Chad Daybell Trial: Updates and Developments

Nov 12, 2025 0

The Chad Daybell case has captivated the nation, involving a series of tragic events and complex legal proceedings. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the key updates and developments in the case, including the trial, sentencing, appeals, and related cases involving Lori Vallow Daybell.

The Murders and Initial Investigation

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. The case was set in motion by the children's disappearances. 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. 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. 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.

The Victims

Charles Vallow: Murdered on July 11, 2019, in Chandler, Arizona.
Tylee Ryan: Disappeared on September 9, 2019, at age 16.
Joshua Jaxon "JJ" Vallow: Disappeared on September 23, 2019, at age 7.
Tammy Daybell: Found dead in her home in October 2019.

Chad Daybell's Trial and Conviction

An Idaho jury convicted Chad Daybell on charges he killed his first wife and the two youngest children of his second wife. Chad Daybell was found guilty of triple-murder in the 2019 slaying of his first wife, Tammy Daybell, and the two youngest children of his now wife, Lori Vallow Daybell. The jury returned a verdict for Chad Daybell on charges he killed his first wife and his second wife's children.

Chad Daybell also was charged with two counts of insurance fraud. Prosecutors say he maxed out Tammy's life insurance policy the month before she died, with himself as a beneficiary. Less than a month after Tammy's death, he married Lori Vallow in Hawaii. As the judge handed down the death penalty, Daybell stayed still and showed no emotion. The sentencing came two days after Daybell was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2019 death of his former wife, Tammy Daybell, 49. He was also found guilty of conspiracy charges in the deaths of his second wife, Lori Vallow Daybell's two youngest children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua Jaxon "JJ" Vallow.

Read also: The Daybell Case

The jury unanimously reached a verdict in the penalty phase of Chad Daybell’s triple murder trial on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Chad Daybell was sentenced to death for the murders of Tammy Daybell, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow. A jury in Boise, Idaho, sentenced Chad Daybell to death on Saturday for the murders of his former wife and his second wife's two youngest children.

Prosecutors spoke to the "especially heinous" murders as the prosecution asks the jury to sentence Chad Daybell to death. In such cases, the jury hears from the two sides about any aggravating and mitigating circumstances, before deciding whether a death sentence is appropriate. Prosecutors said Daybell concocted wild, religion-tinged fantasies about people becoming zombies to justify grisly crimes - with the goal, they said, of starting a new life with his second wife, Vallow Daybell, after having an affair with her. They also accused Daybell of insurance fraud in his former wife's death.

Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell Case Documentary | Crime Nation | Full Episode | The CW

John Prior described Chad Daybell as a "small-town boy" whose life was changed by a Lori: a "bomb" who "brought chaos" into his life. Chad Daybell sits at the defense table after the jury's verdict in his murder trial was read at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on Thursday.

Lori Vallow Daybell's Involvement and Conviction

Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell were indicted together on the murder charges in May 2021; their cases were split at Daybell's request. Vallow Daybell was sentenced to multiple life terms in prison last year for the three deaths in Idaho. Lori Vallow was sentenced to life in prison last summer after she was convicted in her own trial for the murders. In 2023, Vallow Daybell herself was also convicted in the murders of those two children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow, and was sentenced to life in prison.

A jury in Idaho has found Lori Vallow Daybell guilty on all charges, including the murders of her two children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow, and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of her husband's first wife. Lori Daybell gives her opening statement in her murder trial in Maricopa County, Arizona, April 7, 2025. A judge on Friday sentenced "doomsday mom" Lori Vallow Daybell to life in prison on two murder conspiracy convictions in Arizona. Lori Daybell was sentenced to two life sentences in Arizona on Friday for conspiring with her late brother to kill her fourth husband, who was fatally shot in 2019, and her niece's ex-husband, who survived a failed drive-by shooting that same year.Daybell was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in two separate trials in Maricopa County this spring.

She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years for each conviction, to be served consecutively, the judge said. Lori Daybell at her sentencing hearing in Phoenix, July 25, 2025. The so-called "doomsday mom" is already serving multiple life sentences after being convicted in 2023 in Idaho of murdering two of her children. Similarly, prosecutors in Maricopa County argued that she conspired with her brother to kill her estranged husband of 13 years, Charles Vallow, so she could get his $1 million life insurance policy and be with Chad Daybell, an author of religious fiction books whom she married four months after the deadly shooting.

She was then found guilty in a second trial of scheming with Cox to kill Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of her niece. Motives were money and sex, prosecutor says. She said Lori Daybell's motives were the same ones usually seen in murder cases: money and sex, saying that the deaths of Vallow and Boudreaux would have financially benefited her and her niece, respectively.

Key Figures in the Case

Chad Daybell: Convicted of murder and conspiracy, sentenced to death.
Lori Vallow Daybell: Convicted of murder and conspiracy, sentenced to multiple life terms.
Alex Cox: Lori's brother, who shot and killed Charles Vallow.
Tammy Daybell: Chad's first wife, whose death was initially ruled as natural causes but later determined to be homicide.
Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow: Lori's children, who were found dead on Chad Daybell's property.

Developments and Key Points

Defense Appeal: Chad Daybell's defense attorney John Prior has filed an appeal asking the Idaho Supreme Court to examine the verdict and death sentence.
Property Demolition: Following Chad Daybell's conviction, the property was listed for sale in June. The new owners plan to demolish the home and other structures.
Sealed Trial Exhibits: Judge Steven Boyce recently issued an order to permanently seal 97 trial exhibits from the trial of Chad Daybell.
Victim Impact Statements: Kay Woodcock, Tammy Daybell's siblings and Tylee Ryan's aunt delivered emotional statements during the penalty phase of Chad Daybell's trial.
Relationship Dynamics: A closer look at the relationships that make up the inner circle of convicted murderers Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell.
Prosecution's Argument: Prosecutor Lindsey Blake said texts show Tammy was "in the way" Tammy Daybell, Chad's then-wife, was found dead in her home in October 2019.
Odd Beliefs: Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell were driven by odd beliefs, witnesses said.

Chronology of Murders

In chronological order: murder of Charles Vallow, murders of Tylee Ryan and J. J. Vallow, murder of Tammy Daybell.

The Aftermath and Community Impact

Lori Vallow's sister says the day her young niece and nephew's bodies were found on Chad Daybell's property was the worst day of her life. Juror #12 in the case against Chad Daybell opens up to Court TV about the trial. She said deliberations were particularly difficult. Reporter Nate Eaton revealed that Lori Daybell had sent him a message for her son, Colby Ryan, hours before the broadcast.

The sentencing hearing comes after failed attempts at getting new trials on both counts. After being convicted of conspiring to kill Vallow, she also unsuccessfully tried to remove Judge Beresky from the case, claiming he was biased against her. She frequently clashed with the judge while representing herself during the trials. During the second trial, Beresky at one point removed her from the courtroom after she became combative during discussions about her character. The judge had warned that if she referred to herself as having "great character," that could open the door for the state to introduce evidence to rebut that character, including regarding her previous convictions in Idaho.

Read also: The Chad Daybell Trial