My Cult Made Me Do It

I have written a lot about the ongoing investigation into Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow. Lori is currently sitting in an Idaho jail facing charges of felony child abandonment and desertion of two of her children, 7-year-old JJ and 17-year-old Tylee, who have not been seen since September 2019 despite pleas from concerned family members and a court order demanding Lori produce them.

Amid allegations of a doomsday cult, spiritual prophecies, and beliefs in zombies and teleportation, the mysterious deaths of three adults are also tied to Lori and Chad, including the deaths of the couples’ former spouses over the past year followed by their marriage shortly thereafter.

Did Lori’s alleged belief that her children had been taken over her missing children’s bodies have anything to do with their disappearance? Did Chad Daybell’s assertion that his former wife of 30 years, Tammy, wasn’t one of the 144,000 chosen ones to survive the upcoming July 2020 apocalypse (not to mention his “spiritual premonitions” of her upcoming demise) play a role in her death?

At present, it is unclear to what extent these religious beliefs have played in any of these events. But, if they did, could they be grounds for an insanity defense?

What Does It Take to Be Insane?