Family STRIKES BACK: Lori Vallow Gets Torched by Her Brother and Sister-in-Law | Lori Vallow Trial Day 4

Summary

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield Episode: Family STRIKES BACK: Lori Vallow Gets Torched by Her Brother and Sister-in-Law | Lori Vallow Trial Day 4 Release Date: April 11, 2025

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Introduction to Trial Day 4

On the fourth day of Lori Vallow's Arizona murder trial, emotions and tensions reached unprecedented heights. Host Ashleigh Banfield delves into the intricate family dynamics and explosive testimonies that unfolded, providing listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the dramatic courtroom proceedings.

Family Dynamics in the Courtroom

The courtroom was a battleground not just for legal arguments but for deep-seated family conflicts. With Lori Vallow having been married five times, the presence of numerous relatives under different surnames added to the complexity. Most notably, the Cox family members, Lori’s siblings, chose to support the prosecution, highlighting the fractured relationships within the family.

Notable Quote:

"There were so many family members of Lori Vallow in this court today, it was hard to keep them all straight."
— Ashley Banfield [00:06]

This bipartite alignment—defense on one side and prosecution-backed family on the other—underscored the personal vendettas and alliances influencing the trial's narrative.

Adam Cox's Emotional Testimony

Adam Cox, Lori’s older brother, took the stand to shed light on Lori's deteriorating mental state and her contentious relationship with the family. He recounted the gradual shift in Lori's beliefs, describing her as "building her own track to the next dimension" and declaring herself to possess "more priesthood authority than men in the LDS Church."

Key Points:

• Adam detailed attempts to intervene in Lori's behavior by collaborating with her husband, Charles Vallow, aiming to stage an intervention.
• His testimony revealed the family's estrangement from Lori, emphasizing that support was exclusively directed towards Charles.
• Adam's emotional recounting illustrated the profound personal loss and betrayal he felt as the family sided against Lori.

Notable Quote:

"I don't know if you're crazy, but what you're telling me is not true. It's not real."
— Adam Cox [05:15]

This statement highlighted the family's disbelief and frustration with Lori's radical transformation.

Serena Sharp's Account of Lori's Behavior

Serena Sharp, a spiritual acquaintance of Lori’s, provided testimony about Lori's alarming declarations during a church conference weekend. Serena described scenes where Lori proclaimed that she no longer needed to repent and was undergoing physical and spiritual transformations.

Key Points:

• Lori asserted that her husband, Charles, was possessed by an evil spirit named Ned.
• Serena recounted Lori's involvement in casting out the supposed evil spirit during a group session.
• These revelations painted a picture of Lori's disconnection from reality and her deep immersion in fringe spiritual beliefs.

Notable Quote:

"I believe we don't need to repent anymore."
— Serena Sharp [21:14]

This statement underscored Lori's departure from her religious teachings and foreshadowed her erratic behavior.

Kay Woodcock's Witness Statement

Kay Woodcock, Charles Vallow's sister, delivered a heart-wrenching testimony about the aftermath of Charles's death. She described the confusion and trauma she experienced upon learning about his murder and the subsequent actions Lori took regarding Charles's remains and life insurance.

Key Points:

• Kay detailed how Lori manipulated financial documents, changing the beneficiary of Charles's life insurance policy.
• She expressed deep resentment towards Lori for cremating Charles and sending his ashes alongside trivial personal items.
• Kay's testimony highlighted Lori's callousness and possible motives related to financial gain.

Notable Quote:

"She took a screenshot of the change of beneficiary form with my name on it, and she was... I want JJ period. That was a dumb statement by her."
— Kay Woodcock [29:55]

This illustrates Lori's manipulative tactics and disregard for family sentiments.

Lori Vallow's Cross-Examination of Witnesses

In a dramatic turn of events, Lori Vallow took the stand to cross-examine her own family members, including her brother Adam Cox and friend Serena Sharp. Her approach was confrontational and strategic, aiming to sow doubt and undermine the credibility of the testimonies against her.

Key Points:

• Lori questioned Adam Cox's recollection of their last interactions, attempting to cast doubt on his testimony.
• She probed Serena Sharp about specific religious references, aiming to confuse and destabilize her.
• Lori's tactics highlighted her aggressive defense strategy and her attempt to manipulate the narrative in her favor.

Notable Exchanges:

With Adam Cox:

Lori Vallow: "Did you see or hear or personally witness me conspire with my brother Alex Cox to murder my husband, Charles Vallow?"

Adam Cox: "No."

Lori Vallow: "So you have no idea?"

Adam Cox: "I don't know the year or how many years it's been."
— Lori Vallow & Adam Cox [16:03 - 15:35]

With Serena Sharp:

Lori Vallow: "Do you know in the Bible, Elijah? Was he translated?"

Serena Sharp: "I don't remember that."

Lori Vallow: "But you don't remember that. What about in the Old Testament, Elijah? Was he translated?"

Interviewer: "Objection to relevance."
— Lori Vallow & Serena Sharp [25:03 - 26:06]

These exchanges demonstrated Lori's attempts to discredit witness testimonies and reinforce her own narrative.

Highlights of Family Conflicts and Accusations

The trial exposed deep rifts within the Cox family, with members siding against Lori and supporting the prosecution's case. The absence of support for Lori from her immediate family, including her own brother Adam, signified a profound familial breakdown, likely exacerbated by Lori's controversial actions and beliefs.

Notable Quote:

"No one was there for you, not even your kid, not even your brother, not even your mother or your sister."
— Ashley Banfield [07:32]

This encapsulates the isolation Lori faced from her own family members, intensifying the emotional gravity of the trial.

Conclusion and Observations by Ashleigh Banfield

Ashleigh Banfield encapsulates the day's proceedings as a raw and unfiltered glimpse into familial loyalty, betrayal, and the complexities of a murder trial. She emphasizes the emotional authenticity and high stakes present in the courtroom, likening it to a reality TV show without the scripted drama.

Notable Quote:

"If you've ever been to a trial, the emotions are true, the stories are true... this stuff comes out raw."
— Ashley Banfield [33:25]

Banfield's reflection underscores the podcast's commitment to delivering unvarnished and comprehensive coverage of the trial's developments, inviting listeners to engage deeply with the unfolding true crime narrative.

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Final Thoughts

Day four of Lori Vallow's trial was marked by intense emotional testimonies, strategic courtroom maneuvers, and the unraveling of complex family dynamics. Ashleigh Banfield's detailed recounting offers listeners an immersive experience, capturing the essence of the courtroom drama and the profound personal impacts of the case.

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Remember, the truth isn't just serious. It's drop dead serious.

Transcript

[Adam Cox]

Foreign.

[Ashley Banfield]

Welcome back to Drop Dead Serious. I'm Ashley Banfield, and it's day four of Lori Valo's Arizona murder trial. And today, it got really personal. It didn't just get personal, though. It got. It got spiritual. It got emotional, and. And it got really uncomfortable. Like, I am talking about family chaos like no Thanksgiving dinner table you've ever been at. There were so many family members of Lori Valo in this court today, it was hard to keep them all straight. Cause Lori had been married five times, so she has a lot of names, but her first name was Cox, and so her family's name is Cox, and her siblings are all Coxes. And Adam Cox Cox walked into that courtroom today as a witness. The other Cox family members were there for Adam, not for Lori. All the Cox family was sitting behind the prosecution, right? They were not there for Lori. They were not sitting behind Lori's defense table. They were on the other side of the court. And if you've ever been in a trial, and if you haven't, I recommend you go to one, they are fascinating. There is a bifurcation in the room. There is the defense on one side, and usually all the supporters of the defendant are behind the defense table. And usually there are family members for a defendant. I mean, after all, especially in a murder trial, that person might be locked up for life, but not today, not for Lori. On the other side of the courtroom, behind the prosecutors, are usually the victim's family members and the people affected, the friends of the family. And that is where Laurie's family sat. All the Cox relatives sat behind the prosecutors. Meaning, we are not here for you, sis. We are here to make sure you go down. And that's really what her brother, Adam Cox was there for. There were also cousins of Laurie, her son Colby, Laurie's uncle Rex was there. That's Laurie's mom's brother, and three of his daughters. So three of Laurie's cousins all sitting behind prosecution. They were all there for Adam, as Adam testified, on Charles's side of the family, they're all sitting behind prosecutors, too. Right? These are victims, family members. This is the dead man's relatives. And there's dynamics here, too. Kay Woodcock is Charles's sister, and she's been, like, a central figure in this case for six years. So she was going to testify today, but she also still has surviving siblings. Right? Charles is surviving siblings as well, Jerry and Susan. And they were there behind the prosecutors. Nobody was there for Lori. Can you just imagine what your life would be like? You're on trial again for murder. And no one is there for you, not even your kid, not even your brother, not even your mother or your sister. No one. Not even your former cultists. No one. So let's go to how the day actually began. Okay. And this is how it all unfolded. Adam Cox, that's Lori's older brother, he was the first witness on the stand, and he told the court that his little sister wasn't just going off the rails. She was building her own track to the next dimension. Adam described growing up in Southern California with Lori and their siblings. It was a big family, by the way, and they looked really normal back in the day. And at one point, Adam said that his sister Lori and their other brother Alex got oddly close. Oddly close. That happened right around the same time that Lori's beliefs started getting strange. And Adam recounted for the court that Laurie told him she was a translated being on her way to becoming immortal, and that she had more priesthood authority than men in the LDS Church. Okay. Adam remembered Laurie asking him if Adam thought that his sister Laurie was crazy. And he had an answer for his sister.

[Interviewer]

Did you confront her about these beliefs?

[Adam Cox]

Confront her? No.

[Interviewer]

Did you discuss with her about these beliefs?

[Adam Cox]

I just let her say what she wanted to say.

[Interviewer]

Was there ever a conversation where, when she was telling you these things, where she asked if you thought she was crazy?

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

How did you respond to that?

[Adam Cox]

I said, I don't know if you're crazy, but what you're telling me is not true. It's not real.

[Ashley Banfield]

Adam then told the prosecutors that Laurie cut him off completely at that point in their lives. Adam said that he tried to tell his family about these weird beliefs that Laurie had expressed to him. And their reaction to him was essentially that, ah, Laurie's in a delusion and just let her do her own thing. She'll come out of it. But then that family. That family cut Adam off, too. Charles Vallow, for his part, Laurie's husband, called Adam. Charles was desperate, and Charles and Adam were close. They were brothers in law. The rest of Laurie's family had cut Charles off completely, and Adam was the only one who would even speak to Charles. Charles told Adam that something was very wrong with his wife Laurie, and that he wanted Adam to. To help him stage an intervention with his sister and, of course, Charles's wife Laurie. They talked about secretly recording Laurie, confronting her, and even showing the footage to one of the church leaders. The hope here would be that if they could get her credentials to enter the Mormon Church revoked, she might eventually snap out of all this craziness, Charles.

[Adam Cox]

Just thought that Lori was going overboard and that she was going to the temple like five times a week. And that's not normal in our. In our religion. And that she was going a little off the wall. So he figured that if she got her temple recommend taken away from her, that she would come back to normal. Who she was before she started in all this things that she was believing. Part of the plan that Charles initially came up with to get. Somehow get in front of the stake president. So that night, he's the stake president. He interviews people for temple recommends and also plays basketball afterwards. So that was just a thought of maybe this could be something that we could do to help with that situation.

[Interviewer]

We're using a term there, stake president. Who is that? What is that in your religion?

[Adam Cox]

Well, in our religion, we have our churches organized where we have wards and then a bigger. There are four or five wards that are in a stake and then there's a president of the stake. And so it's somebody who's in charge of everybody in the stake.

[Interviewer]

Okay, so someone that's pretty high up in the church.

[Adam Cox]

Yes. Yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

So Charles paid for Adam to fly to Phoenix, and they made a tentative plan to confront Laurie. And that is when things went sideways. Adam made plans to stay with his brother Alex while he was in Phoenix. But when Adam's plane landed, his brother Alex was nowhere to be found. Adam, like, felt like he'd been ghosted by his brother. No texts, no calls, no responses, no nothing from brother Alex.

[Interviewer]

Again, was that unusual to you?

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Did you think anything was odd at that time?

[Adam Cox]

Yeah, at first I was like, he can't be that busy. He knows I'm coming.

[Ashley Banfield]

Since Alex could not be reached, Adam had to change course and decided instead he would stay with his parents. Laurie, Alex, and Adam's parents at this point lived in Arizona, so that would work. He stayed in close contact with his brother in law, Charles Vallow. And he did that by phone and by text. And the weird thing is, he was even texting with Charles when Charles rolled up on Laurie's house. And lo and behold, what's in the driveway? What's in the driveway? Alex's truck. Laurie and Adam's brother Alex, his truck was in the driveway. And that is when Laurie's brother Adam got a very bad feeling.

[Interviewer]

When you learned that Alex was at your sister's, what were you thinking?

[Adam Cox]

I just thought something weird is happening because he never answered my text the whole day I was there, never returned a call. And Then all of a sudden, he said, he's at Lori's house. And I didn't even know. I didn't even know what to think at that point. I thought something was off.

[Interviewer]

So immediately you knew something was off?

[Adam Cox]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

From the prior day where Alex ghosted you to now he's at your sister's that morning when Charles was going over to pick up jj.

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Ashley Banfield]

Adam didn't hear from Charles that day. Adam didn't hear from Charles the day after either. And Adam said that he started to feel in his gut like something was off. Still, Adam did not come to the conclusion that the worst thing had happened. And he actually thought that he would eventually hear from Charles and that the plan to confront Laurie would move ahead. So while Adam was buying time in Phoenix, he decided to visit an old friend named Eric. And while having this visit with Eric, they got to talking about the drama surrounding his sister Laurie, the drama with her husband Charles, his brother Alex ghosting him, and now, weirdly, his brother in law Charles ghosting him too. So Eric told to the Google, and when Eric put Charles Valo's full name into the search bar, the oxygen left the room because the headlines that came up, Charles Valo shot by brother in law.

[Interviewer]

So you learn this. What is going through your mind now?

[Adam Cox]

Just everything. Chaos at a knot in my stomach. Just probably one of the worst feelings I've ever felt in my life.

[Ashley Banfield]

Adam said he immediately called his mom, but to his surprise, his mom said she already knew what had happened. And that is where the conversation between them turned awkward and dark.

[Interviewer]

What did you do after you learned that?

[Adam Cox]

Freaked out for a little bit. Cried. Didn't know what to do. Thought my world was coming apart. Then I got angry a little bit and then called my. I think first thing I did was called K, who's Charles's sister, and asked her because she's the only one that I felt safe calling after knowing my family was involved in this or thinking of this. That I asked her if she knew that Charles was dead, and she said she just learned of it too.

[Interviewer]

Did you learn from your confront anyone in your family about this or talk to them about it?

[Adam Cox]

Yes. After I talked to Kay, then I called my mom and asked her if she knew that Charles was dead. And she said yes. And I said, what's going on? And she said, you tell me what's going on. At that point, I thought that was bizarre that she would say that. So I said, well, we need to sit down and talk. And she said, yes, we do.

[Interviewer]

Did you go to your mom's house?

[Adam Cox]

Yes, I did.

[Interviewer]

Did that conversation go well?

[Adam Cox]

No.

[Interviewer]

Did this create a break in your relationship with your mom?

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Did you stick up for Charles?

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Did sticking up for Charles create issues between you and most your family?

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Did you continue to stick up for Charles even with that happening?

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Ashley Banfield]

Jurors saw messages from Charles Vallow to Adam Cox saying things like, the Laurie we knew is gone. I still love her more than life, but I fear she's gone forever. Adam was emotional on the stand as he described how his entire family turned on him simply for siding with Laurie's husband Charles. And then came the cross examination. And what a moment this was shaping up to be. Just imagine how weird this is. Like, how weird this moment is. Lori Cox, Lori Valo, standing up in court to question her own brother, Adam Cox, who was still on the stand. Right out of the gate, Laurie went full Lori. She chose to call him Mr. Cox instead of calling him Adam. And remarkably, Laurie asked her brother Adam how long it had been since they'd seen each other.

[Lori Vallow]

Mr. Cox, how long has it been since we've seen each other in person?

[Adam Cox]

Don't know.

[Lori Vallow]

When was the last time you saw me?

[Adam Cox]

I don't recall.

[Kay Woodcock]

So.

[Lori Vallow]

Has it been a year, two years, three years, five years, six years, seven years, eight years, something? Okay, so you have no idea?

[Adam Cox]

Nope.

[Lori Vallow]

You have no idea when the last time you saw me in person?

[Adam Cox]

I don't know the. The year or how many years it's been. Last time I remember our communications was you and I were speaking in the kitchen when the family was over.

[Lori Vallow]

Okay, so you think that was that time in 2018?

[Adam Cox]

I think so.

[Lori Vallow]

Okay. And were we eating my green chili chicken enchiladas?

[Adam Cox]

Do not remember that.

[Lori Vallow]

You do not remember that?

[Adam Cox]

Nope.

[Lori Vallow]

So I made every time we had a family get together, which was like ten times a year?

[Adam Cox]

I don't remember that.

[Lori Vallow]

Okay, so would you say that we were not physically close during the past 20 years?

[Adam Cox]

Yes, I would say that.

[Lori Vallow]

So our communication would be solely family get togethers, occasional text messages, Is that correct?

[Adam Cox]

And phone calls? Yes. Okay.

[Ashley Banfield]

Then Laurie decided to wind up her cross examination of her brother by pressing him for proof. As in, did he have any proof that she and their other brother Alex killed her husband and their brother in law, Charles Vallow?

[Lori Vallow]

So, Mr. Cox, did you see or hear or personally witness me conspire with my brother Alex Cox to murder my husband, Charles Bellow?

[Adam Cox]

Repeat that again.

[Lori Vallow]

Okay. Did you see with your eyes or hear with your ears or Personally witness me conspire with my brother Alex Cox to murder my husband, Charles Vallow?

[Adam Cox]

No.

[Lori Vallow]

Thank you. No more questions.

[Ashley Banfield]

Then the prosecutor stood up again to make things crystal clear. Did he think Lori and Alex killed Charles Valow?

[Interviewer]

You were asked if you personally saw, heard your sister Lori conspire to kill Charles. Were you there that morning?

[Adam Cox]

No.

[Interviewer]

Were you the person who. Who was supposed to though be with Alex on the 10th into the morning of the 11th, you spent the night with him?

[Adam Cox]

If I would have spent the night with him? Yes.

[Interviewer]

So that stood out to you because you had made plans with your brother, right?

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Your sister's house at 7:30 in the morning?

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

And you were aware that your brother had guns?

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Jj, did it seem odd to you that your brother would bring a gun that was loaded with extra magazines that was not safe to your sister's house where J.J. was?

[Lori Vallow]

Objection. Out of scope. This is not just redirect. This is not just a redirect.

[Adam Cox]

Hey, I didn't ask for argument, okay? The objections overruled.

[Interviewer]

When we're talking about this conspiracy and things that are going on, did that seem odd to you that your brother would bring a loaded gun and extra ammunition in this unsafe way to a house where your, you know, sisters, son, J.J. lived?

[Adam Cox]

Yeah. It seemed extreme.

[Interviewer]

When you were talking to your family after this happened, did you actually tell them that you believed that Lori and Alex had conspired to kill Charles?

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Why was that?

[Adam Cox]

Because Lori had told people that Charles was no longer living, that some guy named Ned was inside of his body, that there was a zombie living inside of him. And Alex didn't respond to any of my text messages when I was supposed to be with him. And he was at that house that morning. Lori talking crazy about how she's a translated being. All these things all added up into that moment. And that morning, once I found out on Saturday that Charles was shot and killed, no doubt on my mind that they killed him. That's a feeling that I got.

[Interviewer]

And you told your family that?

[Adam Cox]

Yes.

[Ashley Banfield]

Next up, Serena Sharp. She was a spiritual acquaintance of Lori's who stayed at Lori's house during a church conference weekend called Preparing a People. She testified that Lori claimed she no longer needed to repent, that she was physically and spiritually transforming and that Laurie was now wary. And that Laurie was now wary of zombies. Serena Sharp also heard Laurie say that Charles was possessed by a dark spirit and that that spirit had a name, Ned. And this conversation, honestly was nothing short of crazy.

[Interviewer]

Did Laurie ever tell you that she did not need to repent.

[Serena Sharp]

Yes, she did.

[Interviewer]

What does that. What does repenting mean?

[Serena Sharp]

Repenting means turning to God and confessing our sins and repairing our relationship with him so that he can take on our sins for us and we can become better people through him and seek his forgiveness.

[Interviewer]

Do you recall what Lori told you about not needing to repent anymore?

[Serena Sharp]

What I remember is she's had a couple of verses in the Bible that she pulled out and read and then said I believe something to the effect of, I believe we don't need to repent anymore.

[Interviewer]

Did that stand out to you?

[Serena Sharp]

Oh, yes. Yeah.

[Kay Woodcock]

Was that concerning to you?

[Serena Sharp]

Pardon?

[Interviewer]

Was that concerning to you?

[Serena Sharp]

Very.

[Interviewer]

I think you just said you were shocked by it.

[Serena Sharp]

Yes.

[Ashley Banfield]

It.

[Interviewer]

Was that against your religion?

[Serena Sharp]

Correct.

[Interviewer]

Did Lori talk to you about her husband Charles Valo being possessed?

[Serena Sharp]

Yes, she did.

[Interviewer]

What do you recall about her talking about her husband being possessed?

[Serena Sharp]

I recall that she spoke about her husband being possessed by an evil spirit and she named the evil spirit.

[Interviewer]

Do you recall what the name was?

[Serena Sharp]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

What was it?

[Serena Sharp]

It was Ned.

[Interviewer]

Ned. Ned.

[Serena Sharp]

Ned.

[Interviewer]

When Lori was talking to you about Ned, was she explaining that this evil spirit was now in the body of her husband?

[Serena Sharp]

I don't know if she used those exact terms, but that was the impression I got, yes.

[Interviewer]

Did you ever hear Lori use the term zombie?

[Serena Sharp]

I did.

[Interviewer]

Is that another thing that kind of stuck out to you?

[Serena Sharp]

Very much so.

[Interviewer]

Let's talk about the group casting. What happened? What did you guys do for this group casting for her husband Charles?

[Serena Sharp]

All the ladies came together and we were all in the same room just talking. And I remember coming together. I don't remember if we were standing or sitting, but I remember Lori started and asked for this help for her husband because she needed to cast out this evil spirit. And she asked to just go around the room and each of us take turns casting out to see if we could get rid of this evil spirit within him.

[Interviewer]

Ned. Ned, do you recall Lori ever talking to you about people having dark and light levels assigned to them?

[Serena Sharp]

Yes, I do.

[Ashley Banfield]

But now it was time for Lori to cross examine her friend and Serena got a grilling in true Laurie style.

[Lori Vallow]

So would it be fair to say that some of the things that you remember are from other people and not actually from me to you directly.

[Ashley Banfield]

Perhaps.

[Lori Vallow]

Okay, so in the instance when you said that I mentioned to you something about zombies, I would like to know what I said to you exactly verbatim about zombies.

[Serena Sharp]

Well, that was. I remember we talked about zombies in 2019 for the girls Weekend, you had mentioned zombies.

[Lori Vallow]

I mentioned zombies at that weekend. Out of my mouth and not someone else but me.

[Interviewer]

Object to argumentative.

[Adam Cox]

Overruled. You can ask. Why don't you rephrase that question?

[Lori Vallow]

Okay, so you're saying under oath, that I said the word zombies at that meeting. Or I'll go with that.

[Serena Sharp]

To the best of my recollection, it was that weekend during The Girls Weekend. 2019.

[Interviewer]

Sharp.

[Lori Vallow]

Who are the three Nephites in the Book of Mormon?

[Serena Sharp]

The three Nephites? I'm sorry, I don't understand the question.

[Lori Vallow]

In third Nephi 28, the three Nephites, do you know who they are?

[Serena Sharp]

Off the top of my head, no.

[Lori Vallow]

You do not know who they are?

[Serena Sharp]

No, not off the top of my head.

[Lori Vallow]

Okay. In the Bible, do you know of John the Revelator?

[Serena Sharp]

Yes.

[Lori Vallow]

Do you know of John the Revelator being translated?

[Serena Sharp]

I don't remember that.

[Lori Vallow]

But you don't remember that. What about in the Old Testament, Elijah? Was he translated?

[Interviewer]

Your Honor, I'm going to object to relevance.

[Adam Cox]

What's the relevance?

[Lori Vallow]

I've been accused of being out of the scope of the LDS religion when this is exactly in the scope of the LDS religion.

[Adam Cox]

All right, I guess to the extent you're comparing yourself to these biblical figures, I'll allow it.

[Ashley Banfield]

And then came the gut punch of the day Kay Woodcock took the stand. Charles was Kay's brother. And lest you think that this is the only tragedy in Kay's life, Laurie killed kay's grandson, little J.J. vallow, a seven year old autistic boy that Charles and Laurie had adopted. So, yeah, there is no love lost here from Kay. Kay described Charles as a doting father, a man who lit up around JJ who kept the family together. That is, until Laurie changed. When Charles began to fear his safe. When Charles began to fear for his safety around Laurie, he turned to Kay for help. He confided in his sister Kay that he was changing his passwords and changing his financial accounts, even changing his life insurance beneficiary, his decision to take his wife, Lori off the life insurance policy and instead name his sister Kay. Kay broke down on the stand when she talked about how she learned about Charles's death.

[Kay Woodcock]

I got a call from his oldest son, Cole, and he said, hey, what is going on? I got. I just got a text from Lori, and she said, dad's dead. And I. I said I was. Wait, what? It. What did you just say? And he told me again, and I said, something's wrong with that. That's. That can't be true. And I said, have you. Have you tried to call her and Cole? Like, yes, she won't. We. I'm trying.

[Interviewer]

Calling.

[Kay Woodcock]

She's not answering. He was freaking out, and I was like, okay, Cole, just. Just give me a minute. Let me. Let me think about this. Let me see. And I'll call you back, I promise, as soon as I can figure this out. So I called my husband to tell him, and he said. He said, okay, well, let me. I told him that. What the. Cole said? And he said, hey, let me call you back in a minute. And so I was still at the nail salon trying to get out of there, and he called and he said, he's dead. I googled him, and he's dead. Alex killed him yesterday. And I mean, that was just like. It was horrible. I have to call my siblings and let them know.

[Interviewer]

Did you try to reach out to Laurie?

[Kay Woodcock]

I tried calling, texting Charles. I tried calling, texting Lori, and at some point, she text me. She returned a text. Something like, I'm having to deal with a lot of stuff, and I'm busy. And she was too busy to even call his family to say that he was dead by her brother killing him.

[Ashley Banfield]

After Charles died, Lori found out that she was no longer getting the $1 million from her husband's life insurance policy. And Lori sent his sister, K. A screenshot of the policy and a very nasty text.

[Kay Woodcock]

She didn't call and do it. She sent me a text one night, a picture or two of a screen shot. She took a screenshot of. Of the change of beneficiary form with my name on it, and she was. I. She said something to the effect of five kids and. And his sister gets all the money. Or is that why you want J.J. something to that effect, which. It made no sense. I want jj period. That was a dumb statement by her.

[Interviewer]

So let me ask you this. So she told you again that she. She was left with these five kids, right?

[Kay Woodcock]

Yeah. Five kids. She didn't have. She had Colby and Tyler and JJ And Kobe was out of the house, so it was just Kylie and JJ.

[Interviewer]

But she's messaging you this, saying how upset she is because she has five kids to take care of.

[Kay Woodcock]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

And then she tells you that. Is this why you wanted J.J. to come to Charles's service?

[Kay Woodcock]

She. No, I had already gotten the okay from her to. To come get him. I was going to fly here, pick him up, go back to Louisiana, keep him for a week during. And attend this so he could attend the service during that Time. And when she got, when she found out she was not. When she found the change of beneficiary form, she said that she was too busy, they were moving to Hawaii and she. It would be too confusing for JJ to come and he needed to be with her.

[Ashley Banfield]

In a final act of cruelty towards the sister of her now dead husband, Lori cremated Charles vallow's body and FedExed his ashes to Kay's office.

[Kay Woodcock]

Well, this is before Lori knew she wasn't getting the money. She had him cremated and he was mailed, he was a FedEx or whatever over to my office along with his letterman's jacket from high school and a couple pair of cheap sunglasses and one or two watches. It was just a couple, a few little trinkets and Charles had a, a watch collection and she just sent some, just some crap.

[Ashley Banfield]

When it came time for Lori to cross examine her former sister in law, you could say the fireworks flew all right.

[Interviewer]

Cross boy.

[Ashley Banfield]

Lori asked if Kay knew what had happened on the morning of July 11, the day her brother died. And k, she snapped back with an answer.

[Lori Vallow]

And you weren't really aware of the events that happened that morning, were you.

[Kay Woodcock]

The morning of the murder of July 11th? No, I wasn't. Okay, because you didn't tell me.

[Ashley Banfield]

Laurie's final question for Kay was the same question that she asked of her brother Adam. Did you hear me conspire to kill my husband Charles? And Kay's answer, It was brilliant.

[Lori Vallow]

Ms. Wcock, did you see or hear or personally witness me conspire with Alex Cox to kill my husband Charles Mellow?

[Kay Woodcock]

No, but I saw a ton of evidence that did.

[Lori Vallow]

Thank you. No further questions.

[Ashley Banfield]

And that, my friends, was day four. I mean, family drama. It was top to bottom. Look, if you've ever been to a trial, the emotions are true, the stories are true. It's like the original reality tv, but there's no script and no producers. This stuff comes out raw. And if you're in the gallery, you can almost feel the reverberations. You can feel the hair stand up on your arm. You can just feel the pain. You can feel the. The eyes boring into people. You know, this is tough stuff. You can see a lot of it on television too. But it is really something to be in the court. And that's why we are doing our very best to give you every day in court, recapped every day on this podcast. I'm Ashley Banfield and this is drop dead Serious. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, the truth isn't just serious. It's drop dead serious.