How did Charles Vallow die, and what did Brandon Boudreaux think of Alex Cox's self-defense story?

Charles Vallow, 62, was shot twice in the chest by Lori's brother Alex Cox at Lori's home in Chandler, Arizona in July 2019. Cox told police Charles came at him with a baseball bat during a morning pickup of JJ, and 16-year-old Tylee backed the account. Brandon Boudreaux called the bat story preposterous, describing Charles as a patient man, and believes Charles was ambushed as he walked in the door.

• Months earlier, in January 2019, Charles told police Lori said she could murder him with her powers.
• Charles had warned Brandon that Lori would convince Melanie he was gay, in texts Melanie had blocked on Brandon's phone.
• Lori was later convicted in Arizona of conspiracy to commit murder in Charles's killing.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Dateline NBC (2026-10-27). Read the whole episode summary →

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