Lori Vallow's husband's shooting death a homicide, autopsy finds

The death of "doomsday mother" Lori Vallow's husband Charles in the US in 2019 has reportedly been ruled a homicide, according to a newly-released autopsy.

The autopsy found that 62-year-old Charles Vallow, Ms Vallow's fourth husband, was shot in the stomach and chest, with one round puncturing his lung, the New York Daily News reported.

Ms Vallow's brother Alex Cox had claimed to shoot Mr Vallow in self-defence on July 11, 2019, after Mr Vallow allegedly attacked him with a bat.

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Mr Cox claimed the Vallows had been arguing about their son, JJ.

Police alleged Mr Cox shot Mr Vallow while he was already lying prone, and took nearly three-quarters of an hour to ring emergency services.

Mr Cox died on December 19 that year of natural causes.

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Ms Vallow has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder over her husband's death.

She and her new husband, Chad Daybell, are also charged with the murder of Ms Vallow's children JJ and Tylee, and Mr Daybell's wife Tammy.

The complex case began in 2018, according to the indictment, when Chad and Lori Daybell — both still married to other people — began espousing their apocalyptical system of religious belief.