Jury Selection Set to Begin in Chad Daybell's Capital Murder Trial This Monday
Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the capital murder trial of Chad Daybell in Ada County, Idaho
The capital murder trial of Chad Daybell, husband of convicted killer Lori Vallow Daybell, is set to begin on Monday with jury selection in Ada County, Idaho.
Chad, 55, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Lori’s two children, 7-year-old Joshua "J.J." Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as his first wife Tammy Daybell, 49, in a 2019 plot that allegedly stemmed from bizarre doomsday prophecies the couple believed.
Chad, who was married to Tammy for nearly 30 years before her death, also faces insurance fraud and grand theft charges related to life insurance policies he had on her. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.
Lori was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in July 2023 after a jury found her guilty of murdering J.J. and Tylee and conspiring to murder Tammy. Lori did not face the death penalty, though prosecutors recommended it for Chad.
Related: Lori Vallow Daybell Gets Life in Prison Without Parole for Murdering Her 2 Kids, Husband's 1st Wife
Prior to sentencing her, Judge Steven Boyce called Lori's crimes "heinous and egregious," saying Lori that she hadn't shown any remorse for her actions.
On June 9, 2020, the remains of the siblings were found on a Rexburg, Idaho, property belonging to Chad, who married Lori in Hawaii in November 2019 — just weeks after his wife Tammy died. J.J. and Tylee were last seen in September 2019, and Lori never reported her children missing.
Prosecutors suggested during Lori’s trial that Chad and Lori's life together revolved around a small doomsday cult that believed in preparing for the imminent end of the world and eliminating people whose spirits had turned "dark.” Chad is a self-published author of doomsday-themed books.
Dr. Garth Warren, a forensic pathologist, testified last April that J.J. was asphyxiated with a plastic bag and duct tape over his mouth, according to East Idaho News, KTVB reporter Alexandra Duggan and Fox 10. Meanwhile, Tylee's cause of death was determined "homicide by unspecified means.”
Additionally, prosecutors revealed that Tammy’s cause of death was asphyxiation, PEOPLE previously reported. On Oct. 19, 2019, Chad Daybell reported the death of his wife Tammy, saying she had gone to bed with a cough and didn't wake up. The manner of death was initially ruled as "natural causes," and no autopsy was done. However, Tammy's death was later deemed "suspicious” and her body was exhumed for an autopsy.
In May 2021, Lori and Chad were charged in connection with the murders of Tylee, J.J., and Tammy. While Lori was sentenced last July, she also faces separate charges in Arizona related to the 2019 death of her ex-husband Charles Vallow and the shooting of her niece's then-husband Brandon Boudreaux. She has reportedly pleaded not guilty in those cases.
Just days before Chad’s trial was set to begin, Judge Boyce issued a gag order after Chad’s attorney, John Prior, did an interview with KIVI TV and discussed aspects of the trial, according to East Idaho News, NBC 24, and KSL Newsradio.
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Unlike Lori’s trial, Chad’s will be live-streamed with court-operated cameras, East Idaho News reports. According to the outlet, the trial is expected to last eight to 10 weeks.
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