Sex, Money, Murder AND Zombies: Mormon Mysticism & the Doomsday Death Dealers

0:00 Warning, Kind of Murdery contains adult themes, explicit language, and descriptions of violence. It is not suitable for anyone, and we recommend you stop listening. Now true crime with a dash of the paranormal, the garish, the strange in the darkly comic. I'm Zevan Odelberg, host of kind of Murdery, a podcast that's about more than just murder. It's my very own pocket dimension, home to a curated collection of bizarre and compelling stories, the unsolved, the unsettling, and the unbelievable. I cover it all just so long as it's kind of Murdery.

0:44 That's the truth, folks, Just like it says in the intro, I am Zevan Odelberg, and this is kind of Murdery now. In our last new episode, I started out with just a few brief musings on the month of November. I've got some thoughts rattling around on this mostly empty skull of mine at the start of this episode two, and I'm going to share them with you. Although in this case, unlike last time, these musings are directly related to the story you are about to hear, a story I'm calling sex, money, murder, and zombies, Mormon mysticism, and the doomsday death dealers.

1:20 Wow, that is a big title, a long title, So let's get to my musings, huh. I want to offer you a few thoughts on human nature and the nature of the human brain. The world we live in is a massive, confusing, and sometimes terrifying place. It's easy to feel unimportant, unseen, and to feel like nothing makes sense. None of us enjoy those feelings, and our brains especially don't. The human brain strives for connections, connections between apparently disparate data points that make the incomprehensible comprehensible.

1:54 In other words, your brain wants to make the random make sense, not feel r Your brain doesn't like to be confronted with the nihilistic nature of the void all the time. It wants to find meaning wherever it can. Believe me, my brain wants that too. Now. Hand in hand with this deep human need for things to make sense to be understandable, is an equally fundamental desire for our lives to matter, not just to ourselves and the people that care about us, but to matter in some larger sense. We want to feel like we are living in a time that is somehow more important than the times before or the times to come.

2:35 Put simply, we need to understand and we need to feel relevant. We have an inexorable fever to achieve both those kinds of validation, and throughout history we find a pair two seductive prescriptions. What are those two things? Conspiracies and doomsday beliefs. Conspiracies make the random feel rational. They also make people feel special, like they belong to an exclusive of club with special knowledge and are privy to secrets that no one else knows. As for doomsday cults and doomsday beliefs, they are similar to conspiracy theories in many ways, not the least of which they make people feel important, like their lives matter, especially because, after all, they are living not just at a random point in human history, but rather during the most important days ever, the end of days.

3:23 Just in case, this all sounds pretty dark, and the story you're about to hear is pretty dark. To be clear, everyone is important, everyone's life matters, and no one should need a conspiracy theory or an apocalypse to know these simple truths. So with that in mind, please do join me now as we uncover what truths we can and solve what mysteries we may kind of murderies, sex, money, murder and zombies, Mormon mysticism, and the doomsday death dealers. Who that's a mouthful starts now. In two thousand and six, lour Valo married Charles Valow, and the marriage wasn't just a merger of two hearts, but also a blending of families.

4:15 Tyly Laurie's daughter from a previous chapter in her life, gained a stepfather, Charles, and as the years went on, twenty fourteen emerged as a significant milestone for the Valows. Perhaps driven by a longing to expand their familial tapestry, they embraced a new member into their fold. JJ, a young boy with the innocence of youth still fresh in his eyes, joined the family. He wasn't just any child, He was the grandson of Charles's sister, a direct blood tied to the Valows that added layers of familial bonds and responsibility.

4:46 The decision to adopt JJ painted a picture of a family growing not just in numbers, but in love and connection. Yet, beneath the surface of this seemingly happy expansion lay under currents of complexity and future, entangled the merging of past and present of histories and futures set the stage for a narrative replete with twists and turns, where every character's backstory played a crucial role in the unfolding drama. The story of Laurie, Charles, Tylee, and jaj is not just a tale of family dynamics.

5:18 It's something of a mystery, rich with potential clues and hidden motives, each waiting to be unraveled. As we delve deeper into their lives, we uncover the layers that make this more than just a family story, that make it, like I just said, a mystery, a mystery that beckons to be solved, a puzzle where every piece holds significance. As the pages of time turned to twenty seventeen, a subtle, yet significant shift began to unfold in the life of Laurie Valo. It was not a change in her circumstances, but in her very essence, her demeanor.

5:51 Those who knew her family and friends began to notice this transformation, a metamorphosis that seemed to have its roots in the books she was reading. You see, Laurie found herself increasingly engrossed in the writings of Chad day Bell, a religious author whose pencrafted narratives of the apocalypse. These fictional tales, while drawn loosely from the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints known more commonly as Mormons, wove a complex tapestry of religious themes. It wasn't just the content of the books that captivated Laurie.

6:24 It was the ideologies they espoused, the end of the world scenarios, the doomsdays that seemed to resonate with something deep inside of her. The plot thickened in twenty eighteen, marking a pivotal moment in this unfolding story. Laurie and Chad, whose paths were previously parallel, intersected. Their meeting was not just a convergence of two individuals, but of two minds steeped in religious fervor and apocalyptic thought. Together they embarked on a new venture, a religious podcast. You know.

6:55 Side note, Try as I might, I could find dozens of podcasts about Lauri and Chad, but I could not find what the actual name of their podcast was. So if anybody knows, go ahead and reach out to me. Kindomurdery at gmail dot com, at Kindomurdery on all social media. I'd love to know what their podcast was actually called. That seems to have been somewhat scrubbed from the Internet. So anyway, they started a religious podcast together, and the podcast platform became their stage where they shared ideologies and beliefs, broadcasting to their many listeners and weaving a complex web of spiritual and apocalyptic discourse.

7:34 The partnership between Laurie and Chad, forged in the fires of their shared beliefs, marked a new chapter in Laurie's life. It was a union that would not only redefine her path, but also cast long shadows on the lives of those around her, particularly her family. The narrative of Laurie, Charles, Tylee, and JJ was no longer just a family story. It had morphed into something larger, something imbued with religious undertones and predictions of horrific revelation. In this mix of family dynamics and the scatological beliefs, the seeds of future mysteries and untold stories were sown, waiting to unfold in ways that no one could have predicted.

8:15 And in the troubled waters of this increasingly foreboding story, a disquieting twist emerged despite both being married to others at the time. Their bonds, cemented by shared apocalyptic beliefs, grew deeper and more radical. Valo and Dabel began to see the world through a binary lens, categorizing people as either light or dark spirits. This dichotomy wasn't just a philosophical stance, nor was it just a spiritual one. It was a worldview that dictated their perceptions and interactions with those around them.

8:52 More disturbingly, they introduced a sinister concept into their ideology, the notion of zombies. That was their term. In lurian Chad's twisted belief system, individuals taken over by evil spirits were labeled as zombies. This dehumanization, this conversion from person to pop culture monster zombie, stripped away the individuality and humanity of those that laurian Chad deemed quote infected unquote by darkness. But the most chilling aspect of their beliefs was the supposed solution to the perceived problem of darkness, to the perceived problem of zombies.

9:33 According to Valo and Dabel, the only way to liberate a soul from the clutches of this evil, to free them from their zombie state was through death. This belief, a grim and fatal remedy, laid the groundwork for a story, the story I'm telling you now, that is steeped in danger and moral decay. The couple's descend into such extreme beliefs signaled a churning point. It wasn't just the descent into radical ideology, but a potential prelude to acttions that could transcend the realm of beliefs into the realm of the real with real and potentially tragic consequences.

10:06 The stage was set, the characters drawn into a plot that was as much about spiritual battles as it was about the struggles within the human psyche. This chilling psychodrama took a foreboding turn in January of twenty nineteen, when Charles Valow, entangled in the increasingly complex and darkening world of his wife Laurie and her partner in belief, Chad Dabel, found himself compelled to seek the intervention of the authorities. His visit to the police was not just a call for help. It was a stark revelation of the alarming transformations that he'd witnessed in Laurie.

10:40 Charles described his wife as unhinged, a term loaded with the weight of mental disarray and detachment from reality. He painted a picture of a woman who no longer tread the grounds of the ordinary, but believed herself to be a deity, a godlike figure, preparing for the apocalyptic end of days. This was not the lory he knew, nor was it the woman he married. This was someone transformed, consumed by her convictions and beliefs, some might say consumed by her delusions. Even more disturbingly, Charles voiced a spine tingling fear Laurie had threatened to murder him.

11:15 This wasn't just a marital dispute or a difference in beliefs. It was a matter of life and death. The woman he once knew as a partner and a family member had, in his eyes, morphed into a potential threat to his very existence, because he had, in her eyes, morphed into a zombie. Charles Valow's revelations to the police opened up a new chapter in this convoluted tale, one where personal safety and mental stability came into question. The narrative was no longer just about radical beliefs and spiritual warfare.

11:44 It had escalated to potential physical harm. Charles plead to the authorities was a crucial clue, a window into the escalating tension and danger that lurked within the Valu Debel dynamic. It underscored the urgency and gravity of the situation, hinting at the dire possibilities that lay ahead. The plot thickened as Charles Valow, increasingly ensnared in a web of fear and uncertainty, took a decisive step he filed for divorce from Laurie. His action wasn't driven merely by the dissolution of marital affection, but by a palpable fear for the safety of both himself and the children.

12:17 The court documents he filed were not just legal forms. They were testimonies of a man pushed to the brink, desperately seeking to extricate himself and his family from what he perceived as a dangerous, even a deadly situation. This tension riddled narrative reached a crucial, critical, tragic climax when Charles, simply adhering to the routines of a divided family, went to pick up his son from a home where Laurie was staying. It was not just any home. It was the home of her brother, Alex Cox, and it became the setting for an ominous encounter because when Charles arrived, Laurie was not alone.

12:53 She was in the company of her brother. The details of what transpired inside the house remained shrouded in the complexities of family conflict and personal vendettas. But what began as a confrontation escalated into a tragic and irreversible act. In the heat of the moment, alex Cox turned the conflict fatal, shooting Charles Vallow and killing him. The aftermath of this violence was tangled in claims and counterclaims. Alex Cox asserted that he'd acted in self defense, a claim that for the time shielded him from the grasp of the law.

13:25 He was never charged for the shooting, leaving the incident cloaked in ambiguity and unanswered questions. But this was more than just a familial tragedy. It was a confluence of fear, belief, and violence. It raised myriad questions about the nature of the confrontation, the motivations behind it, and the dynamics within the fractured family. As the story unfolded, it became clear that this was not just a tale of ideological extremity, but also one of personal vendettas, self preservation, and the tragic consequences of a family torn apart by radical beliefs and deep seated conflicts.

13:59 In the fall of twenty nineteen, a new chapter began as Lori Ballo, along with JJ and Tyly, embarked on a significant relocation. They moved to Rexburg, Idaho, a picturesque town cradled by the Teton Mountains. This was not just a change of scenery. It was a strategic move, bringing Laurie closer to Chad day Bell, who resided near this seemingly idyllic setting. However, in this particular real life horror story, tranquility is always short lived. In the following month, an event occurred that cast a long, dark shadow over both Luri and Chad.

14:33 Tammy day Bell, Chad's wife of twenty eight years, died suddenly. This wasn't just a passing, It was a moment that raised a curtain of suspicion and mystery. According to an interview on the CBS news program Forty eight Hours, Tammy had been in poor health and her death appeared to be a peaceful one in her sleep, or so claimed the local corner. The day Bell children, grappling with grief and shock, declined a post mortem examination, accepting the initial ast assessment of natural death. But as the investigation into Loris Vallo and Chad day Bell intensified, the narrative took another dramatic twist.

15:07 In December twenty nineteen, Tammy day Bell's body was exhumed, an autopsy was performed, and it revealed a shocking truth. Tammy had been killed by asphyxiation, likely smothered with a pillow while she slept, a stark contradiction to the earlier belief of a natural death. Amidst this brewing storm of mystery and suspicion, utterly shameless, as self proclaimed prophets often are, Chad da Bell and Lourisvallo tied the knot in Hawaii, marrying each other just two weeks after Tammy's death. This union, formed in the shadow of tragedy and under the gaze of scrutiny, added a complex layer to the narrative.

15:49 It wasn't just a marriage, It was a convergence of two controversial figures, each entwined in a web of radical beliefs, familial discord, and now a death shrouded in mystery, and each, perhaps believing in their own spiritual righteousness, seemed to give exactly zero fucks about what anybody thought or how anything looked. The story of Lori Valo, Chad day Bell, and the events that unfolded in Rexburg, Idaho, is a tapestry of mysteries, tragedies, and unanswered questions. It's a narrative that delves deep into the depths of belief, love, and betrayal, set against the backdrop of a seemingly peaceful town and the majestic Teton Mountains.

16:30 As the investigation continued, each revelation peeled back layers, revealing a saga that captured not just the attention of the law, but the intrigue and horror of the public. But the killing of Laurie's husband and Chad's wife was just the beginning. The story only gets worse from here with the disappearance of JJ and Tyly, Lorii Valo's children. Concerned about seven year old JJ, his grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, reached out to their Rectsburg, Idaho police for a welfare check, igniting a chain of events that would unravel a chilling mystery.

17:04 Their call sparked a nationwide manhunt after it was discovered that both JJ and Tiley had vanished unseen for weeks. This revelation added a dire urgency to the already tumultuous saga involving Laurie Valo and Chad Daybell. Despite the growing concerns and the intensifying search, Valo and da Bell remained evasive. They offered reassurance to relatives and friends that the children were quote safe and happy unquote, but these words rang hollow against the backdrop of the children's inexplicable absence and the expanding, fruitless search for them.

17:35 But the search for JJ and Tilely continued, even as Valo and day Bell seemed to carry on with their lives, vacationing in Hawaii in December of twenty nineteen, which by the way, was the same Hawaii trip where Chad and Laurie got married, despite the fact that Laurie's brother Alex Cox had killed her husband Charles, and authorities had just determined that Chad day Bell's wife had been estated, and both of Laurie's children were missing. These shameless assholes had the gall to go vacationing in Paradise and get hitched.

18:09 Their apparent indifference to the escalating situation further deepened the mystery and public concern. Well, I don't know about deepening the mystery, but it should certainly deepen the concern. However, the case took a grim turn in February of twenty twenty when Lori Vallo was extradited and arrested in a haunting revelation. Authorities eventually discovered the remains of j G and Tylee in June of twenty twenty, buried in the backyard of Chad Dabell's home. The trial This is Glorie's Trial cast a stark light on the brutal end that the children met.

18:45 The prosecutor, in a poignant and horrifying disclosure, described Tiley's remains as charred, a mere quote mass of bone and tissue unquote. God, that's hard to hear. These tragic details starkly highlighted the brutality of the crime and the loss of young life. The investigation pieced together the last known movements of the children. They were last photographed alive during a trip to Yellowstone National Park in December twenty nineteen, a trip led by Laurie Ballow. GPS data implicated Laurie's brother, Alex Cole, placing him at Chad Dabell's property on crucial dates following the children's last sightings.

19:22 Cole's presence in the backyard for significant periods aligned with the timeline of the children's disappearance. JJ was last seen on September twenty second, twenty nineteen. The subsequent GPS data from Cox's phone the following day led investigators directly to the site where the children's remains were eventually found. Unfortunately, Alex Cole died of natural causes in December twenty nineteen, leaving many questions unanswered and allowing him to escape his probable responsibility in helping to hide the murder of his niece and nephew.

19:55 Gosh, I'll tell you, I'm really not much of one for moral grandstanding and generally, even though it's often appropriate when you're doing a true crime podcast and telling stories like this, but my goodness, these people make me absolutely sick. All Right, Let's get it done, huh. The final chapter in Lorie Valo's harrowing Saga unfolded in the courtroom a stage set for the delivery of justice. The courtroom was heavy with emotion, as tearful relatives of the victims bound together and shared grief and anticipation awaited the jury's verdict and the judge's final word.

20:28 The nearly five week trial had been an arduous journey, with prosecutors calling sixty witnesses and presenting at times extremely gruesome evidence. The story they told was not just of the murders, but also of the harrowing discovery of the children's remains. In a notable strategy, Valo's defense team did not call any witnesses, and she chose not to testify. In her defense, the defense, led by attorney Jim Archibald, attempted to portray Valo as a once loving mother who had been ensnared by a quote weird unquot quote religious cult leader.

21:01 However, the prosecution's narrative was compellingly different. They argue that Valo, alongside Chad day Bell, orchestrated a series of events that culminated in the tragic deaths of JJ Tylee and Tammy Davell. And let's not forget all about Charles Valo, who was supposedly shot in self defense by Laurie's brother, now deceased. The prosecutor's narrative portrayed Valo as a manipulative figure using quote money, power, and sex unquote to achieve her objectives, with Chad day Bell being her ultimate goal.

21:33 Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsay Blake's words during the trial echoed this sentiment, painting a picture of a defendant who would remove any obstacle to get what she wanted. Lourie Vallo and Chad day Bell both embroiled in this tragic saga, tragic for others, horrific saga that they created. Face charges of murder, conspiracy, and grand theft. On July thirty first, twenty twenty three, just a few months ago, Lorieve, the forty nine year old beautician, received a sentence that sealed her fate life in prison without the possibility of parole.

22:07 Good get that zombie behind bars. Meanwhile, Chad day Bell's trial is scheduled for April first, twenty twenty four, leaving another chapter of this story yet to be written. This case, entangled in bizarre religious beliefs, family betrayal, an unspeakable acts, leaves behind a legacy of pain, loss and a stark warning against the dangers of radical ideologies. It serves as a starkly compelling reminder of the power of words and beliefs in shaping actions, sometimes with devastating consequences.

22:40 To that point, do yourself and all of us a favor and don't buy or read Chad day Bell's books. Remember that if you're going through a particularly hard time emotionally, that you can call nine eight eight twenty four hours a day, seven days a week to receive immediate counseling for mental health, substance use, or suicidal thoughts. So if you find yourself in a dark place, please do call nine eight eight, and please do always remember that you are loved and the world is a better place with you in it.

23:13 Until next time, I'm Zevan Odleberg, and this has been kind of murdery