BOISE, Idaho — On Friday night, Dateline NBC will air a two-hour special on the Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case that will feature exclusive interviews, recently released evidence and more.
"In this program, you will see what's happening as it happens," Dateline NBC's Keith Morrison explained to KTVB on Thursday. "A bird's eye view, a fly on the wall view of this story. It's like you've got all the materials that nail down things that you could only guess at in previous episodes."
Vallow and Daybell are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan. They disappeared in September 2019 and were found dead nine months later on Daybell's property.
Daybell is also charged with first-degree murder for the death of his late wife, Tammy Daybell. Vallow is also charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection to her ex-husband's death, Charles Vallow.
Morrison said the fifth Dateline episode to feature the Vallow and Daybell case will show text messages, emails, secret recordings and reveal more details on the couple's "true motivations."
"You know, to me, it's always the immediacy of text messages that makes a big difference," Morrison told KTVB. "When you can see someone behaving in real-time with intent then you're much more comfortable about understanding and reporting on what they did."
"Some of the materials that have come out in documents are like bizarre, Morrison added.
As many try to understand the two minds centered around this case, Morrison said this episode will finally give a voice to those who haven't gotten a chance to speak: the victims.
"There's the very sad story of Tylee, the daughter, who we finally hear speak in our program tomorrow night," Morrison said. "The non-verbal cues that she supplies, we're able to report on, are heartbreaking.
According to Dateline, the public will hear Tylee's voice for the first time in police interviews.
Among other new voices will Charles' brothers, Bobby and Gerry, who speak out for the first time since he was shot and killed by Lori's own brother, Alex Cox, who claimed he killed him in self-defense.
"That is not self-defense. That was an ambush. Clear to see. Charles would never have walked into a house, grabbed a bat and hit a man on the back of the head with it," Bobby Vallow told Dateline.
"The stories that Charles's brother tells us, that humanize him in a way that finally understands him a little bit better," Morrison said.
Dateline will also feature more on those close to Vallow and Daybell, including Vallow's niece Melani Pawlowski's alleged involvement with the couple's religious group that believed doomsday was near.
The special will feature secret audio recordings obtained by Dateline of Pawlowski speaking about the attempted murder of her husband. Pawlowski has denied any involvement with the shooting and being part of their religious group, according to Dateline.
While two years may have passed since this case originated, Morrison said the new details discovered continue to be disturbing.
"This wasn't a situation that just evolved, it was planned, it was carefully orchestrated, it was one step at a time," Morrison said.
Dateline's '"The Doomsday Files" airs Friday at 8 p.m. MT.
A date has not yet been set for Daybell's trial, but it has been moved to Ada County and is expected to go on for several weeks.
However, the prosecution is asking the court to reconsider moving the trial. Instead, they are seeking to bring a jury from Ada County to Fremont County in eastern Idaho, where it was originally expected to take place because they said it is more cost-effective.
Vallow is in the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, where she has been treated since June. Her trial is on hold because a judge found her not competent to stand trial. Vallow's attorneys filed a motion to a court to disqualify IDHW from continuing to treat her.
A hearing date in this filing has not been announced.
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