FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho — An Idaho man accused of killing his wife and his new lover's two children appeared in court Thursday afternoon for a pair of hearings.
Chad Daybell was indicted in May on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, grand theft by deception, grand theft, and insurance fraud. Investigators say he murdered his late wife Tammy Daybell - who was found dead in the couple's home just weeks before he married Lori Vallow in Hawaii - as well as Vallow's children, 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.
The children's remains were found buried on Daybell's Fremont County property in June 2020.
Vallow, who is also facing murder charges in the deaths of JJ and Tylee, has been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial in the case.
Daybell's trial will be held in Ada County after his lawyers raised concerns that the high level of interest and media coverage in the case would make it difficult to seat an impartial jury in Eastern Idaho.
Judge Steven Boyce on Thursday set the trial to begin Jan. 9, 2023, despite concerns from prosecutors about winter weather making travel between Fremont County and Boise hazardous at that time of year. Prosecutor Rob Wood asked the trial to be pushed back to late February 2023 or beyond instead.
But the judge declined to move the trial back further, noting that Daybell has been in jail now for nearly a year and a half since his initial arrest.
The trial is expected to last ten weeks, with two of those weeks set aside to select and seat a jury.
The prosecution will seek the death penalty if Daybell is convicted of the murders.
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