Chad Daybell is found guilty in triple murder trial and now faces death penalty: ‘Doomsday prophet’ conspired with Lori Vallow to kill her two young children and his first wife
- Lori Vallow, Daybell’s wife, was also found guilty and given a life sentence
- Daybell was charged with first-degree murder for the killings
- He may be sentenced to death
Chad Daybell was found guilty of murdering his ex-wife and two children in a case that roiled the state of Idaho.
The jury reached a verdict on Thursday in the bizarre and gruesome case of the doomsday author who was accused of murdering his ex-wife and his wife’s two youngest children.
While learning at least part of his fate, Daybell remained stoic and stood next to his attorney as the judge read the jury’s decision that he is guilty on all counts.
The verdict comes at the end of a nearly two-month trial of Daybell, 55, who was accused of killing Tammy Daybell, Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16.
In the summer of 2020, the children’s remains were discovered on Daybell’s property in Fremont County, Idaho.
Police said they believe the bodies were buried by Daybell sometime between September 2019 and June 2020.
The jury reached a verdict on Thursday in the bizarre and gruesome case of the doomsday author (photo) who was accused of the murder of his ex-wife and her two youngest children.
Last year, Lori Vallow Daybell, pictured here in February 2024, the mother of the deceased children, was given a life sentence without parole for the murders.
Tammy Daybell died in 2019, just weeks before Chad and Lori Vallow’s wedding.
Although her death was initially believed to be from natural causes, her corpse was later exhumed and an autopsy determined that she had asphyxiated.
Daybell and Lori Vallow were indicted in 2021 on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception in the children’s deaths.
The pair faced a handful of additional charges in connection with Tammy’s death.
Last year, Vallow was sentenced to multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.
During his trial, Daybell was accused of creating an alternate reality so he could fulfill “his desire for sex, money and power.”
“When he was given the opportunity for what he considered his rightful destiny, he made sure no person and no law would stand in his way,” prosecutor Rob Wood said.
Prosecutors say the couple justified the three murders by creating an elaborate and apocalyptic belief system, part of an elaborate scheme to remove all obstacles to their relationship and obtain money from survivor benefits and life insurance.
Daybell’s attorney John Prior painted a different picture to jurors. He noted that Chad Daybell was a religious person, but suggested that his belief in things like premonitions was fairly mainstream.
Prior also explained to jurors that Lori Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, had a history of violence. He was previously convicted of assaulting Vallow Daybell’s third husband, and he shot and killed her fourth husband.
“Every time there was a problem with Lori Vallow, Alex Cox came to the rescue,” Prior said in his opening statement.
Daybell’s attorney also argued that his client lived a normal, faith-oriented life before meeting Lori Vallow Daybell, who he said showered Daybell with attention.
His legal team described her as a “beautiful, vibrant person” who drew Daybell into an extramarital relationship.
Daybell’s attorney also said he would present several experts in DNA, forensics and pathology who would testify that it is impossible to determine what caused Tammy Daybell’s death and that there is no DNA of Chad Daybell found near the children’s bodies.