After a trial date was set for April 3, 2023, for both Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow, Daybell’s lawyers are now asking for a delay in the trial.
According to East Idaho News, Daybell’s attorney John Prior filed a motion on Dec. 23 in anticipation of the jury questionnaire submissions. “Prior’s motion also mentions that Daybell will be asking for a further continuance of the trial, which was set to April 3 during a motion hearing earlier this month,” East Idaho News reported.
The next hearing for Daybell and Vallow is Feb. 27.
According to the notice of trial setting, before Feb. 27, “the parties shall discuss potential settlement of the case before the date of the final pre-trial conference scheduled for February 27, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. At the final pre-trial conference, the parties must be prepared to inform the Court whether the case is going to trial.”
AZ Central reported that if Daybell and Vallow are convicted, they could face the death penalty. Idaho law allows prosecutors to seek capital punishment if they demonstrate aggravating factors. The prosecuting attorneys have said that they intend to seek the death penalty in this case.
While the trial was originally set for Jan. 9, 2023, in Ada County, the trial was delayed to April after Judge Steven Boyce heard a motion from Daybell’s attorney to sever the trial and ruled that Daybell and Vallow will still be tried together, per Deseret News.
East Idaho News reported that Daybell’s attorney had argued that he needed until October 2023 at least or 2024 to go through “items of discovery.” Vallow’s attorney said that Vallow did not waive her right to a speedy trial and that the trial needed to occur before February 2023 and that “if it’s after, then we believe her speedy trial rights have been violated.”
J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan, Vallow’s children, went missing in September 2019. Their bodies were later found on June 9, 2020, in Daybell’s yard.
Vallow and Daybell were investigated for the children’s deaths, along with the deaths of their former spouses, and were charged with several crimes.
Deseret News previously reported on the charges that Daybell and Vallow are facing.
What are Daybell and Vallow jointly charged with?
On May 25, 2021, East Idaho News published the indictment document that contains the following charges of which they were both indicted:
- Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception for the death of Tylee Ryan.
- First-degree murder for the death of Tylee Ryan.
- Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception for the death of J.J. Vallow.
- First-degree murder for the death of J.J. Vallow.
- Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Tammy Daybell.
According to East Idaho News, both Vallow and Daybell have pleaded not guilty.
Have either of them been charged with separate charges?
On May 25, 2021, East Idaho News published the indictment document that contains the following charges:
Chad Daybell’s separate charges:
- First-degree murder in the death of Tammy Daybell.
- Insurance fraud for a life insurance policy he had on Tammy Daybell, for which he was the beneficiary and received the funds after her death.
- Additionally, Chad Daybell was charged with another count of insurance fraud.
Lori Vallow’s separate charges:
- Grand theft related to Social Security survivor benefits for the care of Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow that were appropriated after the children went missing and were found deceased.
In the state of Arizona, Lori Vallow was indicted on a different charge.
- Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder related to the death of Charles Vallow.