(NewsNation) — Opening statements in the Lori Vallow trial are set to begin Monday.
Investigators believe Vallow conspired with her now-husband Chad Daybell to kill her two youngest children, Tylee and JJ, who went missing in 2019, along with Daybell’s former wife, Tammy Daybell. Prosecutors insist the killings are based on their apocalyptic beliefs.
NewsNation legal contributor Jesse Weber believes Vallow will likely try to detach herself from the deaths of her two children and point blame at Chad Daybell and her deceased brother, Alex Cox.
“What I imagine she’s going to do is point the finger at Chad Daybell, her current husband, but more particularly Alex Cox, her deceased brother. It’s very easy to put the blame on somebody who is not here to defend themselves,” Weber said on “NewsNation Prime.”
He added: “She’s going to try to detach herself as much as possible from whatever the prosecution is going to say that Chad and Alex Cox were part of. I think that’s what she has to do. I don’t know if it’s going to be effective, but I think we’re going to hear a sampling of that in the opening statements.”
Weber said opening statements are significant since it’s the first step for both the defense and prosecution to lay the groundwork moving forward in the trial.
“If you put yourself in the minds of the jury, this is the first time they hear about the case. It gives the opportunity for both sides to present their story, their version of what happened,” Weber said.
Vallow pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy and grand theft charges. She is being housed at the Ada County Jail, just outside Boise, Idaho.