This article was originally published by Nate Eaton in East Idaho News.
Prosecutors in Arizona will not file conspiracy to commit murder charges against Chad Daybell in the attempted shooting case of Brandon Boudreaux, Lori Vallow Daybell’s former nephew-in-law.
The announcement came Thursday afternoon in a statement from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Fox 10 reporter Justin Lum was first to report the news.
“After a lengthy and careful review of the charge of conspiracy to commit murder on Chad Daybell, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has decided to turn down the case citing no reasonable likelihood of conviction,” the statement said.
The Gilbert Police Department forwarded the case to the county attorney in November. Prosecutors have not yet announced if Lori will face charges in connection to the October 2019 shooting.
Melani Pawlowski, Lori’s niece, was in a contentious divorce with Boudreaux at the time of the shooting, according to court records.
Based on evidence obtained during the investigation, police believe Alex Cox, Lori’s brother and Pawlowski’s uncle, drove a green Jeep Wrangler from Rexburg, fired a single shot at Boudreaux and missed. Cox then drove back to Idaho.
He cannot face charges since he died on Dec. 12, 2019, at his home in Arizona of what the medical examiner says were natural causes.
Boudreaux told investigators on the morning of the shooting, he left his home around 7:25 a.m. with his four children. When he returned around 9:14 a.m., he saw the back window of the Jeep open up and the muzzle of a gun pointed toward him. That’s when the gun was fired. The bullet hit the front driver’s side door frame of Boudreaux’s Tesla.
Before the attempted shooting of Boudreaux, police learned Lori’s two children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, had vanished. Their bodies were found in June 2020 buried in Chad’s backyard. Investigators also say Chad’s first wife, Tammy Daybell, was killed in October 2019.
Chad and Lori face multiple charges in Idaho, including conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder. Lori’s case is on hold as she is in the care of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare after being found not competent to assist in her own defense. The next hearing for Chad’s case is scheduled for March 18 with a trial set for January 2023.
