Brandon Boudreaux, the Ex-Husband of Lori’s Niece, Opens Up to Keith Morrison About the Attempt on His Life
Maricopa County Attorney Also Tells Morrison She’s Open to Reviewing the Case as Police Confirm Investigation Remains Active
‘Blindsided‘ Airs Friday at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT
October 21, 2026 – Brandon Boudreaux, who survived an attempt on his life connected to the Lori Vallow Daybell cases, speaks out for the first time on network TV this Friday at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT during an all-new two-hour Dateline. Boudreaux, who was previously married to Lori’s niece, Melani Pawlowski, was the target of a murder plot for which Lori was convicted in 2025, after a gunman opened fire on him but missed.
In an extensive conversation with correspondent Keith Morrison, Boudreaux opens up about Lori’s involvement in the breakdown of his marriage, and the striking similarities to what Lori’s then-husband, Charles, had experienced. Shortly before Charles was murdered, Boudreaux recalls reconnecting with him after discovering that someone had blocked Charles’ calls and messages. Boudreaux alleges Melani was the only one who had access to his phone.
“I apologized to him. I missed the mark. I wasn’t there enough for him. I could have done more. I could have been better while he was going through this and so I told him and he forgave me and said he loved me and said he understood and we talked through things and he reminded me how he’d been warning me,” he explained. Boudreaux added, “He even sent me a text that I didn’t get because my phone was blocked. And he told me, ‘Hey, Lori is going to convince Melani that you’re gay.’”
Click here to watch.
Additionally, Morrison speaks with Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell about the possibility anyone else would be charged in the attempted shooting of Boudreaux, including his ex-wife. Pressed by Morrison, Mitchell explained that if the Gilbert, Arizona Police Department wanted to take another look at the case, she was “certainly” open to reviewing it. The Gilbert Police Department also told Dateline that the investigation is “currently active.” Pawlowski has never been charged and through her lawyers, declined to comment to Dateline.
Click here to watch.
During Blindsided, Morrison speaks with Boudreaux’s family and friends, prosecutor Rob Wood and more key players in the case. His 2020 interview with Pawlowski is also revisited.
In addition to her conviction in Boudreaux’s case, Lori was found guilty of conspiring to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. She was previously found guilty of the murders of two of her children and of conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell, the previous wife of her current husband, Chad Daybell.
The special is the eighth broadcast from Dateline on the Lori Vallow Daybell case, which the broadcast has covered since the beginning. Last year, Morrison conducted the first-ever TV interview with Lori, after previously reporting on the case for the #1 Dateline podcast, Mommy Doomsday.
About Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 35th season. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Blayne Alexander, Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy. Airing Fridays at 9/8c, Dateline also airs across NBC, cable and in broadcast syndication, with hundreds of hours available to stream on Peacock’s Dateline 24/7 channel. Dateline 24/7 can also be viewed on channels on Roku, YouTube, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, Pluto TV, Freevee, Local Now, Xfinity, Amazon Fire News App, TuneIn and Xumo. Additionally, the newsmagazine reaches millions through its #1 podcasts and its showcast. Liz Cole is the senior executive producer and Paul Ryan is the executive producer.
For more information, contact:
Dominique Donahue
Liam Dahlborn
