(NewsNation) — The murder trial of Lori Vallow continued Tuesday as the jury heard a phone call between Vallow and her only surviving son, who confronted Vallow after the bodies of the other two children she’s accused of killing were unearthed.
Seated in the audience throughout the trial has been Kresha Kay Easton, the aunt of Joshua “JJ” Vallow, whom Lori is accused of killing. She says watching the trial has been like an “out-of-body experience.”
“It’s like you’re not even there. I don’t retain what’s being said because I’m processing, I’m looking at everybody, looking at the jurors, looking at (Lori), looking at the judge,” Easton said in an exclusive interview on “CUOMO.” “It is out of this world, and I don’t wish this for any other family, ever.”
Vallow is on trial for the murder of her son, JJ, and daughter, Tylee Ryan. She also faces conspiracy charges in the death of her current husband’s ex-wife.
The case has garnered national attention, particularly because of the cultlike beliefs held by Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell. They were part of a doomsday preparation group, and according to family friends, frequently described people as “zombies” or as having “light” or “dark” spirits.
Prosecutors in opening statements argued Vallow wanted “power, money and sex” and was willing to do whatever it took to achieve them, including killing her own children.
Vallow’s only living son, Colby Ryan, testified Tuesday that Tylee was receiving Social Security benefits from her father Joe Ryan’s 2018 death and would sometimes send him money, but after Tylee went missing, the funds began coming from a different account under his mother’s name.
In a separate case in Arizona, Vallow faces charges in the death of her former husband Charles Vallow.
Charles Vallow’s death meant that JJ was also receiving Social Security benefits, a special agent with the Social Security Administration told jurors. Vallow never reported to the Social Security Administration that her younger kids were missing or had died, Mark Saari said, though federal rules required her to do so.
The kids were receiving about $3,800 a month combined, and Vallow was also receiving roughly $1,900 a month in benefits following Charles Vallow’s death, Saari said.
“Lori and Chad and friends need to be held accountable,” Easton said.
A judge previously ruled that Vallow would not be eligible for the death penalty, a decision with which Easton disagree.
“The death penalty should not have ever been removed off the table,” she said. “I just want to get justice for my family, whatever that is.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
