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foreign [Music] to this day that you've done anything wrong and you still may think you're justified by your
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religious beliefs for what happened here I'm not here to judge that but I don't believe that any God in any religion
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would want to have have this happen what happened here laughs welcome to another special episode of 48
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hours I'm Jonathan Vigliotti you just heard the voice of Seventh District Judge Stephen Boyce the judge who
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presided over Lori valadebell's criminal case in Idaho 11 weeks after a jury found her guilty on all counts brought
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against her in the murders of her children Joshua JJ valo and Tyler Ryan as well as Tammy dabel the wife of the
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man she then married Lori was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no possibility of parole I was outside the
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courtroom as the sentence was read and as Laurie publicly addressed the court for the first time
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we'll hear what she had to say later in this episode Lori's husband Chad dabell is also accused of these crimes and has
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pleaded not guilty to all charges if you're just tuning into our coverage now we've been providing weekly updates on
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the most shocking testimony and the most damning evidence throughout the trial check back earlier in this feed to hear
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more of our analysis now almost four years after JJ and Tyler went missing there and Tammy's surviving relatives
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know one thing for certain Lori veloda Bell will be in prison for the rest of her life
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back with us is 48 Hours producer Richie Fetzer who's been covering the story since the very beginning welcome Richie
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hi Jonathan uh thank you for having me and thanks for joining us three dead but countless more lives forever changed by
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Lori Bello deebel's actions actions that jurors found through their verdict were
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part of a conspiracy to kill Tammy Tyler and JJ which I I wonder what was it like
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to finally see Lori sentenced after all of this time I mean Jonathan I will say covering this story it's been a journey
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you know it started off the children were missing then it was awful news they were they were found dead and Lori was
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charged with murder now to see her finally sentenced honestly I felt emotional for me and I'm someone that's
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just covered it reported on it um I can only imagine what it was like being a family member or a loved one of any of
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these victims I mean we were outside the courthouse as the family started to file
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out after the sentence saying there was a lot of relief but there was also a very palpable amount of anger I think
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anger based on what Laurie said and did not say when she spoke for the first time in more than three years we'll get
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to that again in a little bit I want to focus on these sentences three consecutive sentences to life in prison
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that means that unless Laurie successfully appeals her case and her life sentences are reversed she'll never
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be a free woman again now one question we know a lot of listeners will have is whether or not the state could have
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sought the death penalty here Richie can you explain to me because I need a refresher why that wasn't on the table
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so prosecutors did seek the death penalty for both Lori and Chad chat will be tried separately his trial
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is currently scheduled for next to April but Lori's attorneys argued back before
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her trial even began that if she was convicted they didn't want the death penalty on the table they argued because
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they didn't have enough time to fully review like the vast amount of evidence that was turned over in the weeks before
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the trial back in March of this year judge Boyce ruled in the defense's favor which Lori's attorney today called a win
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for all Humanity I mean that's quite a statement there as we mentioned earlier we heard from Lori during Monday's
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hearing but she wasn't the only one who spoke before judge boys delivered his sentence we also heard from prosecutor
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Rob wood take a listen what is the value of the life of a 16 year old girl with her life ahead of her
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what is the value of a life of a seven-year-old boy with special needs what is the value of the life of a
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mother and a grandmother so that's how prosecutor wood started his statement he continued on saying
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this defendant violated the most sacred trust that exists in society that between a mother and her children
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and she did it for gain she did it for money a defendant who was willing to murder
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her own children is willing to murder anyone some money that was one of the motives
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set forth by prosecution during the trial with the death penalty off the table the prosecution recommended life
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in prison instead so what does Justice for Tyler JJ and Tammy require it requires this defendant never have a
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chance for freedom because her victims no longer have that so the defense on the other hand asked
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the court to sentence Lori to a minimum of 20 years behind bars arguing against life in prison that will give her the
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chance to be released after 20 years had passed or at a later date here's Attorney John Thomas in our opinion if
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you give her fixed life you will have essentially thrown her away she has no incentive to rehabilitate
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there is no deterrent to her or anyone else the punishment portion is final and all-encompassing I found this argument
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by John Thomas to be kind of strange and hard for me to wrap my brain around he argued that hope
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of parole would incentivize Lori to be a model inmate and perhaps influence other
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inmates to be better people unfortunately for Lori and for her defense team this was not enough to
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persuade judge boys but perhaps most impactful than the words of the attorneys were the words of Tammy Tyler
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and JJ's loved ones oftentimes that sentencing hearings family members of victims are permitted to give Victim
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Impact statements five people close to Tammy Tyler and JJ were permitted to give those statements on Monday Lori
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needs to pay for her actions according to the laws of Mortals she will still answer according to the laws of God when
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she passes from this life that was Tammy dabel's sister Samantha William reading from a statement written
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by her and Tammy's father Ron Douglas yes and William also spoke herself and used harsh language calling Lori a liar
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an adulterer and a murderer everyone now knows what Liars you are they now all know what horrible things you have done
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you will have to live in your prison cell for the rest of your life you are not an exalted being and there's no huge
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event that is going to save you no gel walls are going to fall so you can leave no angels are coming to rescue
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you you can really hear what sounds like anger in her voice we also heard from Tammy's Aunt Vicki Hoban
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she did not testify at trial and used her time to remember Tammy as a mother grandmother friend teacher and more
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friend and laugh never see another sunrise for a sunset Never Smell fresh rain or see her
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grandchildren stomp through a mud puddle oh never to hear being called grandma or
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Mom not another birthday Christmas the birth of a grandchild graduation from preschool
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I mean just listening to this outside the courtroom it was incredibly emotional inside it's important to
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remember the victims here whose lives were cut short by such senseless and violent murders I was particularly
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struck by Kobe Ryan's statement which was read by prosecutor Rob wood he's Tyler and JJ's older brother and he
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reminded the public that murders don't just hurt those who are killed but everyone around them I've lost my entire
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family in life I lost the opportunity to share life with the people I loved the most
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I've watched everything crumble and be shredded to pieces I have lost my sister brother father and
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my mother I've lost cousins and family friends and everything in between these murders have changed everyone's
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life who love these beautiful people but I still know that God is above holding them in his arms and will provide a life
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after this to reunite I pray for healing for everyone involved including those who took the lives of
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all the ones we love it sounds like Colby here is asking for healing for his mother as she's now
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being convicted of those murders and it was a surprising thing to hear in court because previously in trial we heard the
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jail phone call that he made where he was so angry with his mother when being confronted with the fact that she
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murdered those two children Richie did we hear from anyone else so we also heard from K Woodcock and
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you'll remember she's JJ's grandmother and the sister to Lori's fourth husband Charles valo just a reminder to
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listeners that Lori is also facing trial for conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting death of Charles valo in
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Arizona woodcock's testimony was so hard to listen to during trial and she was equally impactful during her statement
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on Monday we believe there should never be a reason for her to be released from prison
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she deprived JJ Tyler and Tammy of that right and should never be given what she
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so easily took from them she went on to describe Lori in even harsher terms Lori
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is undeniably a monster a monster that has taken away taken any has not taken any responsibility or shown an ounce of
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remorse for her vile actions she deserves to never again breathe oxygen as a free member of society
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her actions dismissive behavior and disinterest in court proceedings continue to validate her lack of
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accountability and remorse or any possibility to be rehabilitated Lori Cox debail is a danger to society
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her body and manipulative mind are weapons used for her selfish greed and satisfaction
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Woodcock also mentioned something not discussed in too much detail during the trial the state of Lori's Mental Health
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we firmly believe that she has zero mental illness that drove her to commit these heinous acts
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the judge would go on to address questions of Lori's mental health but before that we heard from Lori herself
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we'll hear from Lori right after the break [Music] and we're back Richie this was the first time we've
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heard Laurie address the court and discuss the crimes she's now been convicted of right yeah that's right
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she's given brief answers to procedural questions amongst other small comments and we heard her speak in telephone
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calls during the trial um you know the jail calls between her and her family but in today's statement
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she was emotional often repetitive and as I heard it not at all remorseful she also made it clear she hasn't strayed
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too far from her much discussed religious beliefs even doubling down on them Jesus knows me
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and Jesus understands me I mourn with all of you who more my children and Tammy Jesus Christ knows the truth of what
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happened here Jesus Christ knows that no one was murdered in this case accidental deaths happen
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suicides happen fatal side effects from medications happen as I listened to that now I still do not
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understand what exactly she is saying it was bizarre and Rich I want you to get into it in a second but one thing that
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did strike me was what she did not say she never said I'm sorry she did not appear remorseful she didn't acknowledge
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any culpability I was surprised during her statement she made a claim of she herself died while she was giving birth
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to Tyler she said she felt her spirit fall fall to the floor and that she was standing by her pregnant body watching
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the doctors revive her she described going to heaven before returning to her body she claimed that this experience is
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one of the reasons she was able to connect with what she described as the spirit world when Lori talks about her
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religious beliefs it can be a little hard to follow and Monday was no exception she claimed she'd spoken with
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Tyler and JJ and Tammy who she says told her that they're doing well and staying
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busy not only that she says they told her that she'd done nothing wrong she went on to say I do not fear death
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but I look forward to it I mean if she truly believes what she says she does it's no surprise to hear
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her say something like she does not fear death according to her beliefs when death comes she'll be reunited with
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those who have died one thing she didn't make mention of is her husband Chad who
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is Accused alongside of her of murdering JJ tiley and Tammy when the judge finally spoke he made note of others
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claims that Chad was really the Catalyst for the changes in her life and Her diagnosis of mental illness for which
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Lori received a diagnosis earlier in the year the most current diagnosis the court has
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is from Dr Watson from February of this year States you suffer from and I'll quote delusional
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disorder mixed type with bizarre content and hyper religiosity continuous and unspecified personality
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disorder with histrionic and narcissistic features so this comment was made in the context of the variety
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of factors judge Boyce considered in making his sentencing judgment but these other factors don't change the facts
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which are indisputable given her conviction Lori made a choice to kill her children you had so many other
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options you could have gotten divorced you could have found someone to take care of those
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kids but as the state was able to prove at trial you chose the most evil and destructive
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path possible and his point was those children should still be alive today he also said that
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the images shown during trial so often gruesome and disturbing will stick with them for the rest of his life but most
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striking of always his comments on Lori's lack of remorse that we've spoken about and that the motive appeared to be
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financial gain you'll remember that Lori was also convicted of stealing Social Security benefits JJ and Tyler were
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receiving and I'd have to agree throughout the whole trial and throughout Lori's statement there's been
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no evidence that Lori feels any remorse for the harm that she's caused it is the
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most shocking thing really I can imagine is that a mother killed her own children
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and you simply have no remorse for it even sitting here today there's no remorse for what you did
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in judge Boyce's mind the lack of remorse was possibly offset by Lori's absence of a criminal history good
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behavior in jail since she's been arrested and more but nevertheless ultimately he sentenced her to three
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consecutive life sentences and there's a lot more to be seen in Lori and Chad dabel's cases as both of them face
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future trials Richie thank you for joining us today and thanks to all of you for listening to this special
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episode inside the Lori Bella Davao trial be sure to follow and listen to 48 Hours wherever you get your podcasts you
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can also listen ad free on the Amazon music or wondering app foreign [Music]