The Chad Daybell trial has captivated true crime audiences, with continuous coverage delving into the significant aspects and developments of the case. The case involves Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell, who are accused of a series of grave crimes, including murder, conspiracy, and grand theft, related to the deaths of Lori's two children, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, and Chad's previous wife, Tammy Daybell. The trial is being live-streamed using court cameras and equipment.
Background of the Case
The Vallow-Daybell doomsday murders consist of a series of killings-including child murder, filicide, and spousal murder-committed by an American couple, Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell. Chad and Lori led a Mormon religious sect described in the media as a "doomsday cult." At the time of the murders, Chad and Lori were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). However, their beliefs had deviated significantly from mainstream Mormonism.
The murders started when Lori's estranged husband, Charles Vallow, was shot dead by her brother Alex Cox on July 11, 2019, in Chandler, Arizona. Next, Lori's daughter, Tylee Ryan (16), and adopted son, Joshua Jaxon "J. J." Vallow (7), disappeared from their home in Rexburg, Idaho on September 9 and 23, 2019, respectively. Their remains were found on June 9, 2020. They had been buried on a property owned by Chad, who was Lori's lover at the time of their deaths and had become her husband by the time their bodies were found. On October 2, 2019, Lori's nephew-in-law Brandon Boudreaux survived a murder attempt in Gilbert, Arizona.
Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell Case Documentary | Crime Nation | Full Episode | The CW
Key Figures
Chad Daybell
Chad Guy Daybell was born on August 11, 1968, in Provo, Utah, to a Mormon family and grew up in the neighboring city of Springville. He was accepted and enrolled at Brigham Young University (BYU) after high school. One year into college, he applied to be a missionary, for which he spent two years in New Jersey. He then resumed his studies and graduated from BYU with a B.A.
Read also: Vallow-Daybell Trial: Key Evidence
Chad was an apocalyptic author and publisher who claimed to have visions of the future and to have lived through multiple past lives, and prophesied the world would end in July 2020. His novels often depicted apocalyptic situations and dystopian futures, and featured characters based on his own family. In a memoir called Living on the Edge of Heaven, he claimed to have had two near-death experiences that allowed him to receive supernatural visions from "beyond the veil." A recurring theme in Chad's writings was a supernatural voice giving instructions and advice to him or to his characters. Over time, Chad's religious beliefs became increasingly extreme. Jason Gwilliam, the husband of Tammy's sister, later recalled that Chad's views had started changing around 2006 and 2007, as he became "hyper-focused on preparing for end of times."
Lori Vallow Daybell
Lori Norene Ryan Daybell, also referred to as Lori Vallow Daybell, was born Lori Norene Cox on June 26, 1973, in Loma Linda, California. She grew up in a Mormon family. In 1992, at the age of 19, Lori married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended in divorce shortly afterwards. In October 1995, Lori married again and had a son named Colby in 1996, before divorcing in 1998. In 2001, Lori married Joseph Anthony Ryan Jr., who gave his name to Colby. The couple's daughter, Tylee, was born in 2002. In February 2006, Lori married Leland Charles Anthony Vallow, who commonly went by the name Charles. In 2013 the couple adopted Charles' grandnephew, Joshua Jaxon "J.J." Vallow.
In October 2018, together with Melanie Gibb and Zulema Pastenes whom she had recently befriended, Lori attended a "Preparing a People" event where she met Chad for the first time. Gibb and Pastenes both said that Lori had behaved in a very flirtatious manner with Chad at the conference. Chad claimed to Lori that they had been married in multiple previous lifetimes. After their initial meeting, Lori's husband went on a business trip, giving her the opportunity to hold a small overnight gathering at her home. Chad and Gibb were among the attendees, with Chad captivating Lori and the group by sharing his Mormon-influenced, but unique, beliefs. Lori developed a strong attachment to Chad and his teachings.
The Investigation and Discovery of the Bodies
The case was set in motion by the children's disappearances. Tylee was last seen alive on September 8, 2019, and J.J. on September 22, 2019. In late November 2019, after police questioned Lori about J.J.'s whereabouts, she and Chad abruptly vacated their homes in Idaho and left for Hawaii. As police searched for J.J., they discovered that Tylee was also missing. Investigations revealed that Tylee and J.J.'s disappearances had been preceded and followed by the suspicious deaths of Lori and Chad's respective spouses and by the attempt on Brandon Boudreaux's life. Lori and Chad had married two weeks after the death of Chad's first wife Tammy. On February 20, 2020, Lori was arrested for desertion and non-support of her children. On June 9, police discovered the remains of Tylee and J. J.
By tracking Alex Cox's cell phone data, investigators later found that Cox had searched on the Internet for directions to Boudreaux's address and had been present near Boudreaux's home during the hours before the shooting. He had also searched "how to load ammunition", "ballistic trajectory calculators" and, after the shooting, "man shot in Gilbert". On the day of the shooting, Cox and Lori had communicated several times.
Read also: Key Testimony in the Daybell Case
Key Points from Day 21 of the Trial
Day 21 of Chad Daybell’s murder case is underway Friday in Ada County and more witnesses will be called to testify. Daybell is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder in relation to the deaths of Tammy and two of Lori’s kids - 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. He is also charged with grand theft and insurance fraud. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
James and Elena shared an "unparalleled love" in a previous lifetime. In that story, James and Elena were being sealed to each other in the temple. James and Raphael were aliases for Chad. Elena and Lily were aliases for Lori. Heideman explains that those who visit the temple scan cards to enter and Heideman reviewed the records to put the timeline together.
In October, Lori purchased a wedding band which was then returned and repurchased for a smaller size. Chad's earliest search for malachite was in March 2019 and in May 2019, Chad and Lori both appeared to be searching for it.
Samantha believes the children are still members of the LDS faith, though she isn't in contact with them. Tammy texted Samantha and asked if she would be around that weekend. Samantha says she never saw Tammy have an adverse reaction to any at-home remedies. Chad and Jason were close. Tammy was the second oldest. There was four years between them but they were best friends and stayed close into adulthood.
Jason said he thought that they were fictional stories at first, but later learned that Chad wrote them based on events that are going to occur. Jason didn't see Chad as much in 2019. Chad told him he wanted to hold the funeral the following Tuesday and couldn't give Jason any details about Tammy's cause of death. Jason said he didn't think Tammy had lost any weight at that point. Chad would repeatedly ask Jason to move to Idaho, including in a letter written by Chad in 2016.
She asked if Tammy had any medical issues and Chad said she had not but in the past month or so she had hypotension and lightheadedness.
Timeline of Events
The following table summarizes the key events in the Vallow-Daybell case:
Read also: Inside the Daybell Trial
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| July 11, 2019 | Charles Vallow murdered by Alex Cox |
| September 8, 2019 | Tylee Ryan last seen alive |
| September 22, 2019 | J.J. Vallow last seen alive |
| October 2, 2019 | Brandon Boudreaux survives murder attempt |
| October 9, 2019 | Tammy Daybell reports being shot at |
| October 19, 2019 | Tammy Daybell found dead |
| November 5, 2019 | Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow marry |
| June 9, 2020 | Remains of Tylee and J.J. discovered |
Popular articles:
tags: #Chad
