(NewsNation) — Jury selection will begin Monday in the trial of 55-year-old Chad Daybell, accused of conspiring with his wife, Lori Vallow, to kill his first wife and Vallow’s two children.
Vallow was sentenced to life in prison last year for the murder of her two youngest children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, and 16-year-old Tylee Vallow, as well as Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.
Vallow is currently in Arizona awaiting trial on additional charges of conspiring to kill her estranged husband Charles Vallow and her niece’s ex-husband Brandon Boudreaux.
Police believe Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed Charles Vallow at his home in a Phoenix suburb. The husband and wife were estranged, and Cox told police he acted in self-defense. He was never charged in the case and died later that year of what authorities determined were natural causes.
Charles Vallow had filed for divorce earlier that year, contending in court papers that Lori Vallow believed herself to be a deity tasked with helping to usher in the biblical apocalypse.
The two were estranged but still legally married at the time of his death. Lori Vallow was indicted in 2021 for conspiring to kill him.
Who is Chad Daybell?
Chad Daybell is now married to Vallow, his second wife. He previously ran a small publishing company and wrote fictional books about apocalyptic scenarios loosely based on the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also hosted a podcast about preparing for the apocalypse.
He also had a religious-focused podcast that Vallow appeared on and the pair hosted gatherings of people who shared their religious beliefs, CBS reported.
Those close to Daybell said he claimed he received visions from “beyond the veil.”
How is he connected to Lori Vallow?
Investigators became suspicious of Chad Daybell when he married Lori Vallow just two weeks after his wife died in 2019.
Lori Vallow ultimately moved to Idaho with her kids and brother Alex Cox to be closer to her new husband.
It was his yard where officials found the bodies of Vallow’s two children buried in shallow graves in 2020.
What’s he accused of?
Chad Daybell is accused of criminal conspiracy, first-degree murder and insurance fraud — all felony offenses dating back to 2018 and 2019, court records show. He has pleaded not guilty to each count.
The charges stem from the deaths of Vallow’s youngest children JJ and Tylee, and Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.
She died Oct. 19, about a month after she and Chad Daybell signed an application to increase her life insurance, according to court filings.
She was originally believed to have died of natural causes, but an autopsy later determined she died of asphyxiation.
The investigation also revealed that Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow exchanged text messages about Tammy Daybell being in “Limbo,” and being possessed by a spirit named Viola, according to the indictment.
Ada County Coroner Dr. Garth Warren confirmed last spring that JJ died from asphyxia after a plastic bag was put over his head and duct tape over his mouth, while his sister, Tylee, died of homicide by unspecified means.
What is his defense saying?
The death penalty was taken off the table for Lori Vallow, but not Chad Daybell, despite his attorney’s efforts. Judge Steve Boyce in December denied a request to eliminate the possibility of the death sentence.
In a recent interview with Idaho News 6, Chad Daybell’s attorney John Prior said he watched Lori Vallow’s trial, and didn’t find anything surprising about the prosecutors’ tactics.
“At this point, we’re ready to go forward and he wants to tell his story,” Prior told Idaho News 6.