As Lori Vallow, also known as the “Doomsday Mom,” prepares to appear in an Arizona courtroom, she has chosen to represent herself in her latest murder trial. This time, the case is about her alleged role in the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. Lori spoke in an interview with True Crime Arizona, explaining her decision and how she feels about the charges against her.
Vallow is facing murder conspiracy charges in Maricopa County. According to the police and prosecutors, she and her brother, Alex Cox, planned to kill Charles. Back in 2019, Alex Cox shot and killed Charles Vallow when Lori went to pick up their son from their Phoenix home. At that time, Lori’s daughter, Tylee, was also in the house.
Tylee said she heard screaming and walked in with a baseball bat to protect her mother. Charles reportedly took the bat from her and tried to go after Alex. That’s when Alex claimed he shot Charles in self-defense. He was never charged for the shooting and died of natural causes just a few months later.
Lori Vallow said in the interview, “I’m fighting for my life here.” She also added, “It’s a tragedy, families have tragedies. Things happen and there was a domino effect of tragedies in my life. And that’s really sad.”
Vallow is not a lawyer and has no formal legal training, but she still decided to speak for herself in court. She said she has learned a lot during her time in jail. “There’s something that I figured out when I got to this jail. This experience has been five years running. I went through a whole trial, you know, before in my other state, and then I was brought here to Arizona to face some more serious charges,” she said.
Her previous trial took place in Idaho, where she was found guilty of the murders of her two children. She’s already serving a life sentence in Idaho for those crimes. Now, in Arizona, she’s back in court for another serious charge, and this time she wants to take control of her own defense.
Experts say this move could be risky but may give her more influence over the courtroom. “This gives [Vallow] a tremendous amount of control over the case, and she has little to lose, since she’s already been sentenced to life in prison in Idaho,” said Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago-based attorney who is not involved in the case. He added, “She may be intending to turn this case into a three-ring circus, and the best way to do that is by representing herself.”
In the interview, Lori also mentioned how little connection she has had with the outside world while in jail. “I never hear any of this stuff because I’m in a room [for] 23 hours a day and we don’t have any access to any kind of news, or any kind of anything, really,” she said. “So I didn’t know that people were saying that, but I wouldn’t agree with that, obviously.”
The prosecutors claim that Lori and her brother Alex planned to carry out actions that would lead to Charles Vallow’s murder. They believe that at least one of them or someone else agreed to commit first-degree murder. Lori says this isn’t true, and that many things in her life just went wrong one after the other.
Charles Vallow was worried about Lori’s mental health before his death. He had even contacted police earlier that year, saying she believed she was a god-like figure and that he feared for his life. There had been tensions in their relationship, and those concerns came out in court during earlier hearings.
Lori’s current legal team includes two advisory attorneys, but they didn’t respond to media requests for comments. She continues to pursue her own plan to defend herself.
Representing yourself in court is a rare move, especially in a case as serious and high-profile as this. But in some situations, people choose to do it for personal or strategic reasons. Sometimes they believe they know the case better than anyone else. Other times, they want to use the courtroom as a way to tell their story directly.
Many believe Lori wants more control. Since she already received a life sentence, there’s not much more the system can do to her. So, she might feel she has nothing to lose and wants to shape how this new trial goes.
The original shooting incident in 2019 led to many questions, not just about Lori and her brother but also about how the entire situation unfolded. At first, Alex’s self-defense claim was accepted, and no charges were filed. But after Lori’s children were found dead and she was convicted in Idaho, authorities took another look at Charles’ death.
Now, with new evidence and more attention on the case, Arizona prosecutors are charging her with conspiracy to commit murder. It’s not clear yet how strong the evidence is, but the trial is expected to bring up many painful and emotional details from Lori’s past.
In her interview, Lori said she’s trying to be strong and is doing her best to fight back. “I’m not an attorney, I don’t have training to be an attorney,” she admitted. But she also said she’s determined to handle her case, even though the road ahead looks difficult.
The trial is expected to begin soon, and it could last several weeks. Court watchers and true crime fans will be paying close attention, as this is another major chapter in a case that has shocked people across the country. Whether or not Lori Vallow can successfully defend herself remains to be seen, but one thing is clear — she’s not backing down.
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