REXBURG, Idaho — The Idaho mother accused of being involved in the death of her two young children was scheduled to have a status conference Thursday morning in court, but the hearing was postponed to a later date.
In May, Lori Vallow was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial on the charges that she conspired to murder her children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old JJ Vallow, who were found buried on Vallow's husband Chad Daybell's property in Fremont County in June, 2020.
Prosecutors have said both Vallow and Daybell held fringe religious beliefs that the end of the world was imminent and that they had been specially chosen by God to lead a group of human survivors after the apocalypse. According to testimony, Vallow also thought both her children had been inhabited by evil spirits and were "zombies."
Idaho does not allow for a so-called "insanity defense" by which a defendant can be found not guilty of a crime due to their mental state.
Idaho law mandates that a defendant must be able to understand the charges against them, follow what is happening in court, and assist their lawyers in their own defense.
Someone charged with a crime but ruled unfit to stand trial will typically be held in jail, a state-run mental hospital, or an Idaho Department of Correction mental facility where they will receive treatment, medication and therapy for their mental health issues.
If, over the course of that treatment, evaluators believe a suspect has regained competency, the case will move forward to trial - even months, years, or decades later.
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