Charles Vallow on Lori’s affair: “It keeps killing me, but maybe that’s your goal.”
ADA COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) - On Friday, Det. Nathan Duncan with the Chandler Police Department returned to the witness stand. Det. Duncan responded to the homicide of Lori's fourth husband Charles Vallow on July 11, 2019.
As the investigation continued, the Chandler Police Department shifted its focus toward finding any information leading to the whereabouts of JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan.
"We were working together with Idaho really with the main goal of trying to find JJ and Tylee at the time," Duncan said.
Charles Vallow's texts and emails
Det. Duncan read to the court an email between someone claiming to be Charles Vallow and Chad Daybell in 2018.
Det. Duncan said there was no indication the email was ever written by Charles Vallow.
Charles allegedly forwarded the email to his brother-in-law Alex Cox June 29. Here is a copy of that email.
The email was sent from the address kkwalker75@yahoo.com. Duncan served a search warrant to Yahoo and the phone number and birthday associated with the account was linked to Lori Vallow-Daybell.
"Based on my observations of Charles' email, or the accounts that have been analyzed there's no indication that this was sent by Charles at all," Duncan said. "...He had no relationship with Chad Daybell at all."
Charles allegedly confronted Lori about the email.
Chandler police gained access to Charles Vallow's iCloud and phone records throughout their investigation.
Det. Duncan says Charles sent Lori a text message confronting her about the affair with Chad. Duncan read text messages confirmed to be from Charles Vallow to Lori Vallow.
Here is a copy of the texts.
Charles writes, "Just so you know, I am going to talk to Tammy. I've already emailed and texted her, your game is up."
Charles contacts Tammy
Charles Vallow allegedly contacted Tammy Daybell about the affair through text and email. Det. Duncan read several of Charles' emails aloud in court.
In one email, Charles writes, “Your husband and my wife are having an affair. It’s devastating, I know.”
Duncan says there is no indication the emails were ever read, but they were sent from Charles’ account.
Det. Duncan continues to present texts written by Charles Vallow to Lori leading up to his death.
Charles writes, "You accused me of infidelity but it’s you who has been having an affair. It keeps killing me but maybe that’s your goal…The fact you will continue to go to the temple after all you’ve done shocks me. There really is something wrong with you. You have to be exposed for what you really are.”
On June 30, 2019 Charles texts Lori again.
The text reads, “You have destroyed me. I have never been lower in my life. Please explain. We have a son to raise but that’s all we have in common. You owe me an apology for all the false accusations you’ve made. I’ve been entirely faithful to you since the first day we met. I deserve an apology from you. Please respect that.”
On July 1, 2019, 10 days before his death, Charles texts Lori, "I’m going to Idaho first to see Tammy Daybell.”
Lori responds, “She won’t listen to you. She is my friend.”
Charles then asks why Lori sent a “BS email” about a book he wants ghostwritten.
Charles writes, “There is no reason for it other than to get him in Arizona and have an excuse for his wife.”
Lori's phone records
The Chandler police also gained access to Lori Vallow-Daybell's iCloud and phone records throughout their investigation.
Det. Duncan says when investigating conflicting or dual accounts police compare information or lack of information. The police created a timeline of events leading up to and after Charles death.
"There were several messages on Lori's phone, indicating a message was sent that was not located on the iCloud," Duncan said.
The following messages were sent on July 18, 2019.
Lori writes, “I just got a letter from the insurance company that I am not the beneficiary. It’s a spear thru my heart. Who do you think he changed it to? Brandon or possibly Kay?”
Chad responds, “Wow. That’s terrible. There is no way to find out.”
Lori, “I might be able to check when I get his email on Sunday.”
Det. Duncan says these messages indicate Lori did not know she was not the beneficiary of the life insurance until after Charles death.
Another message from Chad to Lori on July 26, 2019.
“I’m a grown-up version of Harry Potter, who has to live with the Dudleys in his little space under the stairs," Chad wrote. “Every few weeks I get to escape and have amazing adventures with my Goddess lover, but then I have to return to my place under the stairs, feeling trapped. But I sense permanent freedom is coming!”
Duncan says in several messages Lori and Chad refer to Charles as “Ned," "Hiplos," or other names for evil or dark spirits.
The court then took a mid-morning break.
Zulema Pastenes takes the witness stand
The Lori Vallow-Daybell trial continued Friday morning with the testimony of Zulema Pastenes of Chandler Arizona. Rachel Smith conducted the questioning.
Pastenes was a close friend of Vallow-Daybell’s from 2018 to 2019. She married Lori’s brother Alex Cox for only two weeks before he died in December 2019.
Zulema met Lori in early fall 2018 at a meeting in Melanie Gibb’s home in Gilbert Arizona. Lori allegedly claimed she had been visited by angels and she had seen Jesus Christ.
“That would be the highest spiritual experience that a human being could have,” Zulema said.
Zulema began a friendship with Lori throughout text and email. That year she traveled with Lori to the “Preparing a People” conference in St. George; A religious conference to teach you how to be better prepared for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The same conference where Lori met Chad Daybell. Zulema says she was present when Lori and Chad first met.
“Lori was very flirtatious towards him, very giggly. Putting the moves on him..”Zulema said. “...She said she was going to stay at his table and sell all his books for him.”
Lori drove home from the conference with Melanie Gibb and Pastenes in the back seat.
Zulema claims Lori had her look up James the Less from the bible on the car ride back to Arizona. Allegedly Chad had told Lori that in a past life he was James the Less and she was his wife Elena.
Lori, “Why? Are you scared of me?”
After the St. George conference, Zulema met Lori and Chad again at another Preparing a People conference in Mesa Arizona.
“I went to speak to Chad at his table, and Lori spoke very sweet and invited me to come to her house because she was going to have a small gathering at her house,” Zulema said.
Lori allegedly asked Charles to stay somewhere else because she was going to have people at her house for the conference. According to Zulema, one of those people was Chad Daybell.
Zulema says she went to Lori’s home after the conference. There were several people there including Alex Cox.
At the home, Zulema went with Lori and Chad outside to the backyard. Lori was playing basketball and asked Chad to play with her. Zulema says she felt like a third wheel.
Chad said he was going to go inside with Zulema.
Lori allegedly said, “Why? Are you scared of me?” So they stayed outside a little longer.
Chad eventually gave Zulema a blessing with Lori present. During the blessing he praised her and said he was grateful to know her.
Light, Dark and Probations
Zulema says Chad asked to meet her, Lori and Melanie Gibb. They met at Firebirds in Gilbert. She says at the lunch Chad told them about prior lives, probations and his “rating scale” of dark to light.
She says Chad and Lori did not want Melanie to hear what he was going to say. On a later phone call with Zulema, Chad told her more about past lives and what he said was her history.
In February 2019, Zulema met with Lori for lunch again. At the lunch Lori allegedly made a diagram about past lives, probations and how many lives a person could have.
Zulema took a second while giving her testimony, wiping her eyes and taking drinks of water.
Zulema says Lori told her that her husband Charles Vallow was possessed by a spirit named “Garret.”
“She said that…she didn’t know at first that he was, that he had been changed or that he had been possessed by a demon,” Zulema said.
Castings
In late March, Zulema met with Lori again in her own home.Nicole, Christina, Serena, Melanie Gibb, Lori and Zulema were there. Lori allegedly wanted to teach her and several other women things that she had learned.
Lori allegedly told Zulema and the other girls about prior lives and asked them to participate in a “casting” to remove the evil spirit from Charles.
“She said we had to be holding hands in a circle and each of the participants would have a different part to say or do,” Zulema said.
Lori allegedly assigned roles in the casting and told people the tools and powers they would use.
“Each person would say their part and then she[Lori] would finish it by doing a sealing(making it complete or final) of the casting,” Zulema said.
Zulema says she believed Lori was telling the truth when she told her Charles was possessed. She already believed Lori when she said she had seen Jesus Christ and lived in past lives.
“I would never think that someone would lie about something as sacred as that,” Zulema said.
Zulema continued to participate in castings at her house in the following months. Chad allegedly told Lori the casting had worked but another more powerful demon named “Ned,” had taken its place.
Zulema, “Alex believed it more than anyone there.”
In a later casting, the group attempted to cast out “Ned.” Melanie Gibb, Chad, Lori and Lori’s Alex Cox were present. Zulema said Alex was assigned the role of the warrior in that casting.
Smith asks if Zulema knew whether or not Alex believed people possessed were dangerous.
Zulema responds, “Alex believed it more than anyone there.”
After the casting, Zulema says Lori told her the casting worked but that another dark spirit named “Hiplos,” had taken “Ned’s” place.
July 11, 2019
Zulema says there were several castings they did on Charles at the time. Lori allegedly told her this was a powerful demon so the castings were no longer working. Lori told her they moved to Texas where there were doctors to help with Charles’ condition.
“I asked why she[Lori] moved back to Texas with him after all the problems,” Zulema said. “She said that she needed to be with Charles for a while in order to get her finances straight.”
Smith then asked Zulema about Charles ' death. Zulema remembered the date off of the top of her head. Smith asked how she knew it so well.
“Lori always always said she had a prediction with the number 7-11,” Zulema said. “She would mention the number all the time…as if she had some kind of spiritual connection with the number 7-11.”
Zulema said Lori told her on the day Charles died, he came from out of town to pick up JJ for school.
Lori allegedly took Charles’ phone and would not give it to him. They started arguing and Alex got involved.
Lori told her Tylee came into the fight with a baseball bat and told Charles to leave. Charles took the bat away from Tylee.
According to what Lori told her, Charles then hit Alex on the back of the head with the bat. Charles and Alex wrestled. Alex got his gun and he shot Charles.
We will continue to update the story as the day continues.
