Lori Vallow can’t afford her attorney, declared indigent by judge

IDAHO FALLS – The district judge in Lori Vallow’s case declared her indigent Friday, meaning she is no longer able to afford her attorney.

District Judge Steven Boyce cited Idaho Code 19-854 in his order, which states that a judge can declare a defendant indigent if they cannot afford to pay for an attorney to represent them. Defendants are typically declared indigent near the beginning of court proceedings so that they may apply for a public defender paid by the county government.

An indigent client may be required to refund the county for the defense, “unless the requirement would impose a manifest hardship on the indigent person,” the law states.

Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, are on trial for multiple counts of destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence, or attempted destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence.

The couple came under suspicion in 2019 after relatives raised concerns that they had not heard from Vallow’s children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “J.J.” Vallow in months.

In June 2020, law enforcement discovered the children were buried on Daybell’s property in Salem, despite the couple’s claims that J.J. was staying with relatives.