Chad Daybell trial: Lori Vallow’s friend confronted with subpoena outside court in cult prophet case

In opening statements, Chad Daybell’s defence attorney John Prior said his client lived a normal, faith-focused life before he met Lori Vallow.

He described Vallow as a “beautiful, vivacious person” who drew Daybell into an extramarital relationship.

“What’s important are facts and evidence,” Mr Prior told the jury. “Don’t be distracted by speculation, don’t be distracted by guesses or suspicions or hunches. It all comes down to facts and evidence.”

Mr Prior also said he would present several experts in DNA, forensics and medicine who would testify that it’s impossible to determine what caused Tammy’s death and that none of Daybell’s DNA was found with the children’s bodies.

Judge Steven Boyce has extended the gag order he issued in the Chad Daybell case.

It has been issued to remain in effect until the trial is concluded.

The gag order prohibits “any party to this case, including the prosecuting attorney, defense attorney, and any attorney representing a witness, victim, or victim’s family” from making writen or oral statements about the case until April 15 or after opening statements.

However, the prosecution – Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Blake and Madison County Prosecuting Attorney Rob Wood asked the judge on Monday to extend the motion until the end of the trial.

Ddefence attorney John Prior agreed.

All the attorneys said a gag order would “benefit the administration of a fair trial” due to media coverage.

“Investigators, law enforcement personnel, and agents for the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney, and essential court staff directly involved in the trial in this case, are prohibited from making extra judicial statements (written or oral) concerning this case between 28 March 28, 2024 and the conclusion of the trial in this case,” Judge Boyce wrote.

Chad Daybell’s adult children have mostly stayed out of the spotlight in the wake of their father’s arrest in the death of their mother Tammy Daybell and Lori Vallow’s two children.

But almost all of them will testify in his death penalty case in his defence.

Daybell’s attorney John Prior says they will detail their mother’s “health struggle” before her sudden death in 2019.

Daybell had told police his wife had died suddenly in her sleep after battling an illness, but an autopsy later revealed she died of asphyxiation.

“They’re going to talk about their mother’s use of various medical treatments she would use—oils she would put on her leg, medicine, and different herbs she would take, and that their mother was suffering from a number of maladies, and she would refuse to see a doctor,”Mr Prior said during opening statements on Wednesday.

The first full day of testimony in Chad Daybell’s trial will be today as Detective Hermosillo is back on the stand.

When court ended on Tuesday, the detective was explaining how the excavation of Daybell’s property progressed, and how a small body wrapped in black plastic was uncovered.

A black, round object was retrieved from the site, that Det Hermosillo described as shaped like a human head. When an incision was made into the black plastic, it revealed brown human hair according to Det Hermosillo.

It was later revealed to be JJ.

Testimony continues today at 8.30amMT/10.30amET.

Court will resume at 10.30 ET for the second day of testimony in Chad Daybell’s triple murder trial.

Detective Hermosillo will be back on the stand.

Watch live on Judge Steven Boyce’s YouTube channel:

Jurors are now seeing graphic evidence in the case.

Judge Boyce told the court that the photos will not be shown to the public in the courtroom or on the livestream.

The jury, however, will see all the exhibits entered into evidence.

A photo is shown in court of  a white piece of plastic with a little slit in the plastic that shows some brown hair.

Another photo shows the body of JJ wrapped in black plastic and duct tape, Detective Hermosillo tells the court.

"This is body composition. The body had begun to break down," the detective.

Det Hermosillo assisted the coroner in taking JJ’s body to the morgue before returning to Daybell’s house where he said they “assisted in a second burial site.”

“We knew from talking to family members that the pet cemetery had a little black dog statue next to a post.”

As the Evidence Recovery Team sifted through the dirt, Det Hermosillo says they could only work for a few minutes because the smell was so bad.

As they dug deeper, they found bone fragments and “globs of burnt flesh starting to protrude through the dirt.”

A green object was found and started to take a “roundish shape” and “at that point we saw what appeared to be the shape of a green melted bucket that appeared to have the remains of what we assumed was Tylee charred and burned inside that bucket.”

Tylee’s remains were collected and put into a body bag.

“The smell was horrendous,” the detective said.

Kay Woodcock, the grandmother of slain JJ Vallow, and Vicki Hoban, the aunt of Tammy Daybell, were not at the Ada County Courthouse on Thursday, according to local reporters.

The family members have been in court all week and for much of Lori Vallow’s trial last year, but their absence at today’s proceedings indicated that it was going to be a tough day.

Detective Hermosillo is currently recounting finding the children’s remains and graphic photos are being shown to the jurors, but not in court.

Joshua “JJ” Vallow was last seen on 23 September 2019. In the last known picture of him, he is wearing red pyjamas – the same ones he was wearing when his remains were found nine months later. He was seven years old.

Lori Vallow and her fourth husband Charles adopted JJ in 2014. JJ is also the biological grandson of Charles Vallow’s sister Kay Woodcock.

Ms Woodcock, who was the first witness in Vallow’s tria last year, told jurors that JJ was born with some disabilities and was diagnosed with autism.

After Charles Vallow died, Ms Woodcock said she feared Vallow no longer wanted the boy.

JJ was attending Kennedy Elementary School in Rexburg, Idaho before Vallow informed them he would not be returning and that he would be homeschooled.

In November, Ms Woodcock requested a welfare check on the boy, which sparked a nationwide search.

During Vallow’s trial, Ms Woodcock and her husband Larry sobbed as graphic evidence was shown to the court.

The grandparents were regulars at the trial and as it neared the end, Mr Woodcock could be found playing “The Party’s Over” while lined up outside the court before blaring “We Will Rock You” inside.

Both songs held a special personal meaning to him and his grandson JJ and they would often sing them together, he said.

“Today is the day,” he told journalists outside the court, dressed in a “World’s Greatest Papa” t-shirt. “I’m not the world’s greatest papa… but I hope I was the world’s greatest papa to JJ and Tylee.”