BOISE, Idaho — Jury selection in the murder trial of Lori Vallow, or Lori Vallow Daybell, is moving into a fourth day after the court did not pass the last three potential jurors they needed to move forward.
However, attorneys and the judge appear to have set a timeline for themselves, and are aiming to start opening statements in the case on Monday morning.
The court aims to get to a pool of 42 potential jurors in order to began "striking" -- which will narrow down their pool to 12 jurors and six alternates, who will be the final jurors overseeing the trial. The current selection process is known as "voir dire," in order to eliminate jurors who have biases that could skew the fairness of the trial.
Vallow is charged with murder, conspiracy and grand theft related to the deaths of her two children, Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan, and her husband's late wife, Tammy Daybell, in eastern Idaho. Her husband Chad Daybell is also charged in the murders and will be tried separately in Ada County at a date still to be determined. Prosecutors were previously seeking the death penalty against Vallow Daybell but it was later taken off the table by a judge as a way to sanction the prosecution for late discovery disclosure.
Both the defense and the prosecution started Wednesday morning with 30 potential jurors they've gained over the course of jury selection, which began Monday. They ended the day with 39 potential jurors, mostly dismissing people who have seen coverage of the Vallow case on the news or read about it in news publications. The court also dismisses jurors who have "hardships" -- meaning they cannot afford to take time off of work, have a family to provide for, attend school, etc.
A juror was also dismissed because she thought she could not handle seeing autopsy photos of children.
The last potential jury panel of the day could have been the panel to get the court to their goal of 42 -- but as each person was dismissed, the numbers slowly dwindled until no one from the panel ended up passing on to the next stage. The court still needs three potential jurors to move on.
One juror told the court his wife is interested in true crime and explained all about the jury selection process to him.
"My wife is a total crime junkie. She always talks to me about it... I can't get away from her," he told the judge. This was met with laughter from the room, and by Vallow herself. That juror was later dismissed.
It's possible one more panel is needed Thursday to reach the number needed, but it's unclear how long that will take. As mentioned, opening statements are expected to begin on Monday, April 10, at 8:30 a.m. at the Ada County Courthouse.
Jury selection will resume on Thursday afternoon at 1:30 p.m., as the state and defense both have administrative meetings in the morning, according to the Ada County Trial Court Administrator.
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