A bullet nearly ended his life. Seven years later, a survivor of convicted killer Lori Vallow Daybell’s twisted murder plot is speaking out about the spiritual deception surrounding the attack and the faith that helped him through it all.
Brandon Boudreaux narrowly escaped death on Oct. 2, 2019, when a gunman opened fire as he pulled into the driveway of his Gilbert, Arizona, home. The bullet shattered the driver’s-side window of his Tesla, missing his head by inches.
According to Fox News Digital, prosecutors said Vallow conspired with her brother, Alex Cox, to kill Boudreaux amid his contentious divorce from Vallow’s niece, Melani Pawlowski. Cox, the suspected gunman, died in December 2019 without facing charges.
Now, Boudreaux is sharing his harrowing story of survival, including the disturbing spiritual beliefs that became entangled with a plot to take his life.
And the details are chilling.
According to Fox News Digital, citing reporting from East Idaho News, a 2020 custody filing in Maricopa County Superior Court included allegations from Pawlowski’s second husband, Ian, that she believed a dark entity or demon possessed Boudreaux.
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The filing further alleged that Vallow’s husband, Chad Daybell, told Pawlowski something needed to happen to Boudreaux. He believed this would “advance his spirit” and bring about “the Lord’s plan,” as Fox reported.
Pawlowski has not been charged in connection with the shooting, which remains under investigation.
What unfolded was not simply a family dispute gone horribly wrong. It was part of a much larger web of murder, deception and supposed divine revelations that left multiple people dead.
As Charisma previously reported, Vallow claimed Jesus had revealed that she and Daybell would eventually be exonerated. The couple also embraced apocalyptic teachings involving the 144,000, demonic possession and the return of Christ.
Yet behind these supposed revelations was a disturbing pattern of spiritual manipulation, deception and violence that stands in direct opposition to the teachings of Scripture.
Vallow was convicted in Idaho in 2023 of murdering her two children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, and conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell, Chad’s first wife. She was also convicted in Arizona in 2025 of conspiring to murder Boudreaux and her estranged husband, Charles Vallow.
Chad Daybell was also convicted in the deaths of Vallow’s children and Tammy Daybell and sentenced to death.
Yet amid the darkness surrounding this case, Boudreaux is determined to tell a different kind of story.
Speaking with Fox News Digital about his forthcoming memoir, Unthinkable, scheduled for release in February 2027, Boudreaux explained that he began writing for his four children. He wanted them to understand what happened to their family, why he made the decisions he did and the role faith played in getting him through the nightmare.
Surviving the shooting, however, did not mean the trauma disappeared overnight.
Boudreaux acknowledged that the attempt on his life, his divorce and the fear that someone might still be pursuing him left him struggling to trust others. Even years later, the effects of what happened have not simply vanished.
Still, he refuses to let the evil directed at him dictate the rest of his life.
This case offers a sobering spiritual lesson that continues to unfold before us. Not everything presented as a word from God comes from Him, and no supposed revelation permits anyone to contradict the clear teachings of Scripture.
Seven years after someone tried to take his life, Boudreaux is still here to tell his story. And while the wounds of the past remain, his testimony reminds us that the darkness someone encounters doesn’t have to determine the direction of their future.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about Abby at abbytrivett.com.
