Renegade Mormons Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell developed their own doomsday cult, telling their small circle of followers that demons had turned their family members into “zombies” or “vampires” who needed to be killed. On May 14, 2023, an Idaho jury found Daybell guilty on all charges, for her role in the deaths of her two children and her husband’s first wife. Chad Daybell will be tried separately next year.

On Day 5 of the Vallow Daybell trial, Zulema Pastenes, the widow of Lori’s brother Alex Cox, took the stand. She explained Lori ‘s beliefs about casting out evil spirits, and how she was convinced various people–including her two children–had been ‘possessed’ and ‘attacked’ by demons.