Chad Daybell Found Guilty of Killing First Wife and Two Stepchildren

Chad Daybell was found guilty on Thursday, May 30 2024, of first-degree murder and conspiracy charges in the deaths of his first wife, Tammy Daybell, and the two children of his second wife, Lori Vallow Daybell.

Idaho prosecutors argued the murders were driven by power, sex, money, and apocalyptic spiritual beliefs. Daybell may face the death penalty.

Daybell had pleaded not guilty to the charges in the deaths of Tammy Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell’s children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow.

During the verdict reading, Daybell, dressed in a light blue shirt and yellow tie, remained emotionless.

Authorities believe Tylee and JJ were killed in September 2019, the last month they were seen, and that Tammy Daybell was found dead in her Idaho home on October 19, 2019.

She was initially thought to have died in her sleep. Chad Daybell married Lori Vallow Daybell shortly after Tammy’s death.

In June 2020, law enforcement found the remains of Tylee and JJ on Chad Daybell’s property in Fremont County.

The death penalty phase of the case began Thursday afternoon with Judge Steven Boyce instructing the jurors, and proceedings were set to continue Friday, May 31, 2024 morning.

JJ’s grandfather, Larry Woodcock, expressed sorrow and anger after the verdict, noting that JJ would have been 12 years old. He questioned the motives behind the killings, emphasizing the destruction wrought upon families by Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell.

Jury deliberations began on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, and lasted for a little over two hours before resuming on Thursday morning. The jury requested a missing instruction related to the first-degree murder count in Tammy Daybell’s death before continuing deliberations and reaching a verdict.

Prosecutors argued the killings were particularly heinous, motivated by power, sex, money, and extremist beliefs. Defense attorney John Prior contended there was insufficient direct evidence against Daybell and implicated others in the deaths.

Lori Vallow Daybell was convicted in May 2023 of murdering her children and conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole and has appealed her convictions to the state Supreme Court, questioning her mental competence to stand trial.