Survivor of Lori Vallow plot shares account of 2019 shooting attempt

Brandon Boudreaux has published a new book titled 'Unthinkable' to detail his experience as a target in a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Lori Vallow Daybell. The narrative centers on a shooting incident in 2019 where a gunman attempted to kill Boudreaux outside his home in Gilbert, Arizona.

According to prosecutors, Vallow recruited her brother, Alex Cox, to carry out the killing. Boudreaux was in the process of divorcing Vallow’s niece, Melani Pawlowski, at the time. On October 2, 2019, Cox allegedly fired from a parked Jeep Wrangler as Boudreaux pulled his Tesla into his driveway. A bullet struck the driver’s-side door and shattered the window, missing Boudreaux’s head by inches.

Police identified Cox as the suspected shooter shortly after the attack, but he died in December 2019 without facing formal charges. In June 2025, an Arizona jury convicted Vallow of conspiring to kill Boudreaux. A separate Arizona jury had convicted her in April 2025 of conspiring to murder her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, whom Cox also killed in July 2019.

These Arizona convictions followed a 2023 trial in Idaho, where jurors found Vallow guilty of murdering her two children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua Vallow, and conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell. Jurors also convicted her of grand theft for collecting her children’s Social Security benefits.

Boudreaux initially wrote the book privately for his four children. He wanted to provide them with a clear account of the ordeal and the reasons behind his decisions during that period. 'I'm sure I made some mistakes,' Boudreaux said. 'If they need some closure, if they need to understand better.. my goal was to give them all the information.'

He also used the book to explain how his faith supported him during the crisis while giving his children the freedom to choose their own spiritual paths. 'I want them to understand their dad and maybe in understanding their dad and why he made the choices he did, maybe they'll understand themselves better,' he said. Loved ones later encouraged him to share the manuscript with the public, noting that the story resonated with them.

Boudreaux waited to speak publicly until the criminal proceedings advanced. He wanted to ensure he had legal representation before releasing information that could interfere with investigations. 'I needed to go on the stand with a defense attorney,' he said. 'I just felt more comfortable waiting and making sure that I let that process go first.'

During the Idaho murder trial, Boudreaux testified that his marriage to Pawlowski collapsed in 2019 as she grew closer to Vallow. A 2020 custody filing in Maricopa County Superior Court stated that Pawlowski believed a dark entity had possessed Boudreaux. The filing also claimed Chad Daybell told Pawlowski that something must happen to Boudreaux to advance his spirit. Pawlowski has not been charged in the shooting. The Gilbert Police Department confirmed the investigation into the 2019 shooting remains active. Boudreaux said he hopes readers find value in overcoming adversity, stating that difficult experiences do not have to dictate a person’s choices.