Talking Dateline: Lori Vallow Daybell - The Jailhouse Interview

Summary

Dateline NBC: Talking Dateline - Lori Vallow Daybell: The Jailhouse Interview

Episode Release Date: March 12, 2025

In the March 12, 2025 episode of Dateline NBC, hosts Andrea Canning and Keith Morrison delve deep into one of America's most perplexing true-crime cases: Lori Vallow Daybell. This detailed, long-form summary encapsulates their comprehensive discussion, highlighting key points, insightful analyses, and notable quotes from their in-depth jailhouse interview with Lori Vallow Daybell.

---

Introduction

Andrea Canning opens the episode by setting the stage for a riveting discussion about her and Keith Morrison’s latest installment on the Dateline podcast: "Lori Vallow Daybell - The Jailhouse Interview." She underscores the gravity of Lori’s case—her conviction for the murder of two of her children and her conspiracy to murder her husband’s former wife—and emphasizes the unprecedented nature of the interview conducted while Lori awaits another murder trial in Arizona, where she has elected to represent herself.

First Impressions and Lori’s Demeanor

The conversation begins with Andrea expressing her initial shock at Lori Vallow Daybell's demeanor during the interview, particularly her winking at the camera as she walked to meet with Keith Morrison.

Andrea Canning [02:10]: "Something that was extremely disturbing to me was Lori Valo winking at the camera as she's walking through the hall to your interview. What the heck is up with that?"

Keith Morrison explains that Lori's wink was a true reflection of her brazen and unapologetic personality.

Keith Morrison [02:31]: "The wink of the camera was Lori Valo Being Lori Valo, she's brazen, if nothing else."

Andrea concurs, noting the inappropriateness of such behavior given the gravity of the topics they were about to discuss.

Lori’s Legal and Psychological Background

Keith provides a detailed background on Lori’s legal battles and psychological evaluations. He explains that although Lori was initially deemed not psychiatrically capable of standing trial due to a delusional disorder with extreme religious undertones, she was later declared sane enough to proceed and was convicted.

Keith Morrison [03:17]: "The legal system considers her sane enough to go on trial and sane enough to represent herself in the courtroom. And she's a bright woman, there's no question about that. Very quick with a retort or whatever, but I really do wonder whether she is sane."

Manipulation and Relationships

The hosts explore Lori’s intricate relationships, particularly her connection with Chad Daybell, her fourth husband, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of her brother, Alex. Keith highlights the manipulative dynamics between Lori and Chad, suggesting that both were influential in orchestrating the crimes.

Keith Morrison [05:12]: "They manipulated each other. And she was a tremendously manipulative person. He came up with the ideas, but, man, oh, man, she has an ability to make somebody do what she wants them to do."

Challenges During the Interview

Andrea and Keith candidly discuss the difficulties faced during the interview. Lori’s unwavering stance and refusal to provide clear answers posed significant challenges.

Andrea Canning [04:25]: "I was really shocked at just the layers of what this woman is accused of. She is deeply, deeply disturbed."

Keith Morrison [07:29]: "She knew I didn't buy this story of hers for one second, but she was absolutely determined to filibuster through the 90 minutes and get that story told."

Andrea notes Lori’s attempts to derail the interview, including personal attacks and singing to avoid direct questions.

Andrea Canning [08:43]: "At one point she says she yells at you, kind of like raised voice, like, get your facts straight, you know, Keith. And like, you don't. Like you've been covering this story for five years."

Insights Gained

Despite the obstacles, Keith acknowledges that the interview provided valuable insights into Lori’s character and motivations. He reflects on Lori’s portrayal of her relationship with Chad and her distorted perception of events.

Keith Morrison [16:02]: "Well, I do hope to get answers to questions, knowing that it's... She's not ever going to answer a question."

Viewer and Listener Questions

The episode transitions to addressing questions from social media, providing additional layers to the discussion.

1. Hair Dye and Makeup in Prison: Andrea addresses a viewer’s query about Lori’s appearance during the interview, explaining the prison’s commissary system allows basic beauty products and unconventional methods like using towels to curl hair.

   Andrea Canning [19:21]: "Did you do that?"

   Keith Morrison [19:50]: "They can't have air curlers. They use towels which they get wet and they roll their hair up in the towels and sleep in it that way."

2. Lori’s Behavior Post-Interview: Andrea shares an audio clip where a viewer asks if Lori acted differently before or after the cameras left. Keith responds that Lori remained strategic and consistent throughout.

   Keith Morrison [22:16]: "She was strategic from beginning to end, in my opinion."

3. Learning New Information: A viewer inquires whether any new information was gleaned from the interview. Keith admits that while no groundbreaking revelations emerged, the interview was instrumental in showcasing Lori's true character.

   Keith Morrison [23:29]: "She wasn't going to reveal them, but she did reveal something of herself, a little more of herself and what her character was all about."

4. Interview Difficulty: Another listener asks if this was Keith’s hardest interview. Keith acknowledges the challenge but also the fascination it presented.

   Keith Morrison [24:26]: "Right at the end? ... I wouldn’t say the hardest, but pretty close."

Conclusion and Reflections

Andrea and Keith wrap up the discussion by reflecting on the enduring nature of Lori’s case and the continuous legal proceedings pending against her.

Keith Morrison [25:43]: "Yes. It’s something worth doing, even if it was frustrating."

Andrea reiterates the ongoing nature of Lori’s legal battles and thanks Keith for his insightful analysis.

Andrea Canning [26:09]: "And that is it for talking DATELINE this week."

Closing Thoughts

The episode concludes with anticipation for future developments in Lori Vallow Daybell’s case and a teaser for upcoming Dateline episodes. Andrea emphasizes the importance of engaging with listeners and invites them to submit questions for future discussions.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Andrea Canning [02:10]: "Something that was extremely disturbing to me was Lori Valo winking at the camera as she's walking through the hall to your interview. What the heck is up with that?"

• Keith Morrison [03:17]: "The legal system considers her sane enough to go on trial and sane enough to represent herself in the courtroom. And she's a bright woman, there's no question about that. Very quick with a retort or whatever, but I really do wonder whether she is sane."

• Keith Morrison [05:12]: "They manipulated each other. And she was a tremendously manipulative person. He came up with the ideas, but, man, oh, man, she has an ability to make somebody do what she wants them to do."

• Keith Morrison [07:29]: "She knew I didn't buy this story of hers for one second, but she was absolutely determined to filibuster through the 90 minutes and get that story told."

• Andrea Canning [19:21]: "Did you do that?"

• Keith Morrison [22:16]: "She was strategic from beginning to end, in my opinion."

• Keith Morrison [23:29]: "She wasn't going to reveal them, but she did reveal something of herself, a little more of herself and what her character was all about."

• Keith Morrison [24:26]: "Right at the end? ... I wouldn’t say the hardest, but pretty close."

• Keith Morrison [25:43]: "Yes. It’s something worth doing, even if it was frustrating."

---

This episode of Dateline NBC offers a profound exploration of Lori Vallow Daybell’s psyche, her manipulative tendencies, and the challenges faced by journalists in uncovering the truth behind complex criminal cases. Through Andrea Canning and Keith Morrison’s candid discussion, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the intricate dynamics at play, the resilience required in investigative journalism, and the enduring quest for answers in unresolved mysteries.

Transcript

[Keith Morrison]

DATELINE is sponsored by Capital One. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member FDIC.

[Al Roker]

If your job at a healthcare facility includes disinfecting against viruses, you know prevention is the best medicine. And maintaining healthy spaces starts with a healthy cleaning routine. Grainger's world class supply chain helps ensure you have the quality products you need when you need them, from disinfectants and cleaning supplies to personal protective equipment. So you can help deliver a clean bill of health. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgrainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Andrea Canning]

Hi, everyone. I'm Andrea Canning and we are talking DATELINE today. I'm joined by Keith Morrison to discuss his latest episode, Lori Valo Day Bell, the Jailhouse Interview. If you haven't seen it, it's the episode right below this one on your DATELINE podcast feed. So go there and listen to it or stream it on Peacock and then come on back here. To recap, Keith brings us the first television interview with one of the most infam women in America, one whose story he's been covering for the last five years, Lori Valo Day Bell, the woman convicted of murdering two of her children and conspiring to murder her husband's former wife. As she sits in an Arizona jail cell awaiting yet another murder trial, one in which she'll be representing herself. Keith asks her the hard questions we've all wanted answers to, and Laurie doesn't hold back for this talking dateline. We have an extra clip from Keith and Laurie's bombshell interview, so stay tuned for that. And with that, I say, okay, let's talk dateline.

[Keith Morrison]

Keith, hey, how are you?

[Andrea Canning]

Hey.

[Keith Morrison]

Hey.

[Andrea Canning]

I'm good. I'm good. The weather's perking up here.

[Keith Morrison]

There you go.

[Andrea Canning]

On the east coast, spring is almost here.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

Yes, exactly. So in getting into this episode, I'm gonna start with the first 15 seconds of this show. Something that was extremely disturbing to me was Lori Valo winking at the camera as she's walking through the hall to your interview. What the heck is up with that?

[Keith Morrison]

I think that was as good a representation of her personality, her attitude and whatever is going on inside that brain of hers as anything else. The wink of the camera was Lori Valo Being Lori Valo, she's brazen, if nothing else.

[Andrea Canning]

Well, yeah, I mean, it just seemed so inappropriate. So not the tone, you know, for what she's about to talk about with you.

[Keith Morrison]

Sure.

[Andrea Canning]

All of it. I knew we were gonna be in for a ride after that wink. And yes, I was right. Okay, so first of all, Keith, I was really shocked at just the layers of what this woman is accused of. She is deeply, deeply disturbed.

[Keith Morrison]

Well, yes, the legal system considers her sane enough to go on trial and sane enough to represent herself in the courtroom. And she's a bright woman, there's no question about that. Very quick with a retort or whatever, but I really do wonder whether she is sane. Honestly, it's just my. My question. There were months and months where they delayed her trial in Idaho, the trial for killing the children. She was deemed not psychiatrically capable of facing trial of I guess, understanding the charges against her adequately. And so she went off for treatment. She was treated for delusional disorder of extreme religious variety for months. And finally she was declared sane enough to go on trial. She was put on trial and she was convicted.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. And when. When I say deeply disturbed, just. I should note, I'm not diagnosing her. This is just as a viewer saying she appears deeply disturbed based on the. The allegations, based on the convictions.

[Keith Morrison]

Sure.

[Andrea Canning]

You know, the other thing that was just so odd about her was, and I'm curious how much she knows about your episodes because you've done this. Oh, she knows a lot. She was so casual with you. How was she so familiar with you?

[Keith Morrison]

Well, the specifics of it, I cannot tell you, but I'm pretty sure she has heard a good deal of the podcast and probably has seen an episode or two of the program. But she told me that she had been kind of waiting for me. She had indicated that she wanted to talk to me.

[Andrea Canning]

Why did she finally agree to do it?

[Keith Morrison]

She didn't tell us, but my assumption is it has something to do with the upcoming trial. She is being tried for conspiracy to murder her fourth husband, Charles Valo.

[Andrea Canning]

This is the one with her brother?

[Keith Morrison]

Yes. Well, Alex was her angel of death. That's what they. That was the nickname that people gave him. He's dead now. He died in circumstances which seemed mysterious at the time and eventually were declared.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, natural causes.

[Keith Morrison]

Natural causes. But he was the one who admitted that he shot Charles Vallow and he claimed it was self defense. The police heard what circumstances. They were told by Alex and by Laurie and decided, okay, well, I guess it was self defense. They didn't press charges. And so it was only later on, when the investigation was resumed and the. The police from Gilbert, Arizona, conducted a significant investigation that they realized, okay, they could certainly, they felt, prove a case against Laurie and that, you know, Alex was her trigger man.

[Andrea Canning]

After covering her for so long, what was that like for you, finally sitting across from her?

[Keith Morrison]

It was curious. When I saw her come in, I realized, okay, this is gonna be a ride, because she just presents that way. And she had all the way along, really. I mean, you look, you observe her on videotape from the very beginning. She clearly has an attitude. She clearly stuck to her guns, to whatever she claimed her beliefs were in the whole court process. And so I was expecting somebody who would be that way. I had prepared a whole long list of things we wanted to talk to her about. And all of that kind of went.

[Andrea Canning]

Out the window, as it often does, Right?

[Keith Morrison]

As it often does. But for reasons of her behavior, her attitude, and the fact that. That at the very beginning, she launched into this story that was going to suggest at the end the idea that it was Ty who, because she was ill and not feeling well, she suffocated her brother and then, in a fit of remorse, killed herself. It was a long buildup to it. I was, you know, I let her go on longer than I probably should have least. It felt like that myself. And then, you know, you just have to get what answers you can, knowing that it's. She's. I mean, she's not ever going to answer a question.

[Andrea Canning]

No. And that. That was what was so frustrating. You know, why sit down and do this interview if you're not going to answer questions?

[Keith Morrison]

Well, yes, and there's that. It's a good point. But also I wanted to get a proper feel for what her attitude, her. Whether her beliefs were actually her beliefs or whether they're all made up and put on, whether she is, in fact, delusional or whether she has a great grand strategy for somehow beating the rap. What was frustrating to me was she knew I didn't buy this story of hers for one second, but she was absolutely determined to filibuster through the 90 minutes and get that story told. She would take little digressions, she would stop. And she wanted to tell her, you know, an anecdote about Tylee and some illness that she had years ago. And it was all kind of working up, as I knew, to this. To this conclusion. That was frustrating. And it. Because it was. It took the time away from.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, you got a ticking, ticking.

[Keith Morrison]

So you keep trying to. Yeah, you keep trying to break through that narrative. And that's when she would get annoyed with me and, you know, say the things she said about. About me.

[Andrea Canning]

At one point she says she yells at you, kind of like raised voice, like, get your facts straight, you know, Keith. And like, you don't. Like you've been covering this story for five years. But. And then she says, you know, rumors. And she like elongates rumors. And then she starts singing Rumor has it. And then she says to you, I thought we were gonna be friends. And then you say, I thought we are friends, aren't we? Like, was that sort of part of your tactic with her?

[Keith Morrison]

Or you don't want to put somebody on the defensive any more than you have to because you really do want answers to questions.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah.

[Keith Morrison]

So that was fairly early on in our conversation. And then you recognize toward the end of her. I did. Anyway, toward the end of this conversation. The time is ticking by. Got to get her on track here. So then I got a lot more direct with her.

[Andrea Canning]

Yes. There was definitely a moment where like I saw kind of like Stern Keith come out, like, answer the darn question. And you certainly were not her friend in that moment when you were trying to finally get her to give you a real answer. When we get back, we have an extra podcast exclusive clip from Keith's jailhouse interview with Lori.

[Unknown]

Create youe Oasis with Thuma, a modern design company crafting simple elevated furniture from premium eco friendly materials. Thuma's core collection, the classic bed, nest dresser and pillar bookshelf combines the technique of Japanese joinery with thoughtful design for timeless style and lasting quality. Assembly is quick and easy, taking just 5ish minutes with no tools required. Explore the full collection at Thuma Co or visit their flagship location in New York City. For $100 off your first bed, head to Thuma Co. That's Thuma Co.

[Keith Morrison]

It was late past midnight when they broke into the farmhouse. Never in a million years would you think that you'd see your parents taped off by that yellow tape. And they said, you remember the end of being killed. They left behind a wall of blood and a clue that took a case of double murder on a long, strange trip.

[Andrea Canning]

She looked at me and she said, I'm screwed.

[Keith Morrison]

Murder in the Moonlight, a new podcast from Dateline. All episodes of Murder in the moonlight are available now. To listen ad free. Subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Dateline premium dot com.

[Al Roker]

Hey, everybody, I'm Al Roker from the Today Show. Let's kickstart your wellness journey with the all new Start Today app. Everything you need for a healthier you all in one place. Fitness challenges for all levels, meal plans that are easy and delicious and so much more. It's built to fit your lifestyle and our experts will guide you every step of the way. Come on, let's do this.

[Keith Morrison]

To subscribe, download start today from the app store on your Apple device. Now terms apply. Cancel anytime through Apple under profile settings. The police and the prosecutors, when asked about the motivations for these crimes, they would say that the motives are money, lust, and power. This really had not that much to do with actual religious principles.

[Andrea Canning]

But why kill your children, though, if it's about money, lust and power?

[Keith Morrison]

Anybody who has stood in their way, they had to get them out of the way. And Chad conveniently had come up with this philosophy, this religious idea, and he came up with it while he was a sexton in a cemetery. He dug graves, but he had this notion that he was talking to dead people all the time and that the veil between life and death is really permeable. And you could go back and forth and he could go to heaven and see Jesus and come back again. And if he declared that somebody had turned dark or had become a zombie or gave him a name like Ned Schneider, it meant that they had been possessed by evil, by the devil, and that in order to save their souls, they needed to be ushered across the veil. And that's a polite way of saying killed with the.

[Andrea Canning]

With the children. Then that's how they saw the children.

[Keith Morrison]

That's how they saw the children. And that's. And, you know, so then Laurie saying to me in prison, well, you know, I see the children in my cell every night, and we're, you know, we love each other and we're very close. That sort of thing. You know, it fits with the notion of what they were doing to these people and what the reason their public reasoning behind it was. But again, the authorities don't really buy that. They think it's something else, something more venal. As for, you know, whether it was Laurie who was making these decisions or whether she was acting at the behest of Chad. She doesn't act at anybody's behest. Was my. Was my opinion after talking to her that the police tended to believe that Chad was the prime manipulator. They manipulated each other. And she was a tremendously manipulative person. He came up with the ideas, but, man, oh, man, she has an ability to make somebody do what she wants them to do.

[Andrea Canning]

And, Keith, we actually have some extra sound from Laurie talking about Chad, if we want to take a listen to that.

[Keith Morrison]

How do you feel about Chad now?

[Lori Vallow Daybell]

I love Chad like I love everybody.

[Keith Morrison]

Like you love everyone.

[Lori Vallow Daybell]

Well, I love Chad, of course. And I love.

[Keith Morrison]

Love him like a husband. Still. You're still in love with him?

[Lori Vallow Daybell]

Absolutely. Love him for eternities.

[Keith Morrison]

Eternities.

[Lori Vallow Daybell]

I have loved him for eternities in past, and I will love him for eternities in the future.

[Keith Morrison]

So why was it so important to get married to Chad when he was already married to Tammy?

[Lori Vallow Daybell]

I didn't get married to Chad when he was married to Tammy, so I don't know what you're talking about.

[Keith Morrison]

Well, but Tammy was ushered out of this existence, and the trial's conclusion was that she was.

[Lori Vallow Daybell]

Let's go with if Tammy died of natural causes.

[Keith Morrison]

Right, but she didn't. But anyway, let's go with it.

[Andrea Canning]

Let's go with it, okay?

[Lori Vallow Daybell]

Because I know the truth and it's my knowledge. So let's go with it. Okay, so if Tammy died of natural causes, then what happened? I got married to Chad after his first wife, who was my friend, passed away.

[Keith Morrison]

And you bought the engagement rings before or the wedding rings?

[Lori Vallow Daybell]

That is an untrue statement. You don't know what you're talking about on that one.

[Andrea Canning]

No, but. But there was proof that the rings were purchased.

[Keith Morrison]

Of course there was, but sure, her excuse was that she bought them for Zulema, the woman who was married to Alex does.

[Andrea Canning]

So do Laurie and Chad still speak? Whether it's by phone or mail or is there some communication?

[Keith Morrison]

Not able to. No, they're, you know, Chad being in death row, I don't think he gets to talk to people outside and, you know, they communicate extraterrestrially. Ah.

[Andrea Canning]

What? Did she mention what kind of conversations they have?

[Keith Morrison]

No, just that they love each other and that they see each other and she will be. Oh. And, you know, they. She fully expects to be exonerated. She got onto that track pretty quick as soon as we started talking about it.

[Andrea Canning]

I don't know about that one. I don't know. She may have some wishful thinking there.

[Keith Morrison]

Oh, absolutely. In my opinion, anyway.

[Andrea Canning]

But, yeah, it's interesting when you look back at Laurie when, you know, in the days before all of this, and just, you know, pretty bubbly. I couldn't believe she was on Wheel of Fortune. Sure. And then you look back at Mrs. Texas.

[Keith Morrison]

That was, yes, quite something.

[Andrea Canning]

The beauty pageant. I mean, this woman, you know, she was poised to have a great life. And then you look at her now and you're like, what? What happened?

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah, well, you kind of wonder about where she came from, too. And what surprises me in, and impresses me, frankly, in this story is Colby. Colby has come out of this. So, you know, he's a really impressive guy, and he's trying to break that chain. It's still difficult for him, but he is, he's healing. He uses his podcast, I think, or his YouTube as a kind of a way of helping him. And it does help, apparently.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. And he has a family, which is so nice. And I, you know, I can imagine, given what he's been through, that, you know, I, I don't know him, but that he'll be a great dad. And, you know, he'll, he'll just work extra hard to make sure those kids have a good life.

[Keith Morrison]

There's something called an ACE score. Adverse childhood experiences. And that they, they are a pretty good indicator of what somebody's going to be like later on in life, or at least the sorts of challenges that they will face. And I would think that Colby has a pretty high ACE score, and yet somehow he has come through it.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, I, I really. But that was, that was like the bright spot, you know, in all of this, just to see him surviving. Up next, your questions from social media. Every morning, we choose how to begin our day. I think about the people at home. They tune in because they are curious. They care about their world and they care about each other.

[Keith Morrison]

There's always something new to learn, whether.

[Andrea Canning]

A news event or a new recipe. And when we step through the morning, it makes the rest of the day better. We come here to make the most of today. We are family. We are today.

[Keith Morrison]

Watch the Today show with Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin, weekdays at 7:00am on NBC. Hey, guys, Willie Geist here reminding you to check out the Sunday Sit down podcast. On this week's episode, I get together with one of the brightest stars in all of music right now, Jelly Roll telling me about singing those hits that inspire and telling the story of his rise from a difficult past. You can get our conversation now for free wherever you download your podcasts on the embedded podcast.

[Andrea Canning]

No, it's called denying us freedom of speech.

[Unknown]

It's misinformation. Like so many Americans, my dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories.

[Keith Morrison]

These are not conspiracy theories.

[Al Roker]

These are reality.

[Unknown]

I spent the year following him down the rabbit hole, trying to get him back. Listen to alternate realities on the embedded podcast from npr. All episodes available now.

[Andrea Canning]

This one was. Wow, this one was a tough one. A lot of response from our viewers.

[Keith Morrison]

Imagine.

[Andrea Canning]

And we are going to dive into some questions that people have and I'd love to hear what others thought because I had a lot while I was watching it. KEITH KAT K. On X. I oh, my gosh, it's so funny that she's bringing up this question that I'm about to read because I had the same question. How is she getting her hair dyed in prison? And she also had a lot of makeup on, too. And her hair was, she did, her hair was. Looked like it had been curled.

[Keith Morrison]

Yes.

[Andrea Canning]

Did you do that?

[Keith Morrison]

Well, the, you know, back when she was going to court hearings in Idaho, she had to use candy and other kind of materials like that to put makeup on her face. Candies you can get at the tuck shop. But apparently they now sell certain basic beauty products, very basic stuff. But they do sell them in the, in the little commissary they have for inmates at that women's jail in Phoenix. So that's how she colored her hair and did the makeup on her face. She curled her hair. Because they can't have air curlers. They use towels which they get wet and they roll their hair up in the towels and sleep in it that way. And that's how her hair got curly.

[Andrea Canning]

I can't believe you know all this. Well, I asked her, well, as someone who's done a few prison makeovers in my time at dateline, I was definitely interested in that. So thank you, KAT K. For bringing that up. Mini Prnx. Will there be another interview? Will there be a round two with Lori?

[Keith Morrison]

Well, the, the jail said absolutely not. This was a rare, vanishingly rare event for them. They just don't grant such things. And they, there will not be another one. They said, this is it. You get your 90 minutes. Which was actually more time than we often get in a jailhouse interview.

[Andrea Canning]

Usually it's about an hour.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah. And, and that was it. But they, the jail was interested in helping us out. They, I think, were curious about her too, maybe what you would say. So they allowed us to use a pretty large classroom to set up our gear in, and they allowed us the time to do it, which is plenty of time to do it, which is unusual.

[Andrea Canning]

Also, Keith, we have an audio question from a fellow Canadian named Angela. Let's listen to Angela. Hi, Keith. Angela here. I just want to know if Laurie said anything to you before or after the cameras were off and if she acted any differently. Thanks. Love the show. I don't Know how you handle these people, but you do it so well. Good question.

[Keith Morrison]

It is a good question. And no is the answer to the question. She was strategic from beginning to end, in my opinion. She came, she winked at the camera on the way. She explained in colorful terms why they wouldn't let her take off her blue handcuffs. And she was on stage from beginning to end.

[Andrea Canning]

I did notice those blue handcuffs. I'd never seen that color before.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah, I don't know how she managed to get blue ones.

[Andrea Canning]

Now we have another audio question from Jacqueline Marino Perez.

[Keith Morrison]

Hi, this is Jacqueline. And I was wondering how Keith kept.

[Andrea Canning]

His cool while interviewing Lori Valow.

[Keith Morrison]

You know, people. Yeah, I don't know if I can get my brain about me. You're just trying to figure out, okay, what do I do next to, to, to counter this, this problem that I'm confronting here? And that's where your head is. So I, you know people. Look, I've been called names by all kinds of people. Sfu, Andrea. It just happens. It's part of the job, and it's not a big deal. You don't take it personally. They're just, you know, they're, they're trying to. They're trying to get the better of you in an interview situation. And, yeah, you don't want that to happen, but at the same time, you're not mad at them or anything. They're just. They are what they are.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, exactly. Okay. This is a question from a viewer named Leanne. Hi. Dateline, this is Leanne from Ohio.

[Keith Morrison]

And my question for Keith is, did.

[Andrea Canning]

You actually learn anything new from your interview with Lori Daybell?

[Keith Morrison]

Because it seemed as if no matter what you asked her, she just kept.

[Andrea Canning]

Talking without saying anything.

[Keith Morrison]

Thanks, and keep up the great work. Well, you hit upon my great frustration from this interview is I really did want to learn some new things, and she wasn't going to reveal them, but she did reveal something of herself, a little more of herself and what her character was all about. And so I learned some things from that. I think that the program was able to portray her as she appears to be, really.

[Andrea Canning]

I mean, she showed America and the world who she is, I think so. We will end Keith with a final audio question from Melanie Ann 236 on X. Okay, Keith, was Lori Valo Daybell the.

[Unknown]

Hardest interview that you've ever done.

[Keith Morrison]

Right at the end?

[Andrea Canning]

You've done a lot. You've done a lot, Keith.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah, Yeah. I wouldn't say the hardest, but pretty close. I would interview her again. I mean, I would do it again. I've the time I spent with that woman was fascinating just to see that kind of character at play.

[Andrea Canning]

Anything, Keith, you would do differently if you interviewed her again, knowing what you were up against when she walked in that room?

[Keith Morrison]

Lots of things. I mean, you know, you go in prepared for a certain kind of interview, it's not going to work out that way. And then you're dancing. Right. You've got to. Okay, now this is way different than I thought it would be or that I hoped it would be. So what do you do now? So then you're ad libbing the rest of the time you're trying to figure it out. Right. How can I get through to this person? Well, now she has shown me who she is, I would have a better, a better idea how to do that, which is kind of why I'd like to do it again.

[Andrea Canning]

Well, this one was one of the most interesting, fascinating, unique, outlandish, quirky prison interviews I've seen in a long time. So thank you, Keith, for bringing us that sort of exclamation mark on the end of, you know, this five years of covering this story.

[Keith Morrison]

Well, thank you. Yes. I think this was something worth doing, even if it was frustrating.

[Andrea Canning]

Definitely. And we do have a dot, dot, dot, because it's not over. There's still she's going proceedings at the.

[Keith Morrison]

End of March charged with conspiracy to murder her fourth husband, Charles Vallo.

[Andrea Canning]

It's never ending with her, is it? Keith, thank you so much for your time. And I know our viewers and listeners are this was definitely one that they wanted to hear your thoughts on. So thank you.

[Keith Morrison]

Thank you.

[Andrea Canning]

And that is it for talking DATELINE this week. Remember, if you have any questions for us about stories or about Dateline, you can reach us 24. 7 on social media. Aightlinenbc have a question for talking Dateline? Leave it for us in a voicemail at 212-413-5252 for a chance to be featured on a future episode or record yourself and send it to us via DM on social media. And coming up this Friday on dateline, Blaine has an all new two hour episode. When a home alarm is tripped late at night in Yakima, Washington. Police expect a robbery, but when they arrive at the scene, they find a woman shot to death. An investigation reveals a tangled web of friendships and affairs. But who among them could be the killer? Thanks for listening and see you Fridays on DATELINE on NBC.