BOISE, Idaho — Just one week after the judge ruled that no pictures or videos could be taken during his wife Lori Vallow's trial, Chad Daybell's attorney filed a motion Thursday asking the judge to allow cameras to be in the courtroom and have the trial live-streamed.
Daybell's attorney, John Prior, claims the motion was filed over concerns that lack of public access would cause financial hardship to family members, limit the parties' family access and limit the public from adequate access to a trial with lots of public interest.
Chad Daybell and his wife, Lori Vallow Daybell, are both facing several felony charges in Idaho, including murder charges in the deaths of Lori Vallow's children, Tylee and JJ. Chad Daybell is also charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his first wife, Tammy Daybell.
Right now, both defendants are being tried together, so it's unclear how cameras would be allowed for one trial but not the other, however, Daybell's attorneys also want to separate the two defendants.
Earlier this week, additional motions were filed by Daybell to sever the two cases, push the trial date back to at least October 2023, and allow Chad to wear civilian clothes during the trial.
No hearings have been set for the motions filed in court this week. Daybell is asking the judge to schedule a hearing on Oct. 13, at 9:00 a.m. to hear all of them.
Tylee and JJ Vallow disappeared in September 2019; their bodies were found buried in Chad Daybell’s backyard in Idaho in June 2020. Daybell is charged with most of the same crimes as Lori, and is an alleged co-conspirator in the case.
Both Chad and Lori Vallow Daybell are set to be tried together in January 2023. They have both pleaded not guilty to the charges against them and both are facing the death penalty.
New court filings show Chad Daybell is trying to distance himself from his wife and co-defendant, Lori Vallow Daybell.
Prior argues a joint trial would violate Chad's constitutional rights, noting that one of the possible defenses would be to blame Lori and her brother in the conspiracy, and it would be unfair for Chad to be prosecuted as a co-defendant.
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