Here's the results of my "follow the money" activity for the period around February 2019 when Lori cleaned out the house and bank account. There are lots of questions and loose ends remaining. The material is relevant as it pertains to motive. I have omitted specific names and addresses which are not pertinent. If a mod wants further detail for any reason they can message me.
Business:
Charles and Lori controlled a business entity called "R.I.T.E. Planning Group." It had a (now defunct) website
www.riteplanninggroup.com and email addresses. It evidently had a bank account separate from the couple's personal accounts. I can find no registrations for any LLC, LP, or business license for an entity of this name in Hawaii, California, Arizona or Texas. Ditto for business entities listing Charles Vallow as principal, or personal licenses, with one exception (see below).
Charles Vallow was engaged in the selling of annuities. Annuities are a complex and somewhat controversial financial instrument akin to life insurance. Charles was probably a "Managing General Agent" for the annuity company, which meant he ran a number of lower-level agents and was entitled to a cut of their commissions.
The company Charles sold for has an on-line commission FAQ that describes how commissions were spread over time: 3/4 immediately, 1/8 after a year, and the final 1/8 after two years. Commissions were large, and there is no mention of a salary or "draw" to level out the income of salespeople.
The only official license I have located for Charles Vallow is a California license to sell life insurance. The R.I.T.E. website states that they do business in California, and the mainland phone number on that site is registered to an Orange County provider. Charles's divorce petition states that Lori's action prevented payment owed to "contracted representatives in California," and that the Orange County Sheriff's Office was was involved. An email from one of these individuals was made public by MSM and the sender is based in Orange County. This leaves open the question of why Charles was taking business trips to Houston, where he apparently had no license to operate.
House:
The Chandler, AZ house was rented around mid-February 2017 for a listed cost of $4000 per month. It has 5 bedrooms and 5 baths around an indoor pool and is currently given a Zillow value of over $1 million.
It appears that it was rented furnished because there are no MSM reports of anybody arriving with a moving van. This is consistent with the family's lifestyle, which consisted of moving from rental property to rental property.
If the house was on a yearly lease, then the lease would be up in February 2019. This might explain why there have been no reports of the owner complaining about the house having been abruptly abandoned by its residents at that time. The upcoming expiration of the lease (if such is the case) and requirement to move could have been a source of stress on the family.
Cars:
Silver Ford F-150 Pickup, AZ license CPQUINT. I now believe that this was indeed the truck that Charles mentions in his divorce petition as having been taken from the airport by Lori, and was later commandeered rather than owned by Alex Cox. Charles bore more than a passing resemblance to the actor Robert Shaw, which would explain the plates. If this truck was instead really owned by Alex Cox then there is a second F-150 associated with the family that has not been mentioned anywhere I can find, and whose present location is unknown. The question can only be resolved by someone with access to AZ DMV records. The truck now appears to be in the possession of law enforcement.
Black Infiniti Qx70 SUV, license unknown. This appears to have been Lori's primary vehicle in Arizona. This is the vehicle that Lori said she was driving when interviewed by the Gilbert police on 31 January 2019. A lapel video just shows the rear of a black Infiniti SUV in the garage of the house where Charles was shot on 11 July 2019. Disposition of this vehicle is unknown. It is possible that the Infiniti was leased, and was turned in or repossessed.
Dark Green Jeep Wrangler, TX license LWD0997 (variously described as Dark Grey or Black). This vehicle has been described in various accounts as "Tylee's Jeep." If it was, it could not have been driven by her earlier than her 16th birthday on Sept. 24th, 2018. I have no explanation why the Jeep has Texas plates when Tylee was an Arizona resident at the time. This vehicle was identified as being involved in the shooting attempt on BB. It was later driven by someone to Rexburg and impounded by police there.
Overall Impression:
The remarkable thing about this family is their lack of visible assets. Nothing like home equity, mutual fund accounts, or income property seems to have surfaced in all this time. It is possible that they did live hand to mouth, or perhaps had assets that are yet undiscovered.
