Top criminal trials of 2023

Several high-profile criminal cases went before a trial by jury in 2023, with some bringing a conclusion to sagas immortalized in documentaries and justice for families who lost family members in acts of violence.

Among the trials this year included the conviction of a mother who murdered her children in the name of religion and the sentencing of a disgraced lawyer who murdered his family members to keep scandal at bay.

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Here are the most high-profile trials that were settled in a courtroom in 2023.

Alex Murdaugh

In March, disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of the murders of his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul, who died in June 2021 from gunshot wounds. The verdict concluded a two-year saga filled with investigations into Murdaugh’s life, including millions of dollars in financial misconduct, a drug addiction, and even hired hits that were immortalized in a documentary, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.

Murdaugh’s case gained nationwide attention after he was indicted in July 2022, given the century-long legal legacy of the Murdaugh family. The trial took 28 days, with prosecutors bringing forward 61 witnesses for testimony and hundreds of pieces of evidence.

Throughout the trial, the jury learned that the murders took place just days before information on Murdaugh’s widespread financial misconduct was set to go public.

In a rare moment in murder trials, Murdaugh himself was called to the stand to testify in his defense. On the stand, he wept and adamantly denied killing his wife and son. However, he did admit to lying to investigators about his whereabouts for nearly two years and that his drug addiction to Oxycodone drove him to swindle millions of dollars from clients.

Murdaugh was sentenced to consecutive life sentences the day after he was found guilty. In November, Murdaugh was sentenced to 27 years for stealing money from friends and clients, which is separate from his life sentences. The convicted murderer originally faced 101 counts related to financial crimes, but a plea deal brought the charges down to 22 against each of his 18 victims.

Willard Miller and Jeremy Goodale

Two Iowa teenagers, Willard Miller and Jeremy Goodale, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges in April for the death of Spanish teacher Nohema Graber in November 2021. Both students were tried as adults.

In July, Miller was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 35 years. In November, Goodale was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 25 years. The two high school students pleaded guilty in April, with Goodale previously agreeing to testify against Miller at his trial.

Goodale and Miller were 16 years old when they plotted to kill Graber because Miller was failing Spanish class, which would prevent him from participating in a study abroad program. The two high school students stalked Graber while she was out for a walk in a park in Fairfield, Iowa, and used a bat to beat her to death. Statements made by Goodale to friends on social media were discovered by police, leading to the students’ arrests.

Judge Shawn Showers said at Goodale’s sentencing that Goodale showed more remorse and accepted more responsibility for his actions than Miller did and that Miller was “far more sinister in his planning” to kill Graber, per the Washington Post.

“I think time will tell, but you’re far more likely to be successful than Mr. Miller,” Showers said to Goodale at his sentencing.

David DePape

David DePape was found guilty in November of attacking former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer at their home in California.

DePape was found guilty of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault upon an immediate family member of a federal official for his actions on Oct. 28, 2022. He broke into the back of the Pelosis’s home and had “planned to kidnap her, to hold her hostage, to break her kneecaps, to teach her a lesson,” prosecutors said, referring to Nancy Pelosi.

When authorities arrived at the Pelosi home, they saw DePape and Paul Pelosi with their hands on a steel hammer. They were told to drop the hammer, but DePape wrestled it away and hit Paul Pelosi with it multiple times. DePape was immediately arrested, and Paul Pelosi was taken to the emergency room after suffering extensive wounds. He was hospitalized for six days.

The defense called DePape to take the witness stand and testify on his behalf. He said he was consumed by conspiracies he had heard on right-wing podcasts and wanted to talk to the California congresswoman about the 2016 presidential election and other topics. He also had plans to get to other “targets” and force them to admit to their alleged corruption.

DePape admitted to telling investigators that if his plan to break Nancy Pelosi’s kneecaps had been successful, she would have been wheeled onto the floor of the House of Representatives and that all other lawmakers would fall in line and realize the consequences of being “the most evil people on the planet.”

With his conviction, DePape faces up to 50 years in prison. His federal sentencing date is scheduled for April 24. He also has several state charges against him, with a trial date set for Jan. 12.

Lori Vallow Daybell

An Idaho jury convicted Lori Vallow Daybell, known as a “cult mom,” in May for killing her two children and conspiring to kill her husband’s ex-wife. Vallow Daybell was found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of her children, Joshua “J.J.” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, and Tammy Daybell, Chad Daybell’s ex-wife.

Vallow Daybell was given multiple life sentences in prison with no possibility for parole for the murders in July, bringing a conclusion to the over-a-month-long trial.

The remains of J.J. Vallow and Ryan were found buried on Chad Daybell’s property in June 2020. Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell were indicted and charged with murder, conspiracy, and grand theft related to the children’s deaths in May 2021. Both pleaded not guilty to all charges. The couple was also accused of stealing Social Security benefits from the children.

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Vallow Daybell’s views on the afterlife were put forward as a motive for the murders and were a consistent theme throughout her trial. Her beliefs in “zombie children” also played a role. The couple allegedly believed the children were possessed by evil spirits and that if they prayed, a possessed person would physically die, freeing their trapped souls from “limbo.”

The couple’s trials were severed in March. Chad Daybell is set to stand trial in April 2024, where he could face the death penalty if convicted.