Lori Vallow Daybell’s legal team files a motion to dismiss the death penalty

FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The attorneys representing Lori Vallow Daybell have filed a motion to dismiss the death penalty, according to court records.

According court documents dated Sunday, March 5, Vallow Daybell’s legal counsel, James Archibald and John Thomas, cited a variety of reasons for the dismissal request.

Court documents say that media saturation in the case is still a persistent issue and that potential jurors are still exposed to prejudice and bias against the defendant.

They also say there have been multiple discovery violations by the government, and that they have not been supplied with “statements of a co-defendant” and that “such discovery failures will cause any death verdict to be vacated and the case will start over.”

Her attorneys also floated the idea that the government wanting to put a mentally ill person to death is troubling.

“This past week the government submitted an opinion that maybe the defendant wasn’t mentally ill, but just evil....even if the government’s new opinion of the defendant has some believe that the defendant is just evil, we don’t kill witches in America,” said Lori Vallow Daybell’s attorneys.

Lori is accused of killing her two children, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan and conspiring with her husband, Chad Daybell, in the murder of his first wife, Tammy.

The trial is set for April 3 at the Ada County Courthouse.