Interesting that (around 30:00+) Colby discerned that Lori at this point is attempting to "save face," and it is THAT we are seeing rather than mental illness. I've been considering the same after watching the Dateline interview with Keith as well as the 20-minute interview with "Arizona's Family" female interviewer.
Lori knows she has committed unspeakable horrors and she is attempting to "save face" by demonstrating "continued" participation in an unfolding story (in which she is an advanced spiritual being capable of comprehending what earthly and lesser spiritual beings cannot) and at the same time she is claiming persecution by those uncomprehending lesser beings.
“There is no comprehending unless you enter Lori-World.” That is essentially the pushback she gave Summer, Colby, Dateline’s Keith Morrison, the female reporter from Arizona Family and anyone who challenges her to tell the truth and admit her role in the various murders.
My guess is that there has NEVER been any comprehending of Lori’s life choices unless you enter Lori-World and play along.
IMO, even as she went on the podcast and church-lady-group-circuits, Lori never BELIEVED the story she and Chad promoted about the 144,000, the zombies, the dark/light, the levels of spiritual being (nor did Chad). Instead, she recognized its value for manipulative purposes and ADOPTED it.
The story was a confidence game; Lori believed that OTHERS vulnerable to deception would fall for these lies and fall in line behind them (as some did, including the coven of women and Alex as well as some of the extreme peppers in the Rexburg area) and it provided "respectable" cover for Lori and Chad to do what they wanted to do - shed the burdens of their existing lives (Charles, Tylee, JJ, Tammy) while exploiting the benefits to be gained by doing so (insurance on Charles' and Tammy's lives, SS funds to Tylee as a surviving child of Joe Ryan, the funds Joe Ryan left in trust for Tylee, and SS funds for the caretaking of JJ given his disability as an autistic child). Others were used to play along to the extent that they submitted to the manipulations.
Chad and Lori permitted the deaths of Charles and Tammy to be known and their bodies to be properly buried because they believed that the financial gains from their deaths could only be enjoyed with that knowledge. Chad and Lori could not permit the knowledge of the deaths of Tylee and JJ to be discovered because that discovery would endanger the financial gains they expected to enjoy from their deaths.
Indications they knew their behavior was sinful (and illegal):
- They promoted the idea to their "disciples" that they - as translated beings who had achieved extra special spiritual status - were above sin (and above the need for repentance).
- Lori (and/or Chad) pretended to be Charles when writing an email to Chad’s wife Tammy to provide a reasonable story behind Chad visiting Lori in Arizona.
- Chad likely discovered and deleted Charles’ email to inform Tammy about the relationship between Chad and Lori (Charles had told Lori he was going to inform Tammy, thus putting Chad on notice).
- They lied about the murder of Charles (claiming self-defense when in fact they were the aggressors and had been for many months) and took their time informing Charles' sons about his death (that is, they kept those who would have legitimate questions at a distance).
- They lied about the cause of Tammy's death and hurried her burial (a lie revealed after the unearthing of her remains and an autopsy to determine COD).
- They lied to many friends, family, “disciples,” and LE about the location and well-being of Tylee and JJ (a lie revealed by the unearthing of those children's remains on Chad's property).
- Lori pretended to be Tylee when texting others after Tylee had been killed.
- Lori continued to receive payments intended for Tylee and JJ after both had been killed.
It still is a confidence game - but now Lori is attempting the only con left to her: Instead of admitting that when communing with Jesus she heard what she wanted to hear (his sanction of what she and Chad wanted to do) and did not submit those revelations to challenge by anyone who might have reasonably questioned them (family members, friends outside the coven or discipleship, faith leaders at the church), that none of it is her fault, but is instead "family tragedy." It all "happened to her" rather than was initiated by and executed in conspiracy with her.
Jesus lied, people died. It's a terrible blasphemy.
The tragedy is that any of these good people who became victims - Joe (IMO), Charles, Tylee, JJ, Tammy, and sole-survivor, Colby, and all those who loved (and love) each one of them - were ever in the orbit of Lori, whose entire life history is about pursuit of what she sometime early in life determined is her well-deserved place at the center of the universe, indulged with all she desires without boundaries that serve or protect others.
ETA: I wanted to add that I am impressed that Colby has been able to achieve a lot of clarity about his mother in the past few years and the ability to maintain enough distance to hold onto reason in the face of her lies. Whatever he is doing (therapy, relationship with good mentors, etc) has served him well and I wish him continued well-being.
