Zombies Could Be Key Issue In Lori Vallow Murder Trial, Ex-Prosecutor Says

A former Idaho attorney general says lawyers on both sides might bring up zombies in the trial of accused murderer Lori Vallow.

Jury selection continued in Boise April 5, as the so-called “Doomsday Mom” awaits trial on charges of killing her two children.

Dave Leroy, who served as Ada County Prosecutor in the 1970s and went on to become Idaho Attorney General, said Vallow’s extreme religious beliefs could come up. She reportedly thought she could see dark spirits.

"It can be brought up by the prosecution to suggest that there was a motive of some kind, [that] children were regarded as zombies not to have them around any longer," Leroy told KSAZ-TV in Phoenix.

"By the same token,” Leroy continued, “the defense can bring up the concept of zombies to suggest perhaps Lori was under the undue influence of other people."

Vallow and her current husband, Chad Daybell, are charged with murdering Tyree Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7.

In the search for a 42-person jury pool, 30 people passed preliminary review as of the evening of April 4. The final jury will have 12 members and six alternates.

Attorneys and the judge are asking prospective jurors one-by-one how much they know about the nationally-publicized murder case. Prosecutors reportedly feel “rushed” by the selection process.

KTVB reported one dismissed jury candidate asked, "Wouldn't a mother know where her kids were?”

Vallow reportedly stayed silent about the whereabouts of her children for months before their bodies were found.

Other dismissed jury candidates cited family needs and potential financial loss from hearing the trial. Three candidates did not show up for questioning.