(NewsNation) — Tom Evans, who was a juror in the trial of Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell‘s second wife, plans to attend Daybell’s trial in its entirety.
He told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas he believes Daybell was “definitely a victim of her (Vallow’s) manipulation” but says it’s not an excuse.
“I think I was a little bit more prepared for today having been through it,” Evans said during a Wednesday appearance on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” Daybell “seemed exactly like I’ve seen him in the hearings. Hands folded, staring straight ahead.”
Opening statements began Wednesday in the trial of Daybell, the Idaho man accused of killing his first wife and stepchildren from his second marriage with Vallow.
Daybell, a self-published doomsday fiction author, is facing charges of first-degree murder, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit murder and grand theft in connection with the deaths of Tammy Daybell, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.
The children disappeared in 2019, and their remains were later found on Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho. Vallow, Daybell’s current wife and the children’s mother, was convicted last year of murder in their deaths, as well as conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the case of Tammy Daybell. She received multiple life sentences in July.
Investigators said Daybell’s trial, which is expected to take more than two months, involves unusual claims that the victims were possessed by evil spirits — and more typical claims related to life insurance and Social Security benefits.
Prosecutors said the couple justified the three killings with doomsday beliefs, part of an elaborate scheme to eliminate any obstacles to their relationship and to obtain money from survivor benefits and life insurance. Vallow referred to her two youngest kids as zombies, one friend testified during her trial.
Jury selection in Daybell’s trial ended Tuesday. The jury pool consists of 12 jurors and six alternates, made up of 10 men and eight women from Ada County, WTVD reports.
Prosecutors said they’ll seek the death penalty if Daybell is convicted.
Evans served as juror #18 in Vallow’s trial. He also wrote the book “Money. Power, and Sex,” which chronicles his experiences as a juror in the infamous trial.
NewsNation’s Nancy Loo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.