Lori Vallow Update: Lawyer Wants Cellphone For Client Amid ‘Unfair’ Trial Preparation

The lawyer of Lori Vallow — the Idaho woman charged in connection with the disappearance of her children — is requesting new ways to communicate with his client amid her trial on July 12.

Vallow is the mother of children Tylee and Joshua, whose remains were found in June 2020 on the property of Chad Daybell, Vallow's husband and the children's stepfather. In February 2020, Vallow was arrested on charges that included felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children. Vallow has been in jail in Madison County, Idaho, since March 2020.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the jail has taken safety measures to protect visitors and inmates from the contagious virus. Vallow's lawyer Mark Means claims the restrictions have had an impact on trial preparation.

Means filed a motion on Jan. 19 for Vallow to have a cellphone so they can communicate and requested recording on jail video cameras be turned off when they meet to protect Vallow’s attorney-client privilege.

"The past and current circumstances the defense is forced, arbitrarily, to deal with in preparation for this trial are unfair and violation of Defendant rights, are hypocritical for the Defendants and subject to future litigation as result this denial of right," the motion reads.

Over the last few months, Means was allowed to meet with Vallow in person, but on Jan. 5, he was denied the private room where he previously met with his client. From March 30 to June 9, Means was allowed to speak to Vallow by telephone options.

“My client is allowed to speak with counsel through two telephone options. One telephone is at the desk of the deputy and my client is handcuffed to said desk approximately two feet from the ear of a deputy,” Means wrote.

“The other option is through a recorded line (Telmate) approximately 15 to 20 feet from said deputy/deputy clerk.”

Two of Means and Vallow’s conversations were accidentally recorded and later deleted. One call lasted a minute while the other lasted nearly 30 minutes.

When Means met with Vallow in early January, the two were only given the option to speak in a public visiting area.

The motion noted that Means' only option to converse with Vallow was through the public room and metal corded telephone and that it was recorded.

A date for Means’ request has not been set. However, Means and Chad Daybell’s lawyer will appear in front of a judge on March 22 to argue for charges to be dropped against the couple and to request a new venue for the trial.

The legal teams believe their clients won’t have an impartial jury in Fremont County, Idaho.