Update: On Thursday, Judge Steven Boyce denied Chad Daybell’s attorney’s request to sever his trial from Lori Vallow’s. Daybell and Vallow will be tried together. The date has not been set yet. Nate Eaton, reporter at East Idaho News, reported this update on Twitter.
After Lori Vallow was assessed again for mental competency, Judge Steven Boyce ruled on Tuesday that she was competent to stand trial.
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.
On Wednesday, East Idaho News reported “details surrounding (Vallow) Daybell’s mental health and reasons for the monthlong pause in the case are sealed.” The judge’s ruling in this instance means that the court proceedings will continue.
The date at which the trials for both Daybell and Vallow will occur is not yet determined.
While the two were originally expected to be tried jointly in Ada County starting on Jan. 9, Daybell’s attorney, John Prior, requested that Daybell’s case be severed from Vallow’s.
“Our version of the facts of this case will differ greatly from what Ms. Vallow and her legal counsel are going to be presenting,” Prior said, according to East Idaho News. “Our defense is diametrically different than Ms. Vallow’s, and the cases need to be separated.”
The judge said he would issue a decision at a later date.
When will Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell be tried?
It’s unclear. Last month, the Deseret News reported that a judge ruled in favor of postponing Daybell’s trial. A new trial date has not been set.
Nate Eaton reported on Thursday that Judge Boyce denied a request from Daybell’s lawyer to sever his trial. Daybell and Vallow will be tried together in Ada County.