisting Fremont and Madison counties with expenses for Daybell’s trial. As of Tuesday, those reimbursements totaled $294,999.38, Brassfield said.