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

The prosecution has called Vincent Kaaiakamanu, Chief Deputy of Madison County Sheriff’s office, to the stand on Monday.

He was with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office at the time of the murders.

Deputy Kaaiakamanu explains he oversees the Telmate phone/video system that inmates use in the jail.

One of the calls is entered into evidence and it’s played in court.

Lori Vallow calls Chad Daybell and asks enthusiastically, “Hey babe. Are you OK?”

“They’re searching the property,” he responds.

“The house right now?” she asks.

“Yes. Yes,” Daybell says. “So Mark Means will be talking to you.”

Mark Means is their former attorney.

Vallow asks if they are in the house. Daybell says no and says they are on the property.

When Vallows asks if they are seizing stuff again, he responds, “They’re searching.”

Daybell says: “I’m glad you called. We’ll see what transpires.”

“K. What do you want me to do? Pray?” she says.

“Yeah, pray. And...yeah,” he says and then tells her to call Mark.

She asks if she can call him later, and he says “I don’t know. I don’t know. You can try. I’ll answer if I can.”

They exchange “I love yous” and the call ends.

Detective Eric Wheeler is now testifying for the state.

He said he has worked for the Rexburg Police Department for 18 years.

He was a patrol officer in 2020 when the remains of the children were found on Chad Daybell’s property.

Det Wheeler’s role was to maintain safety and security while investigators conducted the search of Tylee and JJ.

After numerous complaints about the court’s live stream feed over the past two weeks, it has been updated and improved for the third week of testimony.

Chad Daybell’s trial is being live streamed on Judge Boyce’s YouTube channel.

The camera angles previously showed the entire court, the judge and the witness on the stand.

Now there is a camera pointed directly at the defence table to show Daybell and his attorney John Prior.

Another angle is pointed at the courtroom and the state, while the others are at the witness and the judge.

During Det Wheeler’s testimony, the state plays a video from his patrol car that shows Daybell talking to his daughter Emma after he’s been detained at his house.

He has not been formally arrested at this point.

Det Wheeler had testified just before he was put in the cop car, there were multiple times he saw Daybell looking “awkwardly“ over his shoulder toward where the investigators were searching and cadaver dogs were working on the property.

Emma comes up to the side of the car and is crying as she says “I love you so much“ and gives her dad a hug.

Daybell goes over finances with Emma and says she will be running his finances “I suppose.“

He tells her there is about $9,000 in a middle drawer in Mark’s room and also gives her the password to his bank account. He says his company business card is in the same drawer as the $9,000.

As Daybell discusses finances with his daughter, Emma, she promises to take care of things the best she can.

He tells her the house is essentially hers and that he will talk to John Prior about financial arrangements.

“I’m not coming back,” he says.

As Chad Daybell instructs his daughter Emma to use Telmate to communicate with him, she tells him that she has an account because she has been talking with Lori Vallow, who had already been arrested.

In the police video, Emma asks if things can be sent from Amazon to the jail and Dyabell responds that Lori would know the Amazon account. He says he has around $265 in gift certificates in his Amazon account.

Emma tells her dad she asked the police where they found the human remains. At this point, only JJ’s remains had been found.

She said police told her the remains were found near the pond, under the tree and that there were boards over it. When Daybell responds, “OK,” Emma then says, “I can see in your face that it surprises you.”

Daybell also tells Emma that he talked to Lori for a few minutes just before he was being detained, and Emma asked if she was surprised.

“She seemed bothered and disturbed,” he says.

As Chad Daybell is being detained while investigators dig up the bodies of Lori Vallow’s children, he tells his daughter Emma that neighbors will be talking.

Court saw the new video footage from the patrol car on Monday.

She tells him the neighbors are already talking.

“We’re ok dad. We’re ok. You raised us so we are independent now. I’m not Colby,” she said, apparently referring to Colby Ryan, Lori Vallow’s son.

Daybell tells her “it will work out” and she tells him she’s going to miss him.

Detective Wheeler testified that while Chad Daybell was in the back of the patrol car, he had looked over in the direction of the fire pit where Tylee’s remains were later found.

At the time Daybell was being detained, only JJ’s body had been found.