Chad Daybell, a 55-year-old self-published author, is currently facing charges of three counts of first-degree murder. His trial is anticipated to span a duration of approximately 10 weeks.
Lori Vallow Daybell, the mother of the children, was convicted by an Idaho jury last year and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The trial exposed the couple’s strange and apocalyptic beliefs. Chad Daybell, who married Lori just weeks after his wife’s death, was also involved in the case.
According to former friend Melanie Gibb’s testimony in court, the couple confidently asserted their ability to detect individuals who had fallen victim to malevolent spirits capable of transforming them into “zombies.” They firmly believed that the only solution to rid a person of this affliction was to eliminate the host’s physical body through murder.
Chad Daybell is also facing charges of insurance fraud in relation to the death of Tammy Daybell. Additionally, he has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception in connection with the deaths of the children.
If he is found guilty, he may be sentenced to death.
Daybell has entered a plea of not guilty. According to his attorney, John Prior, Daybell is prepared to proceed with the case and is eager to share his side of the story.
Judge Steven Boyce from the 7th District took action two days later by issuing a gag order. This order prevents the attorneys and parties involved in the case from discussing any details until after the completion of jury selection and opening statements.
Chad and Lori Daybell were initially set to stand trial together, but in 2022, Prior requested that the court separate their cases. Prior argued that the co-defendants would have “mutually antagonistic defenses,” which typically refers to a situation where a jury would have to doubt one defendant in order to believe the other.
According to Prior, there will be a significant disparity between our account of the facts in this case and what Ms. Vallow and her legal counsel will present. The judge, who eventually granted the request to separate the cases, was informed of this.
In the fall of 2019, Lori Vallow’s extended family members noticed that her two youngest kids had seemingly disappeared. Concerned, they urged law enforcement to initiate a search, setting off a grim case that would unfold over the following months. The investigation would span multiple states and take numerous unexpected and harrowing twists.
Investigators discovered that Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell were engaged in an extramarital relationship when their respective spouses died under suspicious circumstances. Vallow’s husband was tragically killed by her own brother, Alexander Cox, in Arizona in July 2019. Cox claimed that the act was an act of self-defense. Following her conviction in Idaho, Vallow was extradited to Arizona, where she now faces two charges of conspiracy to commit murder. These charges are related to the deaths of her husband and Brandon Boudreaux, her niece’s ex-husband, who was allegedly targeted by Cox. Cox himself passed away unexpectedly in December 2019.
According to the couple’s friends, they informed the detectives that the duo possessed unique religious convictions. These included their belief in reincarnation and their mission to gather individuals in preparation for an impending biblical catastrophe.
During her trial, Lori Vallow Daybell’s friend testified that she referred to her two youngest kids as “zombies” before they disappeared in September 2019.
Lori and Chad Daybell allegedly used their doomsday beliefs as a justification for the deaths of Lori’s children and Chad’s wife. However, prosecutors claim that this was all part of a calculated plan to remove any obstacles to their relationship and to gain financial benefits from survivor benefits and life insurance.
