Chad Daybell trial: Lori Vallow’s friend confronted with subpoena outside court in cult prophet case
Chad Daybell’s trial comes one year after Lori Vallow was convicted over the murders of Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Tammy Daybell
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Melanie Gibb, the former friend of Lori Vallow, was served with a subpoena during a break in Chad Daybell’s triple murder trial in Boise, Idaho on Thursday.
Daybell’s defence attorney John Prior told her she had to accept to the papers. Ms Gibb was called by the prosecution to testify in the case a year after she testified at Vallow’s trial about the couple’s extreme religious beliefs.
Daybell, 55, is on trial for the murders of Vallow’s children, Tylee Ryan, 16, and JJ, seven, as well as his then-wife Tammy Daybell, who died suddenly in her sleep in October 2019. Weeks later, Daybell married Vallow.
Nine months after the children were last seen, they were found on Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho.
Prosecutors say his “desire for sex, power, and money” led to their murders. Mr Prior, however, said his client was manipulated by Vallow.
Last year, Vallow was convicted in the three murders and sentenced to life in prison. Jurors heard how she, Mr Daybell and her late brother Alex Cox were fuelled, in part, by their bizarre cult beliefs.
If convicted, Mr Daybell faces either the death penalty or life in prison.
Doomsday cult, murders and children buried in a pet cemetery: The twisted case of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell
Is Chad Daybell a doomsday cult mastermind? Trial for the murder of Lori Vallow’s children and ex-wife begins
Did a doomsday cult really drive Lori Vallow to murder her children?
Chad Daybell, Lori Vallow and Alex Cox: Key players in the ‘doomsday cult’ murder case
State calls former Fremont County deputy to testify
The prosecution has called Vincent Kaaiakamanu, Chief Deputy of Madison County Sheriff’s office, to the stand on Monday.
He was with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office at the time of the murders.
Court hears jail phone calls between Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow
Deputy Kaaiakamanu explains he oversees the Telmate phone/video system that inmates use in the jail.
One of the calls is entered into evidence and it’s played in court.
Lori Vallow calls Chad Daybell and asks enthusiastically, “Hey babe. Are you OK?”
“They’re searching the property,” he responds.
“The house right now?” she asks.
“Yes. Yes,” Daybell says. “So Mark Means will be talking to you.”
Mark Means is their former attorney.
Vallow asks if they are in the house. Daybell says no and says they are on the property.
When Vallows asks if they are seizing stuff again, he responds, “They’re searching.”
Daybell says: “I’m glad you called. We’ll see what transpires.”
“K. What do you want me to do? Pray?” she says.
“Yeah, pray. And...yeah,” he says and then tells her to call Mark.
She asks if she can call him later, and he says “I don’t know. I don’t know. You can try. I’ll answer if I can.”
They exchange “I love yous” and the call ends.
Detective Eric Wheeler is now on the stand
Detective Eric Wheeler is now testifying for the state.
He said he has worked for the Rexburg Police Department for 18 years.
He was a patrol officer in 2020 when the remains of the children were found on Chad Daybell’s property.
Det Wheeler’s role was to maintain safety and security while investigators conducted the search of Tylee and JJ.
Updated camera angle shows better view of Chad Daybell
After numerous complaints about the court’s live stream feed over the past two weeks, it has been updated and improved for the third week of testimony.
Chad Daybell’s trial is being live streamed on Judge Boyce’s YouTube channel.
The camera angles previously showed the entire court, the judge and the witness on the stand.
Now there is a camera pointed directly at the defence table to show Daybell and his attorney John Prior.
Another angle is pointed at the courtroom and the state, while the others are at the witness and the judge.
Court sees video of Chad Daybell detained in cop car
During Det Wheeler’s testimony, the state plays a video from his patrol car that shows Daybell talking to his daughter Emma after he’s been detained at his house.
He has not been formally arrested at this point.
Det Wheeler had testified just before he was put in the cop car, there were multiple times he saw Daybell looking “awkwardly“ over his shoulder toward where the investigators were searching and cadaver dogs were working on the property.
Emma comes up to the side of the car and is crying as she says “I love you so much“ and gives her dad a hug.
Daybell goes over finances with Emma and says she will be running his finances “I suppose.“
He tells her there is about $9,000 in a middle drawer in Mark’s room and also gives her the password to his bank account. He says his company business card is in the same drawer as the $9,000.
Chad Daybell tells his daughter ‘I’m not coming back’
As Daybell discusses finances with his daughter, Emma, she promises to take care of things the best she can.
He tells her the house is essentially hers and that he will talk to John Prior about financial arrangements.
“I’m not coming back,” he says.
Court hears that Daybell’s daughter was in contact with jailed Lori Vallow
As Chad Daybell instructs his daughter Emma to use Telmate to communicate with him, she tells him that she has an account because she has been talking with Lori Vallow, who had already been arrested.
In the police video, Emma asks if things can be sent from Amazon to the jail and Dyabell responds that Lori would know the Amazon account. He says he has around $265 in gift certificates in his Amazon account.
Daybell and daughter discuss location of remains
Emma tells her dad she asked the police where they found the human remains. At this point, only JJ’s remains had been found.
She said police told her the remains were found near the pond, under the tree and that there were boards over it. When Daybell responds, “OK,” Emma then says, “I can see in your face that it surprises you.”
Daybell also tells Emma that he talked to Lori for a few minutes just before he was being detained, and Emma asked if she was surprised.
“She seemed bothered and disturbed,” he says.
‘We are independent - I’m not Colby,’ Daybell’s daughter says during his arrest
As Chad Daybell is being detained while investigators dig up the bodies of Lori Vallow’s children, he tells his daughter Emma that neighbors will be talking.
Court saw the new video footage from the patrol car on Monday.
She tells him the neighbors are already talking.
“We’re ok dad. We’re ok. You raised us so we are independent now. I’m not Colby,” she said, apparently referring to Colby Ryan, Lori Vallow’s son.
Daybell tells her “it will work out” and she tells him she’s going to miss him.
Detective says Daybell looked over in direction of fire pit where Tylee’s remains were. later found
Detective Wheeler testified that while Chad Daybell was in the back of the patrol car, he had looked over in the direction of the fire pit where Tylee’s remains were later found.
At the time Daybell was being detained, only JJ’s body had been found.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.