Last week, District Judge Steven Boyce suspended Lori Vallow’s trial after questions about her competency arose. Although Vallow was slated to be tried with her husband, Chad Daybell, beginning in January 2023, when the trial will start is now unclear. Vallow had previously undergone treatment to restore competency earlier this year, according to KSL.
Daybell asked Boyce last week to sever his trial from Vallow’s. In a hearing on Thursday, Boyce announced his decision: he denied the motion for a stay (extending the date of trial), but did not announce his decision on whether or not the trial would be severed.
J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan, Vallow’s children, went missing in September 2019. Their bodies were later found on June 9, 2020, in the yard of Vallow’s husband, Chad Daybell.
Vallow and Daybell were investigated for the children’s deaths, along with the deaths of their former spouses, and were charged with several crimes.
What will happen with Chad Daybell’s trial?
It’s unclear because it depends on whether or not Daybell’s trial is severed from Vallow’s.
According to East Idaho News, “(Judge) Boyce denied the motion for a stay but voiced concerns he has with postponing the trial given potential scheduling conflicts in Ada County and the fact that Daybell has been in jail for over a year.” A stay refers to a pause in legal proceedings. Vallow’s trial was paused due to questions around the competency. Daybell’s trial will not be paused.
Boyce did not announce whether or not Daybell’s trial will be severed from Vallow’s yet. The discussion was postponed until Nov. 10.
Daybell’s residence is in Salem, Idaho, which is on the outskirts of Rexburg, Idaho. Rexburg is in Madison County, which is where Vallow’s residence is. Daybell was originally supposed to be tried in Fremont County because of the location of his residence.
In 2021, East Idaho News reported that Daybell’s trial would be moved to Ada County, where Boise is located, because Daybell’s defense argued that there would not be an unbiased jury in the area.