An Idaho jury has convicted Chad Daybell on all charges in a triple murder case Thursday, CBS News reported.
An Idaho jury convicted Daybell, 55, of first-degree murder and other charges after deliberating for less than a day, according to CBS News. The case involved the murders of Chad’s first wife, Tammy Daybell, and two children, Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan. These children belonged to his current wife, Lori Vallow Daybell.
BREAKING: A jury finds Chad Daybell guilty of murder in the deaths of his ex-wife and two of his current wife’s children. https://t.co/Mq7GkMNkyj
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 30, 2024
Daybell was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in his wife’s death, as well as in the deaths of JJ and Tylee, alongside charges of grand theft by deception and insurance fraud, the outlet reported. The children’s bodies were discovered buried on Daybell’s property, months after their last sightings. The case gained notoriety due to the bizarre doomsday beliefs that Chad and Lori held. (RELATED: Police Say Man Killed Wife, Three Sons In Apparent Murder-Suicide)
Prosecutors claimed the couple was driven by a desire for “money, power, and sex.” They used their apocalyptic religious ideology to justify the killings, labeling their victims as “dark” or “light” and describing the children as “zombies” possessed by evil spirits, CBS News reported. Led by attorney John Prior, the defense argued that the children’s late uncle, Alex Cox, committed the murders, not Chad.
REXBURG, IDAHO – MAY 10: Banners showing Tylee Ryan and her brother J.J. Vallow are seen on a fence set up as a memorial near where her body was found on May 10, 2023 in Rexburg, Idaho. Lori Vallow Daybell faces charges of murder, conspiracy and grand theft in connection to the deaths of two of her children — Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow — as well as Tammy Daybell, the previous wife of her husband Chad Daybell. (Photo by Natalie Behring/Getty Images)
This theory gained support from testimony by two of Chad’s adult children, who also pointed to their mother’s health issues to shift suspicion, the outlet reported. After a lengthy trial that began in early April and featured testimony from over 75 witnesses, the jury decided Chad’s fate. With the guilty verdict, the case moves to the sentencing phase, where the same jurors will consider if Chad should receive the death penalty, as the prosecution has requested.
The judge indicated that this phase could include weekend sessions and is set to begin immediately. As this case progresses, related legal actions continue, according to CBS News. Lori, already serving a life sentence without parole for murder, has been extradited to Arizona to face additional charges related to the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.
