Lori Vallow called the life insurance company just one week after Charles Vallow was shot to death, calmly reporting his death and trying to file a claim on his $2 million policy. When asked the cause of death, Lori paused, then said, “Well, he was shot. I don’t know if I want to put that,” before quickly clarifying, “It was an accident.” In that moment, she wasn’t calling as a grieving widow. She sounded like someone handling paperwork for a delayed flight.

Robin Scott, a claims processor for Banner Life, testified that Lori believed she was still the primary beneficiary. But Charles had changed that months before, making Kay Woodcock—the grandmother of JJ Vallow—the sole recipient. Banner sent Lori a letter informing her she wasn’t the beneficiary. It didn’t say who was, just that she wasn’t. After receiving the email, Lori left a voicemail, then finally got Scott on the phone. In that recorded call played in court, Lori gave her name, spelled out the policy number, and made a point of noting that she and Charles had five kids and had been married fifteen years. She also brought up their adopted 7-year-old son, JJ, who had autism, expressing shock that Charles would make a beneficiary change without telling her. But none of that changed the facts—she was no longer entitled to the money.

Scott explained in her testimony that changing a beneficiary is a straightforward but secure process. If a policy is valued over $500,000, the form must be notarized. That’s exactly what Charles did in February 2019, five months before his death. Lori may have suspected it, but hearing the confirmation seemed to catch her off guard.

Back in the courtroom, forensic evidence added grim clarity to what really happened to Charles Vallow. Dr. Derek Baumgarner, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy, described two fatal gunshot wounds. One to the chest and one to the abdomen. The first bullet traveled through the chest, perforating the heart, and exited out the back. The second shot entered the abdomen, tore through tissue and a lung, then exited out the shoulder. The exit wound bore a telltale “shored” pattern—meaning Charles was lying against a hard surface when the bullet exited his body. He was likely shot again while already on the ground.

There was stippling near one wound—tiny abrasions caused by gunpowder particles—indicating the gun was fired from close range, likely just two to four feet away. No drugs or alcohol were found in Charles' system. The official cause of death: multiple gunshot wounds. And according to the ME, neither wound was instantly fatal—Charles may have lived for a few seconds, maybe a few minutes. Enough time, perhaps, to reach toward his injuries or collapse to his knees, as abrasions on his knees and hands suggested a fall.

Firearms expert Jeff Moberg from the Department of Public Safety testified about the gun used in the shooting. A semi-automatic handgun, found in Alex Cox’s bag, had fired the rounds recovered from the scene. When a bullet travels through the barrel, it picks up microscopic markings—essentially a ballistic fingerprint. That fingerprint matched casings found at the scene to Alex's gun. Moberg explained how casings from semi-automatic firearms are ejected after firing. One trigger pull, one shot, and then it cycles another round. It’s not just the projectile that carries evidence—the casing left behind holds telltale markings too.

Moberg, trained in forensic firearm analysis, verified that the casings from the scene were consistent with rounds fired from Alex Cox’s gun. The kind of evidence that doesn’t lie, doesn’t bend to emotion, and doesn’t forget.

Then came the financials. The Social Security Office’s Mark Saari testified that Lori Vallow received survivor benefits not just for JJ Vallow, but for herself as well. After Charles’ death, she received $1,951 per month for JJ, with backpay of nearly $4,000. She also received her own benefits, totaling around the same amount. Combined, Lori was pulling in almost $4,000 a month.

But there was a catch. If she remarried, her eligibility for the spousal portion of the benefit would end. Which is exactly what happened when she married Chad Daybell in November 2019. The payments stopped—at least the ones meant for her.

Saari also revealed that Lori had previously been receiving benefits as the representative payee for Tylee Ryan, from the death of Tylee’s father. It wasn’t just one financial pipeline—Lori had several. But Social Security benefits require recipients to follow the rules, and when Saari investigated, he found discrepancies. For instance, Lori never told the agency she had remarried. She continued to receive spousal benefits until investigators discovered the change. That’s not a clerical error. That’s fraud.

On the stand, Lori attempted to suggest that Social Security employees might have made mistakes during her application process, that maybe someone entered the wrong code or clicked the wrong box. But Saari stood firm. He had reviewed all the documentation. The forms Lori filled out were correct—for the benefits she applied for. And she applied for them.

In the end, all the legal wrangling, insurance claims, and benefit paperwork come back to one day: July 11, 2019. That’s when Charles Vallow was shot. Two bullets. No drugs. One witness—Alex Cox—who claimed it was self-defense. But the physical evidence, the phone calls, the policy forms, and the forensic reports all speak louder than words.

#LoriVallow #CharlesVallow #TrueCrimePodcast #AutopsyEvidence

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