Friend testifies Lori Vallow threatened to kill her

BOISE, Idaho — Day 16 of the Lori Vallow Daybell trial is now underway at the Ada County Courthouse.

On Tuesday, prosecutors called Alice and Todd Gilbert to the stand, the former neighbors of Chad and Tammy Daybell. Both testified that Chad Daybell told them he had visions of Tammy dying before she turned 50.

Lori Vallow Daybell is charged with conspiracy to commit Tammy's murder.

Related: Neighbors testify Chad and Lori felt they had a mission to prepare for the end of the world

As court resumes today, the state calls Audrey Barattiero to the stand. Barattiero was a friend of Lori's, and they had met at a religious conference in November 2018.

Sketch by Lisa Cheney

Their conversations were mostly based around spiritual based things, happening once every few weeks. Chad had asked Barattiero to befriend Lori in 2018, as he felt he could not give Lori the attention she needed and thought Barattiero would be a good friend.

In the summer of 2019, Barattiero met up with Lori at a conference in Utah. During that conference, Barattiero had assembled with Lori and some others in what she thought was a prayer group, but ended up being a casting to rid the evil spirits inhibiting Charles Vallow. This was not in the belief structure of Barattiero and she left the group.

Barattiero testified that Chad had spoken with her about his vision of Tammy dying and that he would remarry Lori.

As the relationship between Barattiero and Lori progressed, Lori's seemed to talk more of dark spirits and zombies and the need to get rid of them. If a casting didn't work, Lori would claim that additional zombies had arrived and more needed to be done to rid them from those they inhabited.

Barattiero testifies that her communication was more with Chad than with Lori. She believed in Chad's teachings about past lives and the Light and Dark scale and in preparing for the end of the world. She believed that he had a high place within their spiritual beliefs, and felt that Lori and others did, as well.

Barattiero discussed visits she had with Lori in Hawaii, and Lori coming with her niece Melani Pawlowski to visit in Missouri. She had maintained her friendships and visited temples and seminars with them. During her last visit with Lori in Hawaii, she learned of Tammy Daybell's death, and testifies how she felt Lori's behavior had changed.

Upon cross-examination by the defense, Barattiero says that she became uncomfortable with the group when talks of zombies and getting rid of people, sounding more aggressive than Godly, became more apparent. She testified that she spent time with Lori in Hawaii, Idaho, Utah, Missouri and Arizona, but dissolved the friendship after an October 2019 visit in Idaho.

Sketch by Lisa Cheney

During re-direct from the state, Barattiero relates that the last time she was with Lori had started with a visit to Hawaii, and then Barattiero and Melanie Gibb joined Lori in Idaho in October 2019. Barattiero testifies that she was very uncomfortable around Lori, and had decided to go home.

Barattiero says Lori laughed at her, and called her a naive child who was too nice and trusting. After several words, Lori ultimately threatened to kill Barattiero, describing how she would cut her up in pieces. Lori said she wasn't in the mental place to do it now, but she would get there. And there would be blood and bleach and trash bags and she would bury Barattiero in a place where she would never be found.

The defense then comes for re-cross, asking why none of this came out during Baratterio's testimony to the Grand Jury in this case and questioning the validity of her statements. Baratterio maintained that she was telling the truth, and she hadn't said anything earlier because she was scared.

There were no further questions, and Baratterio was excused from the stand.

Click here for continued coverage of Day 16 coverage