Chad Daybell trial live: New witness casts doubts on cult prophet’s son’s story about mom’s death
Chad Daybell’s trial began on April 1, about a year after Lori Vallow was convicted in the 2019 murders of Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow, and Tammy Daybell
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A new rebuttal witness for the prosecution testified that Chad Daybell’s son Garth had told him how he found his dead mother Tammy Daybell, which is different from what Garth told the court at his father’s triple murder trial earlier this week.
Shortly after the defense rested on Thursday, Jason Abegelen, who worked with Garth at a haunted house, recalled that Garth told him how he found his mother dead in the bedroom and that his father was not there.
But Garth had testified that in the early morning hours of October 19, 2019, his father woke him up to help after finding the mother-of-five dead and halfway off the bed on the floor, tangled up in sheets.
Daybell, 55, is on trial for the death of Tammy, and the murders of Lori Vallow’s two children, Tylee Ryan, 16, and JJ Vallow, seven. Two weeks after Tammy’s death, Daybell and Vallow married on a beach in Hawaii.
It was only after the children were reported missing – and authorities began delving into the couple’s bizarre cult beliefs – that questions were asked about Tammy’s death and her body was exhumed for an autopsy. It was determined she had died of asphyxia and Daybell was charged with her murder, as well as the murders of Vallow’s children, who were found buried in Daybell’s Idaho backyard nine months after they went missing.
Prosecutors say Daybell and Vallow justified the three killings by creating an apocalyptic belief system, which was part of an elaborate scheme to eliminate any obstacles from their life.
But Daybell’s attorney claims he was manipulated by Vallow, who was convicted of the murders last year and received three life sentences.
Like Vallow, Daybell did not testify in his defense.
Closing arguments are expected to be next week and then the case will be in the hands of the jury.
If convicted, Daybell faces the death penalty or life in prison.
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WATCH: Chad Daybell’s daughter testifies in his murder trial
RECAP: Was Chad Daybell almost acquitted of murder because of a typo?
A typo in Chad Daybell’s triple murder indictment doesn’t mean that he should be acquitted of one of the deaths, Judge Steven Boyce said Thursday.
Shortly after prosecutors closed their case, the judge alerted the attorneys to a major error: The date of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow’s death was wrong in the indictment.
That sparked a flurry of arguments over whether the problem could be fixed or if Daybell should simply be acquitted of that charge.
“We’re all kind of falling on our sword here,” special assistant attorney general Ingrid Batey told the judge Thursday, describing the issue as “clearly a clerical error.”
Boyce ultimately agreed with prosecutors, describing it as an “inadvertent mistake” and saying jurors could be given special instructions allowing them to still consider the full case.
Watch: Video shows Chad Daybell discussing finances with daughter as he tells her ‘I’m not coming back’
What are the charges against Chad Daybell?
Chad Daybell was arrested on 9 June 2020 and booked into the Fremont County Jail after the remains of Lori Vallow’s children were found in his Rexburg, Idaho backyard.
He had left the house during the search as Rexburg Police, Fremont County Sheriff deputies and the FBI swarmed the property and began a dig that lasted for hours. But he was arrested a short time later.
Daybell has shown little to no emotion at his court appearances over the past four years.
On 21 March, he was transferred from Fremont County Jail to the Ada County Jail in Boise in preparation for his trial.
Daybell is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of the two children and the death of his former wife Tammy. He’s also charged with insurance fraud.
Prosecutors say that the couple conspired with Vallow’s brother Alex Cox to kill the children and Daybell’s wife both as part of their doomsday beliefs – but also to collect life insurance money, the kids’ social security and survivor benefits.
WATCH: Bizarre phone call revealed in Chad Daybell trial
Where is Lori Vallow?
Chad Daybell’s former wife Tammy and Lori Vallow’s children weren’t the only victims as her descent into cult beliefs led to a trail of death and destruction in her wake.
She’s now jailed in Arizona on charges for conspiring to kill two other people.
Andrea Cavallier reports:
Why is Lori Vallow facing fresh murder conspiracy charges in Arizona?
Lori Vallow’s children weren’t the only victims as her descent into cult beliefs led to a trail of death and destruction in her wake. She’s now jailed in Arizona on charges for conspiring to kill two other relatives, Andrea Cavallier reports
RECAP: Chad Daybell’s defense calls on two of his children
Daybell trial resumes with defense witness
Court resumes today at 10:30am ET / 8:30am MT in Ada County, Idaho.
Joseph Murray, Chad Daybell's son-in-law, will be back on the stand this morning.
Mr Murray is the husband of Daybell’s daughter Emma, who testified yesterday in defense of her father.
How did Tammy Daybell die?
Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell died by asphyxiation – and not peacefully in her sleep as was originally claimed.
Tammy, an otherwise healthy 49-year-old, died suddenly in her sleep on 19 October 2019 – just one month after Lori Vallow’s two children JJ and Tylee disappeared without a trace.
Despite the mysterious circumstances, her family declined an autopsy and Tammy’s death was ruled to be from natural causes.
Less than a month later, Daybell and Vallow married on a beach in Hawaii.
It was only after the two children were reported missing – and authorities began delving into Daybell and Vallow’s bizarre cult beliefs – that questions began being asked about Tammy’s death too.
In December 2019, investigators exhumed her body for an autopsy.
This led to Daybell and Vallow being charged with her murder.
Daybell introduced children to Lori Vallow one day after Tammy’s funeral
Chad Daybell introduced his children to Lori Vallow one day after a funeral was held for his wife Tammy Daybell, who died in October 2019, Daybell’s son-in-law Joseph Murray testified on Tuesday.
Joseph Murray, who is married to Daybell’s daughter, told the court that the children and Vallow met at the Daybell home – where Tammy was found dead on 19 October 2019.
He said it was the only time he met Vallow.