The trial of Chad Daybell continues, with both the prosecution and defense presenting their cases. Chad Daybell was sentenced to death for the murders of Tammy Daybell, Tylee Ryan, and JJ Vallow. Here's a detailed look at the key events and testimonies from Day 4 of the trial.
Juror Selection and Voir Dire
The jury pool of eight is passed for cause. Boyce tells them to avoid coverage of the case and not to investigate it. Attorneys walk back in. Chad Daybell looks back at the clock on the wall.
Boyce takes the bench and says the jury pool will be brought in to be passed for cause. Boyce calls for a quick sidebar in his chambers before the jury pool is brought back in.
One more juror walks in. The woman had some media exposure “passively.” She doesn’t watch the news and hasn’t formed an opinion. Boyce talks to the lady about the death penalty.
The woman supports the death penalty but will follow the laws and instruction when it comes to imposing it. State has no further questions, neither does defense. The juror advances. She is #52.
Read also: Vallow-Daybell Trial: Key Evidence
Wixom has no further questions, Prior has no questions. Boyce bringing up death penalty. The juror generally favors the death penalty but would base a decision to impose it on the facts, law and instructions in the case. No questions from the state or defense. The juror advances. He is #51.
Next juror takes his seat. Wixom asks the man about some of the answers on his questionnaire. The juror has heard of Lori Vallow from his coworkers and he recalls that recently she was convicted “possibly.” The man does not know the names of the victims but knows the crimes occurred in Idaho.
Wood is questioning the juror. He has seen coverage of the story on local and national news. He also watched the outcome of Lori Vallow’s case. Wood motions to have the juror dismissed, Prior agrees. Boyce grants the request and the man is excused. Boyce sustains the strike and the juror is released.
Next juror takes her seat. Batey asked a few follow up questions and now Prior is questioning the juror. He asks her about the questionnaire where she wrote Chad Daybell killed several people and may have mental issues. She clarifies what she meant. Prior has no further questions. Batey moves to excuse the juror given the depth of her media exposure.
Next juror takes her seat. Batey asking the woman about media exposure. She has seen some local news reports and remembers two children being killed involving a husband and wife. They ran off to Hawaii together and the bodies were found on one of their properties.
Read also: Key Testimony in the Daybell Case
Boyce calls for the next juror to come in. Looks like we will continue individual voir dire with the rest of the group. The juror generally favors the death penalty but would base her decision on the facts and evidence. She commits to follow instructions of court. State has no questions and neither does Prior. This juror advances. She’s number 50. That’s the number we need.
Prior doesn’t have questions for the woman. Boyce asking the juror about her job. She says she isn’t worried about it - she’s one of a group of people and sequestration wouldn’t cause any problems. Now Boyce will discuss death penalty with her.
Next juror takes her seat. Wixom is questioning the woman about media coverage of the case. She has watched some commercials teasing the story for local news and recalls seeing an aerial view of a property. She does not know the names of the victims. She says she can set aside anything she’s seen and believes everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
The juror supports the death penalty and will follow the law, facts and instruction given to her in court. State and defense have no questions. The woman advances. She is #49. We need one more!
Next juror sits down. Wood begins questioning her. The woman says she has seen headlines about the case but doesn’t remember reading. She believes Daybell has an absolute right to a fair trial. Prior has no questions. Now they will discuss death penalty.
Read also: Inside the Daybell Trial
Blake had previously made a motion to have the man excused but withdrew the motion. She wants to make it clear for the official court record. The man says he would be willing to follow the instruction of the court and he would consider all the evidence allowed in by the court. Blake has no further questions. Prior has no questions.
Next topic: death penalty. The man supports the death penalty but not in every case where murder is committed. He will follow court instruction. State has no questions, defense doesn’t either. The juror advances. He’s #48.
The next juror walks in. He had an issue with conspiracy earlier on so we will begin there. Blake is questioning him and he says it would have to be proven that there was an actual agreement - not just words spoken. He says an example could be a transfer of money or action that would suggest there was an agreement made.
Batey asks if the woman could look at the emotional photos and still put out of her mind based on what she saw on Netflix. “I’d like to say I can do that but I don’t think anyone can say that until they are in the situation,” she says. Batey moves to have the juror dismissed due to media exposure. Prior agrees. Boyce grants the motion and the juror is released.
Next juror takes her seat. She says she has come across some news about the case online. She did watch the Netflix special about a year ago. She remembers there were several suspicious deaths and seeing aerial footage of the land where the kids were found. Batey asks the woman if she knows who owned that property. She believes it was the defendant.
Blake has no further questions. Prior wants to follow up with the man. The juror says it would be difficult for him to not make an immediate emotional reaction of wanting assign guilt to somebody if he sees the photos. It could have an impact on him while deliberating. Prior moves to have the juror dismissed for cause. Blake submits to the court’s decision. Boyce lets the man go based on the juror’s responses.
Young father is the next juror. This is the man who said he would have a problem with graphic images. He says he is concerned about it but wants to be impartial and weigh it accurately. He says he would struggle in associating it with his personal situation. He worries he would be emotional in his wanting to seek justice.
The man feels he could be impartial and believes in innocence until proven guilty. Prior has no questions at this point. Boyce now discussing death penalty. The juror supports the death penalty but would impose it based on facts, law and instructions in the case. There are no questions from either side. The juror advances. He’s #47. We need three more from this group to advance to get to 50.
Next juror takes his seat. Wixom asks the man about his knowledge of the case. He says he’s heard news clips and the name of Lori Vallow. He knows that two kids were the victims and that Hawaii was part of the case. He hasn’t watched any documentaries or programs about the case. No issues on bias or hardship with this juror. Boyce jumps straight to death penalty questions.
The man supports the death penalty but would only impose it based on the facts of the case. He would follow instructions given by the judge. He is not in favor the death penalty in every case where a murder has been committed. No questions from either side. Juror #46 advances. No further questions. The juror passes through and is number 45. We need five more to get to 50.
Next juror will now take his seat for individual questioning. Boyce defines reasonable doubt to the juror. The man says he has no problems with it. Now he will be asked questions about the death penalty. The man says he supports it but would impose it based on the facts, law and instructions in the case. He is not in favor of the death penalty in every case where murder has been committed.
We are back in the courtroom. Boyce is on the bench. Next juror is brought in for individual voir dire. Batey asks the man some follow-up questions based on his responses in the questionnaire. He says he holds a conviction that proof should be beyond any possible doubt whatsoever. Batey asks him to clarify and he says he isn’t sure he’s fully understanding. We will be taking an afternoon break right now. Will be back soon.
Prosecutors have no questions for the juror. Prior moves to have the juror excluded for hardship. Boyce asks how being away from her family would impact the woman’s ability to serve on the jury. She says it would impact her negatively. Boyce sustains the challenge and the woman is released.
First juror being questioned says it would be extremely difficult to serve on the jury because she has young children. She could find childcare but they also own an insurance business. each day but sequestration is possible and the woman would not be able to be with her family for 1-2 weeks.
He asks the jurors if they commit not to hold Chad responsible for what they see on the images. The jurors all agree. Prior has no further questions. Individual voir dire will now begin. Prior says he’s going to go into the last subject. “It’s about time, huh,” he says, looking at the clock. He mentions the jurors will see very, very graphic photos. “These pictures are going to hurt your heart. I’m telling you - they are going to hurt you heart. They hurt my heart,” he says.
Prior now bringing up the line from the country song - “Everything that glitters is not gold.” He asks the jury what they think that expression could mean. Prior asks if anyone on the jury has been 100% honest their entire time. He says people tell lies all the time and asks the jury if people lie about relationships. Many say yes.
Prior says, “I am a lucky man. I have an absolutely gorgeous girlfriend. I think dearly of her and I don’t deserve her. I don’t know if she would marry me or not but we skirt about the issue a lot.” He asks jurors to raise their hands if they think he has made an offer of marriage to her. Nobody raises their hands. Court lost audio on the live video stream for a few minutes. It should be back on.
Prior continues questioning the jury on the subject of what an agreement is. Blake has no further questions. Prior will now question the group. Chad Daybell is looking at the jurors. Prior says he wants the jurors to understand there are no wrong answers.
Boyce back on the bench and says he will take the motion under advisement but for now, the man stays. Another lady raises her card and says she feels one party can manipulate the other two parties. One man says he has a problem with the conspiracy definition and believes the person would have to actually commit the crime - not just talk about it. Blake asks him a few questions and then motions to have the juror dismissed. Prior asks to approach.
Attorneys and Boyce meet on the side of the courtroom while white noise is played. Blake talks about Kansas City Chiefs winning the Super Bowl this year. She asks one juror, “Would you agree that every person on the team should get a Super Bowl ring?” Juror says yes - absolutely. She compares this to the conspiracy aspect of the case and says they will hear about actions taken by Lori Vallow and Alex Cox - but Chad Daybell could still be accountable for the actions.
Blake brings up the cheesy eggs. Her son wants his eggs a certain way every day and if she varies from it, he gets upset. She compares this to following court instructions specifically even if they think they know better. The man who raised his hand says he has two very young children and it would be very difficult for him to see the images. He says he would struggle to not make an immediate opinion but would be willing to listen - however he worries he could not be impartial after seeing them.
Blake explains some of the evidence will be graphic and disturbing. She asks if this will cause anyone concerns about being on the jury. One man raises his hand, another lady says, “Maybe.” She gets emotional saying that, as a mother, “I might not be able to see it.” She says she can be impartial but can she look at it?
Blake brings up the airplane analogy and the importance of the jury “landing the plane.” The big question is will she next talk about cheesy eggs or preparing a cup of coffee? Blake explains the jurors need to be brutally honest today with the attorneys and if they are picked for the jury, they need to be brutally honest when it comes to deliberations.
Lindsey Blake will voir dire on behalf of the state. She starts by asking the jurors what they think the term “brutally honesty” means to them. Boyce asks if any of the jurors have knowledge of the case. Four members raise their red cards. They will be questioned about their knowledge during individual voir dire. Another juror has a family reunion planed in Alabama for June 4-12. He says he also takes his kids to school as his wife starts her job before the school day.
State has no questions. Prior has a few questions but says he will submit to the court. Boyce excuses the juror. Boyce asks if serving on a jury for 8-10 weeks would create a financial hardship for any of the jurors. One man says he spoke to HR and they will only pay for two weeks of jury duty. State moves to dismiss the juror, defense agrees. Boyce excuses the juror.
Boyce reads instructions to the jury. He explains they may be dismissed for cause or during peremptory challenges. He tells them not to feel offended or that their honesty and integrity is being questioned. Boyce explains state has the burden to prove Daybell guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Defendant never has to prove anything and Daybell never needs to take the stand. to get here or provide good explanation why they didn’t show up. If that person does not show up or have a reason, they could face a $500 fine and up to five days in jail.
Boyce introduces himself and the court staff. Clerk takes roll call. One juror has failed to appear. Boyce asks the 15 who are here to hold up their red cards showing their numbers. The judge and attorneys are back in court. Boyce says the juror they just met with has been excused for bias and hardship. Jury has been seated. There are 15 jurors - 9 men, 6 women. The judge and attorneys leave the room to meet with the individual juror in private.
Judge Boyce is on the bench. The next group of jurors will be brought in except one will remain outside and will speak with the attorneys and judge privately. Daybell is now thumbing through papers and reading notes. There are six people in the gallery this afternoon - Madison Co. Sheriff Chief Deputy Vince Kaaiakamanu, three reporters (including me), a college student and Tom Evans, juror in the Vallow case. The attorneys head back to meet with Judge Boyce in his chambers. Chad Daybell sits alone at the defense table with his hands in a praying shape in front of his face.
Back in the courtroom. Defense and prosecutors are here. Waiting on Judge Boyce and the jurors. We will be at lunch until then. Once we get 50, the defense and prosecutors will have peremptory challenges until the number gets down to 18 jurors - 12 jurors and 6 alternates. That could happen as early as tomorrow. Seven jurors from this morning’s group advanced - three men, four women.
Witness Testimony and Evidence
Several witnesses took the stand on Day 4, providing crucial testimony and presenting key evidence.
Social Security Agent Mark Saari: Testified about social security payments received by Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow. Tylee received $1,859 monthly, JJ received $1,951 monthly, and Lori also received $1,951 a month, all in social security payments. Lori's payments stopped when JJ was unable to be located. Tylee's social security benefits were halted after her agent could not determine her whereabouts. Saari's job was to investigate whether there was any Social Security fraud involved. The bank account receiving Tylee's benefits changed to a BBVA account on Aug. 20, 2019.
Detective Nathan Duncan: Discussed his investigation into the deaths of Charles Vallow and Tammy Daybell. He recommended charges for Chad Daybell in connection to Charles Vallow's death. Duncan believes that Alex Cox killed Charles but did not act alone. Prior questioned Duncan about the process of pressing charges as a state prosecutor and a trip Alex took to Mexico for cheap prescription drugs.
Duncan also discussed the contents of Zulema Pastenes', Alex Cox's wife and friend to Lori Vallow, who messaged Lori about Hiplos, something the two refer to as a "level 3" evil spirit. Chad also messaged Zulema on July 11, saying "It's crazy about Charles, but such a relief."
Duncan reads messages from Chad to Lori, emphasizing Lori's concern for the life insurance money she thought she would be getting after Charles's death. Lori tells Chad she can't tell who Charles changed the beneficiary to, Chad replies "Wow, that's terrible, there's no way to find out?"
Lori also messaged Alex Cox, informing Cox that "they" were staging some kind of intervention that would all come to a head this week, which was just 2 days before Charles was killed. Lori also mentioned that she would be like "Nephi" and so would Alex.
Det. Duncan discusses messages from Lori to her son Colby Ryan, where Lori says that Tylee would send him money via Venmo, but Tylee had been dead for over 2 months at this point.
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