An Idaho jury has begun deliberating on the case of Chad Daybellwho is charged in the deaths of his first wife, Tammy Daybell, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, children of his second wife, Lori Vallow Daybell.
The trial, which began almost two months ago, follows Vallow Daybell's conviction in July 2023 of murder, conspiracy and robbery. She was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in the case.
Chad Daybell, however, could face the death penalty if convicted.
Chad Daybell, an author of apocalyptic fiction who owned a publishing company focused on religious works, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including first-degree murder in the deaths of Tammy Daybell, JJ and Tylee; conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of JJ and Tylee, which also includes conspiracy to commit grand larceny by deception; conspiracy to commit murder, as well as two counts of insurance fraud in the death of Tammy Daybell.
The case first gained national attention after 7-year-old JJ's grandparents, Larry and Kay Woodcock, reported him missing in November 2019. Investigators realized 16-year-old Tylee was also missing been viewed since September 2019.
Tammy Daybell, 49, died in October 2019, and Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell were married two weeks later.
The children's bodies were found on Daybell's property months later.
Testimony in both Chad Daybell's and Vallow Daybell's trials highlighted that of the couple marginal religious beliefs, which focused on doomsday and divided people into “dark” and “light” spirits. The prosecution in Daybell's case called more than 60 witnesses and the defense called 11, including two of her five adult children. Chad Daybell's children said “48 Hours” in 2021 they believe their father is innocent.
Chad Daybell did not testify in his own defense.
Prosecutor Lindsey Blake highlighted in her closing argument Chad Daybell's assessment of whether people, including Tylee and JJ, and other children, were dark and light, and spoke of Chad Daybell's belief in his ability to discern what is described as someone's “death percentage” or how close a given person was to death. He also noted that the couple believed an evil spirit could possess someone, turning them into a “zombie.”
“The problem was that eventually, Chad and Lori taught that if a person was possessed, it meant that the body had to die. The individual, the actual spirit of that body, was gone. An evil entity was in this body, and in order to free the person, the body had to die,” he said.
Witnesses testified to the couple's relationship, and the prosecution introduced excerpts from a story written by Chad Daybell about “James” and “Elena,” religious figures in a romantic relationship paralleling that of Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell . The couple referred to themselves as James and Elena and claimed to have been together in past lives.
Two of Chad Daybell's children, Emma Murray and Garth Daybell, testified for the defense. Both described their father's beliefs, with Garth Daybell calling them “traditional” (Daybell was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though CourtTV reported he had been excommunicated) and said his mother had health problems.
Defense attorney John Prior argued in his closing that Chad Daybell is entitled to his religious beliefs and that none of the text messages introduced as evidence establish a conspiracy.
“Chad was the target. This author writes about uncomfortable things. He talks about uncomfortable things, he talks about topics that might make people uncomfortable… but you know what? He has every right to talk about it, and he doesn't you can oppose it because you don't like the subject or you don't agree with the subject or you don't even understand the subject,” Prior said.
Vallow Daybell was extradited to Arizona after her conviction, where she faces separate charges, including conspiracy to commit murder in the July 2019 death of her husband, Charles Vallow, who was shot by Cox.
