The jury selection for the death penalty trial of Chad Daybell at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise has concluded, with a total of 57 potential jurors selected from the interviewed panel.
Originally, Idaho 7th District Judge Steven Boyce noted that 50 jurors would be needed, so it is unknown why the court added an extra seven.
The process of jury selection began on Monday, April 1, with 16 individuals pooled from the first panel, four more were added on Tuesday, 17 on Wednesday and 15 on Thursday, Friday five more were pooled for an overall total of 57 potential jurors.
The Importance of an Impartial Jury
Since this is a capital murder case, it is imperative for the court to find an impartial jury that can judiciously try the case.
Judge Boyce instructed the potential jurors during the weeklong selection process that it is up to prosecutors to prove the charges - Daybell does not need to prove his innocence, nor does he have to take the stand in his own defense.
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Media coverage and the length of the trial was a major reason that many of the potential jurors paneled were dismissed.
For the actual trial, 18 jurors will be needed to hear the death penalty trial, 12 jurors with six alternates. During the trial, all 18 will be sequestered for the entire trial, which is expected to last eight to 10 weeks with the goal of wrapping up by June 15.
On Monday, April 8, the prosecution and the defense will begin striking 39 jurors from the pool of 57 potential individuals until 18 jurors are selected.
During individual voir dire, each juror was questioned about bias, attitudes about the death penalty and potential undue hardships.
Challenges in Jury Selection
The potential jurors were asked questions by District Judge Steven Boyce, Daybell's defense attorney John Prior, and members of the prosecution team, which includes Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Blake, Madison County Prosecuting Attorney Rob Wood, Special Attorney General Prosecutor Ingrid Batey and Fremont County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rocky Wixom.
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Several potential jurors were eliminated based on financial hardship, knowledge of the case or other reasons. By Monday morning, 50 people were chosen for the final jury pool. The defense and prosecutors each chose 16 potential jurors to eliminate.
One juror, who holds a bachelor's degree in religion, was asked if differing religious beliefs would affect the way they viewed the case. They said it would not.
Another juror, who has five young children and runs a daycare, was asked if they would be able to focus on the case for upwards of 10 weeks and not be distracted by other responsibilities.
Seven members of the first group of potential jurors were excused for reasons including undue hardship or bias in the case, leaving nine fit to serve on the jury.
The overwhelming majority of the potential jurors expressed that they take their civic duty seriously and they would be dedicated to being a jury member during the trial, however long it may take.
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It’s interesting. I haven’t seen her in person in about 10 years and we grew up together. We were close. She was a bridesmaid at my wedding. We spent a lot of time together. Our oldest kids are the same age. So it’s very strange to be even in this situation where she’s caused this whole horrible saga for our family,” said Conner.
Juror says she’s already lost sleep about being called for jury duty and the autopsy photos would cause distress. Graphic information loops in her mind and she feels it would make it difficult for her to render an impartial verdict.
Wood tells jurors there will be autopsy photos of children and a mother. He asks if any of them will have a problem with this.
Blake talks about circumstantial evidence and asks the jurors if any of them would be concerned if they didn’t see a particular piece of evidence they believe they should see.
Blake says jurors need to commit to following the courts “recipe” even if they think they have a better way. She asks if any of them have concerns with those instructions. Nobody raises their cards.
Prior asks if any of the jurors just don’t want to be here. Chad it looking intently at the jurors. None of them raise their hands.
Prior asks the judge if he has language he would prefer him to use. Boyce says he’s not going to prohibit a reference to what the jury is already seeing.
Boyce says if the verbiage is used repeatedly to garner sympathy, he will consider the issue. As for the “vouching” statement that Daybell is not guilty, Prior says he will avoid doing that.
Before the new jurors are brought in, Blake has two objections. She says Prior referred to the “four prosecutors” repeatedly and him as the lone defense attorney. Her other objection is Prior said he believes his client is not guilty. Blake says that is not appropriate and outside the scope of voir dire.
Prior explains that he is hesitating with the juror because he believes that the juror and their spouse are so close that they likely have a significant effect on one another's opinions.
Wood asks the juror about media consumption relating to the trial. The juror indicates that they believe Daybell is innocent until proven guilty, but that their spouse has formed an opinion on the case. The juror believes this would not impact his opinion of Daybell during the trial.
The Charges Against Chad Daybell
The 55-year-old self-published religious author is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his former wife Tammy Daybell, 7-year-old Joshua “J.J.” Vallow and J.J.’s older sister, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.
Their bodies were found buried on Chad Daybell’s property outside of Rexburg, Idaho in June of 2020 after a nationwide search.
Chad Daybell is also facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder, insurance fraud and grand theft.
Daybell is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree murder, insurance fraud and grand theft in connection to the deaths of 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, 7-year-old J.J.
A Fremont County Grand Jury charged Daybell with first degree murder, conspiracy to commit first degree murder and grand theft by deception, and insurance fraud in 2021. He has pleaded not guilty.
Daybell, who married Lori Vallow two weeks after his wife Tammy Daybell died in October 2019, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder in relation to the deaths of Tammy and two of Vallow's kids - 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The couple has ties to Rexburg, where Vallow moved in September 2019. Despite the cases’ ties to east Idaho, the Daybell/Vallow story has garnered national attention and both trials have taken place in Ada County.
Vallow Daybell has been in court with her legal team during the entire week of jury selection.
Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception for the death of J.J.
The death penalty is not an option for this jury, removed as an option by Boyce.
If convicted, Daybell could face the death penalty.
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The Case of Lori Vallow
The children’s mother, Lori Vallow Daybell - who married Chad Daybell shortly after the death of Tammy and the children - was found guilty in June of 2023 and sentenced to multiple life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.
She is currently appealing her conviction. Lori was extradited to Maricopa County, Arizona in February of this year, where she faces additional charges related to the death of her former husband Charles Vallow, and the attempted murder of her niece’s former husband Brandon Boudreaux.
Last year, Daybell’s wife, Lori Vallow, was convicted of the same charges Daybell now faces, including conspiracy to murder and first-degree murder of Tammy Daybell and the murders of J.J. and Tylee.
Daybell’s wife, Lori Vallow, was found guilty last year of first degree murder for the deaths of two of her children, and of conspiracy to murder Tammy Daybell, Chad Daybell’s ex-wife.
Vallow was found guilty following a six week trial last spring. She is serving three life sentences without the possibility of parole in Idaho and is currently in an Arizona jail on charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
In her Idaho trial, Lori Vallow was convicted in the deaths of two children, Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow and the death of her husband Chad Daybell’s former wife, Tammy Daybell.
Lori Vallow is standing trial for the murder of her ex-husband, Charles Vallow.
| Defendant | Charges | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Chad Daybell | First-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, insurance fraud, grand theft | Trial ongoing |
| Lori Vallow Daybell | First-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder | Convicted, serving life sentences, appealing conviction |
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