FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho — The trial of an Idaho couple charged in the disappearance of two children later found dead will be pushed back to at least the fall.
Lori Vallow's attorney made the request Wednesday during a brief status conference in the case, saying he needed more time to examine evidence in the case.
"Having gone through all the discovery that I have been provided at this point, I still have about 30 items on my list that I need to discuss with [prosecutors] Mr. Wood and Ms. Smith, in terms of items I need them to provide to me," defense lawyer John Prior said. "I don't know how long that is going to take or what that process is going to involve, so my position is simply that I am clearly going to need more time."
Lori Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, were arrested after Vallow's children went missing. The remains of the children, 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, were found buried on Daybell's property last summer.
Daybell is charged with two felony counts of concealment of evidence and two felony counts of conspiracy to conceal evidence, while Vallow is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit alteration, destruction or concealment of evidence, as well as misdemeanors for resisting or obstructing officers, criminal solicitation to commit a crime, and contempt of court.
Although prosecutors have said the children were victims of homicide, neither Vallow nor Daybell has been charged with killing them.
A joint trial for the couple had been set for July 12. Judge Steven Boyce agreed Wednesday to vacate that trial date and move it farther back, even as he warned the attorneys that his schedule is rapidly filling up.
"My trial calendar, as I've been advised, is packed through the fall because we're just now starting jury trials again," Boyce said. "There is a lot to get to and some may well take priority over this case in terms of their age or how long somebody has been incarcerated, so we have to look at that."
The new trial date for Vallow and Daybell has not yet been set. The defense attorneys, prosecutors, and Boyce agreed to consult their calendars and come up with a date that fits everyone's schedule.
The next hearing in the case is set for June 9.
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