BOISE, Idaho (Court TV) — In less than two weeks, Chad Daybell will stand trial for the murder of his first wife and the two youngest children of his second wife, Lori Vallow. Chad and Lori married two weeks after Tammy Daybell’s death. Lori’s children, 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, were killed in Sept. 2019. Lori was convicted of the same charges last year.
While Chad will be tried in the same Ada County courtroom as Lori, this trial has one significant difference: You will be able to SEE it.
WAYS TO WATCH
(L) Chad Daybell appears for a preliminary hearing in St. Anthony, Idaho, on Monday, August 3, 2020. (R) Lori Vallow Daybell appears in court Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, in Fremont County, Idaho. (Court TV)
Court TV will broadcast the trial gavel-to-gavel on Court TV Live and online at CourtTV.com, using Judge Steven Boyce’s court-operated cameras. Court TV coverage will also include expert legal analysis and live reports from outside the Ada County Courthouse in Idaho.
For those wishing to attend the trial in person, it’s first-come, first-serve using an online ticketing system on the court’s website. If you can get a seat inside the courtroom, there are strict guidelines that Judge Boyce ordered, similar to his order ahead of Lori’s trial, including a security screen upon entry.
- Individuals wishing to attend must reserve a seat in advance.
- There will be no priority or designated seating for the public or media.
- All attendees must comply with all courtroom and courthouse decorum orders.
- Absolutely no transmission or recording of any sort, audio, video, photographic or otherwise, is allowed within the courthouse, courtroom, or other areas within the control of the courts.
JURY SELECTION
Jurors who received summons will be heading to the courthouse next week to fill out questionnaires, which help the Court determine the suitability to serve on the jury. For those jurors who have not been disqualified after filling out the questionnaire, they will be expected to return to the courthouse April 1, 2024, for voir dire, a process in which each side will get approximately ten preemptory strikes until the final panel is seated. Judge Boyce is looking to seat a panel of 18 jurors, including six alternates, from a pool of about 50 jurors.
SCHEDULE
- 10:30 a.m. Eastern: Lawyers arrive
- 11:00 a.m. Eastern: Jury arrives
- 2:00 p.m. Eastern: Lunch break (30-45 minutes)
- 5:00-5:30 p.m. Eastern: Recess
THE TRIAL
Chad Guy Daybell is facing nine charges to which he has pleaded not guilty:
- Count 1: Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Murder and Grand Theft by Deception
- Count 2: First Degree Murder – Tylee Ryan
- Count 3: Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Murder and Grand Theft by Deception
- Count 4: First Degree Murder – JJ Vallow
- Count 5: Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Murder – Tammy Daybell
- Count 6: First Degree Murder – Tammy Daybell
- Count 7: Grand Theft – Social Security benefits of Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow
- Count 8: Insurance Fraud – LifeMap Assurance Company
- Count 9: Insurance Fraud – Primerica Life Insurance
READ MORE: Chad Daybell’s defense uses Lori’s trial in fight to strike death penalty
Chad’s trial is expected to last 8-10 weeks, slightly longer than Lori’s, which was six weeks and culminated with a guilty verdict on May 12, 2023. The jury will be sequestered for deliberations in the guilt phase of Chad’s trial through the duration of the penalty phase, should there be one. Should the jury find him guilty of one or more murder charges, the jury will then determine whether Chad will face the death penalty as the ultimate punishment.
For more news on the Doomsday Cult Couple, including the entire audio of Lori Vallow Daybell’s trial, click here.
