Lori Vallow Daybell, the notorious ‘doomsday mom,’ who is currently on trial for the murder of her fourth husband, engaged in a tense cross-examination with Nancy Jo Hancock, a woman who went on a date with Charles Vallow the night before his murder.
Vallow Daybell, representing herself in the trial, displayed occasional snide remarks during her questioning, prompting multiple objections from the prosecution, who accused her of being argumentative and asking irrelevant questions.
The tension escalated when the judge called for a break, asking Vallow Daybell if she wished to continue questioning Hancock regarding the nature of text messages exchanged with Charles Vallow.
Hancock, 61, testified that she met Charles Vallow in early July 2019 through a dating site for members of their church. The two exchanged numerous texts and talked on the phone for several days prior to their dinner on July 10, 2019, the day before his tragic death.
She revealed that they had exchanged ‘hundreds’ of text messages and spent hours on the phone discussing personal matters. According to Hancock, Charles Vallow indicated he was in the midst of a divorce and frequently spoke about Vallow Daybell and the alleged issues within their marriage.
Further testimony revealed that Charles Vallow had expressed ‘concerns for his safety’ and informed Hancock that he had changed the beneficiary on his $1 million life insurance policy to his sister.
Hancock recounted her understanding that Charles Vallow’s marriage had been troubled for ‘several months’ but intensified around the start of 2019. Despite the chaos surrounding him, Hancock continued to communicate with Charles Vallow due to his charm, kindness, and cleverness.
Hancock characterized Charles Vallow as ‘pretty awesome’ during her testimony. At dinner, he seemed eager about seeing his son, Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow, the next morning to take him to school. However, after their dinner, Hancock never heard from him again.
It wasn’t until several months later, while watching the news, that she learned about his death.
Vallow Daybell began her cross-examination by asking Hancock whether she ever verified Charles Vallow’s claims of undergoing a divorce. Hancock admitted, ‘No, I didn’t try and verify that.’
Vallow Daybell probed further, questioning if Hancock would have gone on a date with Charles Vallow had she known he was still married. Hancock responded, ‘Um, if I would have realized how married he still was, maybe not. But I just met for dinner. I wasn’t sleeping with him or anything.’
In a pointed retort, Vallow Daybell asked, ‘Do you go on dates with married men?’ prompting the prosecution to object to her argumentative tone. The judge sustained the objection, reminding Vallow Daybell of her rights during the cross-examination.
Continuing her questioning, Vallow Daybell pressed Hancock, ‘So you did go on a date with a married man?’ Hancock confirmed, acknowledging that she was aware that Charles Vallow’s divorce was not finalized at the time.
Vallow Daybell countered, asserting that ‘his divorce was not started.’ Hancock simply replied, ‘Okay.’
As the exchange continued, the prosecution objected again after Vallow Daybell inquired whether Charles Vallow had responded to a text message from Hancock questioning if he was a good kisser. Prosecutor Treena Kay termed the question irrelevant, and the judge upheld the objection.
At one point in the cross-examination, Vallow Daybell asked Hancock whether she and Charles Vallow spent their dinner discussing her. Hancock’s sharp response was, ‘Don’t flatter yourself. No, we did not spend the whole time talking about you.’
Vallow Daybell also wanted to know if Charles Vallow had opened up about his difficult relationship with Vallow Daybell’s daughter, Tylee Ryan. Hancock, unable to recall their conversation on the topic, drew a muttered response from Vallow Daybell: ‘I’m sure you don’t.’
Once again, the prosecution objected to Vallow Daybell making side remarks, with the judge sustaining the objection.
Turning the focus back to the dinner date, Vallow Daybell asked Hancock if it was typical for men to speak about their ‘supposed ex-wives’ during dates. Hancock replied that it is ‘actually very common.’
With a hint of skepticism, Vallow Daybell responded, ‘Really? Interesting.’
The prosecution objected to this commentary, and the judge reminded Vallow Daybell to refrain from such interruptions.
‘I’m sorry, your honor. I won’t do that again,’ Vallow Daybell assured the court.
The trial continues to unfold, with significant intrigue surrounding the troubled relationships and circumstances leading up to the murders of Tylee, Joshua, and Charles Vallow.
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