"Lori, Todd forgives you," the child's grandmother said at Vallow's sentencing. "I want to make sure you know that."
Associated Press
Joshua "J.J." Vallow's biological father forgives Lori Vallow for killing the 7-year-old, his mother, Kay Woodcock, said in court Monday.
In a statement to the court at Vallow's sentencing on Monday, Woodcock directly told Vallow: "Lori, Todd forgives you. I want to make sure you know that."
Woodcock, J.J.'s grandmother, also spoke about the boy's childhood and taking him home from the hospital after he was born prematurely.
"He was tiny and fragile…in fact, I still have one of his tiny, preemie diapers. It fits in the palm of my hand," Woodcock said.
Woodcock said she and her husband Larry cared for J.J. in the early months of his life before her brother, Charles Vallow, and his then-wife Lori adopted J.J. in 2013.
Vallow didn't look at Woodcock during this comment or at any other point during the statement.
In 2019, Charles filed for divorce from Lori but later rescinded the request; months later, he was shot and killed by Lori's brother, who said the killing was in self-defense.
Lori's brother was never charged by police.
J.J. was found buried with his 17-year-old sister Tylee in the Idaho backyard of Chad Daybell — Vallow's new husband — on June 9, 2020. J.J. had last been seen alive in September 2019.
Vallow and Daybell were arrested for killing the children and Daybell's wife Tammy.
In May, Vallow was convicted of first-degree murder for killing her two kids, J.J. and Tylee, as well as conspiracy in Tammy death.
