BOISE, Idaho — Dateline NBC’s Keith Morrison gave KTVB an inside look at his exclusive interview with Lori Vallow Daybell — where she told the correspondent she and her husband, Chad, will be exonerated in the future. 

“It’s unlike any interview I’ve ever done,” he said. “Trying to get her to make sense was a chore.”

Morrison said Lori went into their lengthy interview with a strategy, telling him she wants to set the record straight because everything people have heard about her is a lie. 

In 2023, an Idaho jury convicted Lori of murdering two of her kids and conspiring to murder her husband, Chad’s late wife. 

While Chad, also convicted in the killings, sits on Idaho’s death row awaiting his execution, Lori awaits another murder conspiracy trial in Arizona for the death of her fourth husband, Charles, in 20-19. 

The trial is set to start later this month. 

“I felt a little twinge of call it guilt, if you will, talking to somebody who was convicted of killing her own children, giving her airtime when airtime was precisely what she wanted,” Morrison said. “[But] people want to know. I think the desire to know about her and what makes this woman tick was stronger than the anathema about what she did.” 

Morrison also talked to Lori’s oldest child, Colby Ryan, for the episode airing Friday. As well as members of law enforcement. 

“I guess I always was a positive, see best in people kind of person, and then I watched someone I knew my entire life do what she did,” Colby said during their interview. “The way that my sister was treated was with hate … that’s not even human to do what they did to her.” 

Colby testified against his mom in her first trial. This time, Lori will lead her own defense, representing herself in court. 

Morrison said Lori is not happy with her defense in Idaho since her attorneys tried to blame Chad for the murders. 

“She claims she’s looking forward to it,” he said. “She clearly has been doing some practicing with the sorts of questions you ask as a defense attorney.”

Lori and Chad’s extreme religious beliefs played a big part in the cases against them. Attorneys said they use Jesus Christ to justify their crimes. 

“I have seen things in the future that Jesus has shown me when I was in heaven, and we were not in jail, and we were not in prison,” she told Morrison. 

Morrison said the doomsday mom’s convictions remain strong. Lori claims Chad and their victims — Tammy, JJ and Tylee, visit her cell along with Jesus. 

“They all have a lovely time together, and Jesus is a funny guy and a wonderful person that loves everybody and especially loves her,” Morrison said while recounting their interview. “She’s his favorite.” 

Lori told him Tammy died of natural causes, and Charles was killed by her brother in self-defense. She said the deaths of her kids were the result of an unintentional homicide followed by a suicide; it is unclear what that means.

Lori has wanted to appear on Dateline for some time, Morrison said. She is also charged with conspiracy in the attempted murder of her niece’s ex-husband in another case. 

Tune in at 8 p.m. Friday on KTVB to watch the special two-hour episode.