Who is Brandon Boudreaux?

Brandon Boudreaux is the ex-husband of Lori Vallow Daybell‘s niece, Melani Pawlowski. 

Boudreaux took the stand during Lori Vallow Daybell’s trial on April 10, 2023. He was questioned by Rachel Smith for the prosecution and told an emotional story about his familial friendship with Lori Vallow, at the time, and her then-husband Charles Vallow.

Boudreaux told prosecutors how he’d been fond of JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, stating JJ was friends with his own children. He detailed how he’d been the one to perform Tylee Ryan’s baptism, and was honored to do so.

Boudreaux said his relationship with the family began to change in 2018 after Lori Vallow Daybell became more dedicated to “extreme” religious beliefs, and influenced his wife to follow along. After extended fighting over the religious changes with his wife, he said he turned to Charles Vallow for advice on approximately June 25 or 26, 2019.

“I kinda felt like he was the only person who knew what I was going through because he had also gone through those things,” he said on the witness stand.

It was the last time the two would speak, as Charles Vallow was shot and killed by Lori Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox on July 11, 2019. Cox told authorities the shooting was done in self-defense, but it was later ruled a homicide. Cox died on Dec. 12, 2019, of natural causes.

That same July, Boudreaux and Pawlowski began the divorce process.

The most significant event tying Boudreaux to Lori Vallow Daybell’s case came that October after Boudreaux had moved to a new house following the divorce. Boudreaux told prosecutors that he was arriving home one night when someone from inside a Jeep Wrangler with Texas plates shot at him, nearly hitting him in the head. Boudreaux’s car window shattered and he sped away, calling 911.

On the witness stand, he told prosecutors he’d only lived there a few days, and only his neighbors and Pawlowski knew his location. At the time, he met with investigators and recalled telling them about a Jeep that Charles Vallow purchased for Tylee, which also had a Texas license plate.

After the shooting, Boudreaux began searching for information. He had saved emails from Charles Vallow that contained information on the religious meetings Lori Vallow Daybell was involved with. Boudreaux came across Chad Daybell’s name in the emails and googled him. The search results yielded the obituary for Tammy Daybell.

“It made me really nervous,” he said on the witness stand. “Because of how I was feeling, my nervousness, I reported it to law enforcement because in my gut something felt wrong.”

In a Facebook post on Dec. 21, 2019, Boudreaux shared photos of JJ and Tylee, who were declared missing and endangered by the Rexburg Police Department.

“Someone out there knows something but doesn’t know how all the pieces fit together. Help me connect them with the police so we can bring justice to Charles and the other victims,” Boudreaux stated in the post.

Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty by an Idaho jury on May 12, 2023. She was indicted yet again in Arizona for conspiring to kill Brandon Boudreaux five days later, on May 17, 2023.

Lori Vallow Daybell will face two charges for conspiring to commit first-degree murder, one for her late husband, Charles Vallow, and the other for Boudreaux. She also faces a charge of grand theft in Arizona and is scheduled to begin trial on Aug. 1 for the three remaining charges.