PHOENIX — After years of delays, Doomsday author Chad Daybell’s triple murder trial will finally begin on Monday.
His wife, Lori Vallow Daybell, was convicted in the same case last year for killing her kids, Tylee and JJ, who used to live in the Valley. She was also convicted for her role in the death of Chad’s first wife, Tammy Daybell.
Chad Daybell's trial is expected to start Monday, April 1 in Boise, ID. Earlier this month, he was moved to Ada County jail in Boise from Eastern Idaho, where the crimes occurred.
Tylee and JJ disappeared in September 2019 after their mother, Lori Vallow, moved them from Arizona to Idaho to be with Chad.
Tammy Daybell, Chad’s first wife, was murdered in her home in October 2019.
Days later, in November, Lori Vallow married Chad Daybell in Hawaii. It was later in November that the children were first reported missing.
Lori Vallow was arrested in February 2020 in Hawaii and extradited to Idaho. Chad Daybell was arrested in June 2020 after the kids' bodies were found brutally buried in his backyard. Both Chad and Lori were charged with multiple felonies, including murder in the deaths of Tylee and JJ. Chad was also charged with murder in the death of his first wife, Tammy.
Dark, religious beliefs, according to investigators, were the driving force in the murders.
Lori’s brother Alex Cox is considered to be a third co-conspirator in the case. He was never charged because he died in December 2019 in Arizona, apparently from natural causes.
Chad and Lori were originally going to be tried together in the deaths of Tylee, JJ and Tammy, but the cases were severed.
Lori's trial played out last year. She was found guilty on all charges and the judge sentenced her to three consecutive life sentences in prison.
She spoke out for the first time at her sentencing where the judge said it was clear she was still under a religious delusion.
Comparing trials: Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell
Chad's trial will begin Monday with jury selection, a process the court expects will take about a week. After a jury is selected, arguments will be made by prosecutors and Chad Daybell's attorney. The whole trial is expected to take eight to ten weeks.
We’re expecting this trial to have a lot of similarities to Lori Vallow Daybell’s trial, including being held in the exact same courtroom with the same judge, but we’re also expecting some differences.
"The disadvantage of having two trials of course is it strings out over a longer period of time," said David LeRoy, former Idaho Attorney General, who has followed the case closely. "It’s costly to the taxpayers involved. It’s taxing upon the lawyers and the witnesses and everybody who must present witnesses twice or evidence twice."
Both Chad and Lori’s trials were moved to Boise from Eastern Idaho in an effort to find impartial juries.
We’re expecting similar witnesses and evidence in Chad’s case, including witnesses from Arizona.
Unlike Lori’s trial, where her defense didn’t call any witnesses or present any evidence, Chad Daybell’s attorney says he plans to call his own experts. Time will tell if Chad himself will take the stand.
Chad’s trial will also be livestreamed, whereas the judge banned cameras for Lori’s trial. You will be able to watch the trial from Judge Steven Boyce's YouTube channel.
Another difference is that Chad Daybell is facing the death penalty. That decision would be up to a jury if Daybell is convicted in this case.
Ahead of Chad Daybell's trial, court records show the judge issued a gag order for attorneys after Daybell's attorney spoke to an Idaho news outlet.
More charges in Arizona
Lori Vallow Daybell was extradited from prison in Idaho to Arizona late last year to face two other charges of conspiracy to commit murder in Maricopa County.
One charge is from a case in Chandler involving the death of her former husband Charles Vallow. The other was out of Gilbert, where her niece’s ex-husband was shot at but ultimately wasn't hit.
She’s pleaded not guilty in those cases and remains at the Estrella jail.
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