Chad Daybell trial: Lori Vallow’s friend confronted with subpoena outside court in cult prophet case
Chad Daybell’s trial comes one year after Lori Vallow was convicted over the murders of Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Tammy Daybell
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Melanie Gibb, the former friend of Lori Vallow, was served with a subpoena during a break in Chad Daybell’s triple murder trial in Boise, Idaho on Thursday.
Daybell’s defence attorney John Prior told her she had to accept to the papers. Ms Gibb was called by the prosecution to testify in the case a year after she testified at Vallow’s trial about the couple’s extreme religious beliefs.
Daybell, 55, is on trial for the murders of Vallow’s children, Tylee Ryan, 16, and JJ, seven, as well as his then-wife Tammy Daybell, who died suddenly in her sleep in October 2019. Weeks later, Daybell married Vallow.
Nine months after the children were last seen, they were found on Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho.
Prosecutors say his “desire for sex, power, and money” led to their murders. Mr Prior, however, said his client was manipulated by Vallow.
Last year, Vallow was convicted in the three murders and sentenced to life in prison. Jurors heard how she, Mr Daybell and her late brother Alex Cox were fuelled, in part, by their bizarre cult beliefs.
If convicted, Mr Daybell faces either the death penalty or life in prison.
Rexburg detective testifies about welfare check on JJ Vallow
Detective Ray Hermosillo told the court he was contacted about conducting a welfare check on JJ Vallow.
He says they received a few photos of JJ from Gilbert police and JJ’s grandmother, Kay Woodcock.
The photos were found on Lori Vallow’s iCloud account.
When he arrived at the house, he was greeted by Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox.
Hermosillo said he appeared shocked, frightened when he asked if JJ was home.
Cox and Daybell exchanged looks.
Cox finally stated that JJ was with his grandmother in Louisiana.
Daybell and Vallow’s brother exchanged looks when police asked about JJ’s whereabouts
Detective Hermosillo said he informed Alex Cox that it was unlikely that JJ was with his grandmother because she’s the one who called for the welfare check.
There was no response initially, he said.
Cox looked over at the defendant Daybell before responding, he said.
“At that point, I asked Alex where I could find Lori Vallow,” he added.
Cox gave police the address of an apartment in the same complex.
There was no answer.
The detective asked Cox for Vallow’s number, but he stated that he didn’t have the number.
Knowing Cox was close to his sister, he told the court: “when he did not not have his sister’s cell phone number, I assumed he was lying to me.”
No evidence of JJ found in apartment units
Detective testifies that there was no evidence of JJ in either apartment 174 or 107.
In apartment 175, everything seemed to be in place, except the lack of clothing on the hangers.
“The thing that caught our attention was that there were no clothes – no clothes on the hangers.”
“It’s like somebody just grabbed the clothes and left,” he said.
Police found a child's Star Wars suitcase as well as an old prescription bottle for JJ.
They also found a storage unit rental agreement contract under the name of Lori Ryan.
JJ was nowhere to be found.
State lays out timeline for jury using detective's testimony
The prosecution is laying out a complex timeline for the jury using Detective Hermosillo’s testimony.
Chad Daybell’s defence attorney has challenged the witness multiple times.
Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow never contacted Rexburg police about the missing children
Detective Hermosillo said police tried to contact Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell on their cell phones but they were turned off.
Hermosillo says neither one of them contacted Rexburg police about the missing children.
Jury sees photo of JJ, Tylee and Alex Cox
Detective Hermosillo is describing an Instagram photo of JJ, Tylee and Alex Cox that was shown to the court.
Based on metadata, the detective says the photo was taken in September 2019 at Yellowstone National Park. It’s believed the photo was taken days before the children were killed.
The detective said he never saw another photo of Tylee.
Hermosillo is also talking about the order that was issued for Lori Vallow to produce her missing children.
He says he flew to Hawaii in January 2020 to deliver the mandate. While there, two search warrants were executed. But there was no sign of children.
Last known photo of JJ Vallow shown in court
A photo of JJ sitting on a couch in red pyjamas that was taken from Vallow’s iCloud account was shown in court.
The photo was taken in September 2019, the detective said.
It’s believed to be the last known photo of JJ before he was killed.
Chad Daybell’s children will take the stand in their father’s defence
Chad Daybell told police his wife Tammy Daybell had died suddenly in her sleep after battling an illness, but an autopsy later revealed she died of asphyxiation and he was charged with her murder.
Now, five years later, his adult children will take the stand at his triple murder trial in his defence to testify about their mother’s ongoing health issues, the home remedies she would try, and her refusal to see a doctor, defence attorney John Prior said during opening statements on Wednesday morning in Boise, Idaho.
The prosecution says Daybell’s desire for ‘sex, money and power is what led to the disturbing murders of Tammy, and the two children of his second wife Lori Vallow, who was convicted last year.
Read more:
Chad Daybell’s children will take the stand in their father’s defence
Chad Daybell faces the death penalty if convicted in the disturbing murders the prosecution say were fuelled by his desire for ‘sex, money and power’
RECAP: State says Daybell crafted an ‘alternate reality’ so that he could fulfill ‘his desire for sex, money and power’
During opening statements on Wednesday in Boise, Idaho, the prosecution said Daybell crafted an alternate reality so that he could fulfill “his desire for sex, money and power.”
That desire is what led to the murders of his wife Tammy Daybell, and Lori Vallow’s two children Tylee and JJ, prosecutor Rob Wood said.
Mr Wood said Daybell described both children as being possessed before they disappeared, and that he repeatedly predicted to friends that Tammy would soon die.
“When he had a chance at what he considered his rightful destiny, he made sure no person and no law would stand in his way,” he said.
The bodies of the children were eventually found buried in Daybell’s yard. Tylee Ryan’s remains had been dismembered and burned, and JJ’s remains were bound.
Prosecutors say the couple justified the three killings by creating a detailed and apocalyptic belief system, part of an elaborate scheme to eliminate any obstacles to their relationship and to obtain money from survivor benefits and life insurance.
Mr Wood told jurors that the evidence in the case will show that Daybell and Vallow manipulated her brother Alex Cox into doing their bidding by promising him spiritual rewards.
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