On day 28 of the trial of Chad Daybell, the defense focused on DNA evidence recovered from the bodies of Tylee and JJ, as well as location data for Chad and Alex Cox on significant dates in the case. The trial is being live-streamed using court cameras and equipment.
Chad Daybell confers with defense attorney John Prior during Chad Daybell's preliminary hearing in Fremont County on Monday, August 3, 2020.
Chad Daybell was convicted of conspiracy and first-degree murder in the Oct. 2019 death of Tammy Daybell. On June 1, the jury recommended the death penalty for Daybell. The judge agreed with the jury’s death penalty recommendation and sentenced Daybell to death for counts 1 through 6.
Key Testimonies and Evidence Presented
Jurors heard from the defense’s final witness, Dr. Tylee Ryan’s remains were mutilated and severely burned. Dr. Bartelink agreed with the State’s witness, Dr. Angi Christensen, a Forensic Anthropologist with the FBI, that there were several signs of blunt force trauma and sharp force trauma to the remains.
Forensic DNA expert Dr. Greg Hampikian tested four hair samples against reference samples from Chad Daybell, Lori Daybell, and JJ Vallow. Dr. Katherine Raven, a forensic pathologist for the defense, who reviewed several documents related to the case, testified her conclusion of Tammy Daybell’s death was undetermined.
Read also: Vallow-Daybell Trial: Key Evidence
Emma Murray detailed how her mother would drink colloidal silver daily and antidepressants to alleviate her symptoms. Emma told authorities the family did not want an autopsy because she did not believe anyone should get one. When asked about the children’s whereabouts, Emma answered that her father told her several times that the children were safe. When pressed about where the children were found, Emma took a deep breath and said, “In the backyard.”
Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow texted each other about “death percentages” for Lori’s two children and Chad’s first wife in July and August of 2019. Chad Daybell talked about “giving pain” to people around Lori Vallow. He claimed to have “turned up the pain” and placed a “spiritual virus” inside Tylee Ryan.
Jurors were shown two short video clips of Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow. One showed Tylee Ryan hugging JJ Vallow at Yellowstone National Park with Alex Cox smiling behind them. The second was of JJ sitting on a sofa with a drink.
A never-heard-before jailhouse call played for the jury between Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell while Lori was in the Madison County jail. Daybell told Lori that “Ray” [Lori’s brother] “misses you, but he’s not far from contact. Lori Vallow Daybell asked Chad during the phone call if he could ask “Ray” [her brother Alex] if he can make them any guarantees.
Chad Daybell told Jason Gwilliam during a phone call 30 days after his first wife’s death that he had remarried and asked that he not tell anyone.
Read also: Key Testimony in the Daybell Case
Cammy Willmore, Deputy Coroner for Fremont County, testified that the foam on Tammy Daybell’s face was something she had not seen before. Willmore searched online to see if poison caused the ‘weird’ foam but did not find anything.
Dr. Garth Warren, Forensic Pathologist for the Ada County Coroner’s Office, testified that Joshua “JJ” Jackson Vallow died as a result of asphyxia by a plastic bag over the head and duct tape on his mouth. Tylee Ryan’s remains were delivered to the coroner’s office in multiple bags. The bags contained charred bones and portions of flesh.
Latent prints analyzed from the black plastic wrappings around JJ Vallow’s body confirmed they matched Alex Cox’s right little finger and upper palm.
Chad Daybell claimed to have a “portal” in his house through which he could communicate with the spirit world and receive information and instructions. This is where he learned that his first wife, Tammy, was going to die early.
Police found the remains of 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and her brother, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, on June 9 after months of searching. They hadn’t been seen since September 2019, and investigators said the children’s mother Lori Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad both lied to police about their whereabouts.
Read also: Inside the Daybell Trial
Detailed Courtroom Updates from Day 28
1:46 pm: Following the sidebar, Judge Boyce decides to excuse the public from the courtroom. No further testimony is set to happen today, the Judge will be working on scheduling issues with the defense and prosecution.
1:40 pm: Prior asks for a sidebar ahead of testimony from the next witness.
1:34 pm: Prior asks if there is an accurate way to determine how DNA materials got on the tools recovered from the Daybell property, Hampikian says not through the analysis of DNA. Prior has no further questions and Hampikian is released from the witness stand.
1:32 pm: Wood asks Hampikian if he reviewed the testing conducted on various tools and materials recovered in relation to the bodies of JJ and Tylee.
1:28 pm: Hampikian clarifies, at the direction of Wood, that his lab is not accredited but is an educational lab. He explains that the lab is fully functional.
1:20 pm: Hampikian says there was also no indication of errors or problems with the DNA testing process. Prior has no further questions, Wood now prepares to cross-examine.
1:09 pm: Dr. Hampikian explains that there was no evidence that Chad Daybell's DNA was present on anything that was tested from the bodies of JJ and Tylee.
11:57 am: Judge Boyce calls for an afternoon recess. Testimony from Dr. Hampikian will continue after the break around 1:00 pm.
11:33 am: Dr. Hampikian explains that he has worked with DNA evidence in many cases. He confirms that he has also worked with international police. He explains that he has a great deal of experience reviewing forensic reports from other agencies.
11:28 am: Prior calls Dr. Greg Hampikian, Director of the Forensic Justice Project at Boise State University and Co-Director of the Idaho Innocence Project, to the witness stand.
11:23 am: Prior has Eller briefly reiterate that there was no data indicating that Alex and Chad were on the Daybell property during key dates at the same time as one another. Following the question, Eller is released from the witness stand.
11:17 am: Eller confirms that the communications on the day of the attempted paintball gun attack were made using two phones that were activated on that day by Chad and Alex.
11:12 am: Eller confirms that Alex Cox's devices were near the locations of the buried bodies on both Sept. 9 and Sept. 23.
11:02 am: Eller also confirms that Chad made a call to Alex Cox at 8:11 am and again an hour later on Sept. 9. Many of the data points for Cox's device after those calls place him on the Daybell property, near the burial sites for Tylee and JJ.
10:53 am: Eller confirms that a device associated with Alex Cox was at apartment 175, Lori's apartment, in the early morning of Sept. 9.
10:49 am: Wood displays a slide from the previous exhibit, Eller confirms that it depicts location data from Alex Cox's device.
10:48 am: Wood asks Eller about the date of Tylee's death.
10:39 am: Eller testifies that the digital information collected by law enforcement was using a tool that he did not have access to. He explains that recreating the digital forensics information would be difficult due to the specific algorithms used by the law enforcement software. Eller says it is fair to say that the information requires that we rely on the word of the involved law enforcement agencies.
10:32 am: On the day of the paintball attack on Tammy Daybell, Alex Cox's device was on the property between 4:50 pm and 5:00 pm.
10:25 am: The data in the exhibit indicates that Alex Cox's device was at the Daybell residence on Sept. 9 in the morning. The data is unable to determine.
10:21 am: Eller explains that he prepared a report following his review of the data.
10:20 am: Prior continues to question Eller, who explains that there were around 10 terabytes of data that he reviewed for Sept. 9 and Sept. 23.
9:18 am: Prior asks if there is data to suggest Chad Daybell's device was part of the location data collected on his property on September 9, 2019. Eller says there was no indication that Chad was on his property between 9:19 am and 12:10 pm.
Summary of Key Points from Testimony
Here's a summary of key points from the testimonies on Day 28:
- DNA Evidence: No evidence of Chad Daybell's DNA on the bodies of JJ and Tylee.
- Location Data: Alex Cox's devices were near the burial sites of JJ and Tylee on key dates.
- Digital Forensics: Difficult to recreate digital forensics information due to specific algorithms used by law enforcement software.
The trial continues to unfold, with more testimonies and evidence expected in the coming days.
Table: Key Events and Timelines
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| September 8, 2019 | Tylee Ryan last seen in a family photo at Yellowstone National Park. |
| September 9, 2019 | Law enforcement believes Tylee was killed. Alex Cox's device at Daybell residence. |
| September 22, 2019 | JJ Vallow last seen in a photo taken in his mother’s apartment. |
| October 9, 2019 | Paintball incident involving Tammy Daybell. |
| October 2019 | Tammy Daybell died of pulmonary edema due to a cardiac event. |
| June 9 | Police found the remains of 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and her brother, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow. |
Stay tuned for more updates as the trial progresses.
Here is a video about the latest developments in the Chad Daybell trial:
Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell Case Documentary | Crime Nation | Full Episode | The CW
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