TRIAL OF CHAD DAYBELL CHARGED WITH MURDER OF JJ VALLOW, TYLEE RYAN AND TAMMY DAYBELL #4

[Maria_Falc]

My heart was broken today when I saw the FBI agent describing how the burial sites were so close to and in plain viewfrom the Daybell home, and I couldn't hold back tears when Tylee's charm was uncovered. I hope after trials it can be returned to her only surviving brother, Colby. He was the only one spared from Tylee's family.

 

[Ruminations]

Planting seeds of reasonable doubt, but unreasonably. That’s our boy.

I think the jury is going to begin to feel insulted with lies.

By now, they probably are certain that the claim about the stairs was a lie, even if they disregarded or forgot the comment about Prior owning the house. Priors absurd introduction of Melanie Gibb into the narrative is similar to his bizarre insistence that the house has no stairs. They might be thinking, Prior says there were no stairs, and there are. Prior says Melanie Gibb is very important, but there were stairs. So why should we believe him about Melanie Gibb.

Never mind that there are three murders. Melanie Gibb is only a semi-viable introduction of reasonable doubt for one. (And IMO at best the doubt would be that there were actually more than 3 co-conspirators, not that Chad was not one of them. Even with Gibb's involvement, Chad is the leader.) Is Prior going to argue in closing statements that she came to Chads house and googled wind direction on Chad's phone, stayed the night, then texted Tammy about "fun times," on Tylee's burial day?

I do not think Prior is a smart dirty trickster at all. I would not want him on my team even if I wanted someone to play dirty. With the stairs thing, Prior could have had a win impeaching the witness by saying that the bedroom and the office were both on the same level, so Chad wouldn't have said stairs. Instead, that is forgotten, and all that is seared into the juries head is for some reason, Prior wanted the jury to believe the house did not have an upstairs, and that it is not true. Thus, Prior is a liar.

Priors deliberate bumbling of words is probably coming off patronizing and dishonest, too. The jurors know that Prior has been over the evidence longer than they have. They know that if they can learn new words, like lividity, like ward, like bishopric, during testimony, Prior can too, and should have already learned them in preparing. And somehow, his "mistakes" with the words they know he already is familiar with, even if he just learned them for this case, seem to sound like an insult.

Prior did not have a lot to work with in this trial. I don't see how he'd win if he were doing well. But I don't think he is doing well.

MOO

 

[aafromaa]

I think the jury is going to begin to feel insulted with lies.

Snipped by me

I’m going to have to stop reading so late or get some stronger glasses or something. I read “lies” as Ties 3 times trying to figure out whether you were saying JP’s ties were awful or CD’s were before I read the rest of your post and realized I’d read it wrong

 

[aafromaa]

So I couldn’t watch or listen much live today (Friday) and have just finished watching the day’s testimony. I found much of it quite tedious and wondered whether the jury did too or it was just because it was late when I started and I’d already had a full day.

I didn’t know about the charm being found and when they showed the pic of Tylee wearing it after showing where it had been found, tears filled my eyes for a young girl I never met as I wondered about the life she would never get to have and thought about all she’d been thru in the last months of her short life and what they did to her after murdering her.

I cannot imagine how JP’s questioning will go when he gets to cross examine on Monday and how he will try to convince the jury that CD had nothing to do with the death and burial of Tylee & JJ after this. I don’t think his narrative so far has been very convincing though I will admit that he has tried.

IMO there is no way to get past the remains on his property and the dna on his tools in his barn/shop whatever it is and the fires he burned in the spring and the views they showed from windows in his house make believing that AC could have been on his property burying the kids without his knowledge all but impossible.

Early on I thought that JP might concede that CD helped cover up the murders after the fact but JP’s suggestions throughout this trial that AC did it on his own or MG & DW helped would seem to have taken that off the table completely and I don’t see any room for reasonable doubt on the conspiracy to murder Tylee & JJ without it. And I think JP has painted himself and his client into a corner now. He either sticks with the plan to say it was AC or AC & DW & MG without CD’s knowledge or he suggests that CD helped after the fact in effect admitting to his own deceptive narrative throughout this trial. I think that corner he’s painted them into is getting smaller and smaller.

 

[aafromaa]

A final thought before I leave tonight…

The media calls this Day 16 because it is the 16th day of testimony. But…did you realize that we just finished week 5 of an anticipated 8 to 10 week trial?

There are several state witnesses we haven’t heard from yet that I expect like ZP, IP, MBP, & AB to name a few. And personally, I’m still expecting one or more of the Daybell children and/or spouses to be called by the state too.

I had high hopes that the 10 week estimate was going to be plenty of time after the first week of jury selection went so well. But now I’m not so sure - perhaps they built in late starts, extended breaks, technical difficulty delays, days off, and early dismissals into their estimates. I have no idea how long JP will need to put on his defense or what rebuttal might look like after he does but it seems I recall the 10 weeks included allowing up to 2 weeks for the penalty phase which would mean only 3 weeks remaining for the state to wrap up and JP to present his experts and anyone else he calls & rebuttal witnesses if necessary. I also think I recall that one of the jurors who was not excused had prepaid travel plans around Memorial Day or the first of June or something and maybe one or two others that said something about having issues if it went beyond 10 weeks. I get a little more nervous about what problems this could create for the jury with each passing day if the trial does go beyond the anticipated 10 weeks.

I definitely want to see the state get in every witness they think will help convict CD but boy I wish they’d pick up the pace.

 

[Sheila Terranova]

JP is remarkably quiet.

I wonder if even Mr Prior is becoming horrified and revolted by Chad at this point. Surely he knows now he is guilty as sin, and I choose that word deliberately. What horror committed for lust and money. Incredibly sad and unbelievable.

 

[Love Never Fails]

A final thought before I leave tonight…

The media calls this Day 16 because it is the 16th day of testimony. But…did you realize that we just finished week 5 of an anticipated 8 to 10 week trial?

There are several state witnesses we haven’t heard from yet that I expect like ZP, IP, MBP, & AB to name a few. And personally, I’m still expecting one or more of the Daybell children and/or spouses to be called by the state too.

I had high hopes that the 10 week estimate was going to be plenty of time after the first week of jury selection went so well. But now I’m not so sure - perhaps they built in late starts, extended breaks, technical difficulty delays, days off, and early dismissals into their estimates. I have no idea how long JP will need to put on his defense or what rebuttal might look like after he does but it seems I recall the 10 weeks included allowing up to 2 weeks for the penalty phase which would mean only 3 weeks remaining for the state to wrap up and JP to present his experts and anyone else he calls & rebuttal witnesses if necessary. I also think I recall that one of the jurors who was not excused had prepaid travel plans around Memorial Day or the first of June or something and maybe one or two others that said something about having issues if it went beyond 10 weeks. I get a little more nervous about what problems this could create for the jury with each passing day if the trial does go beyond the anticipated 10 weeks.

I definitely want to see the state get in every witness they think will help convict CD but boy I wish they’d pick up the pace.

It’s hard for the State to pick up their pace when Prior keeps objecting and asking for sidebars. The States case has been all over the place, not cohesive at all. The evidence is there. Bring it on! There’s more to hear.
I can see Prior dragging out the defense side almost to eternity. There is no reasonable doubt. I believe the jury will find Chad guilty. We have more jurors in case a couple have to bail.
I still feel like the State is holding back and I don’t know why! Is it possible Rob Wood is trying to save one of his own, one from his own church? I keep thinking that but surely not. I think Chad was excommunicated.
But…he has five children who share those beliefs about light and dark. It’s frightening that anymore are out there!!!

 

[Ruminations]

It’s hard for the State to pick up their pace when Prior keeps objecting and asking for sidebars. The States case has been all over the place, not cohesive at all. The evidence is there. Bring it on! There’s more to hear.
I can see Prior dragging out the defense side almost to eternity. There is no reasonable doubt. I believe the jury will find Chad guilty. We have more jurors in case a couple have to bail.
I still feel like the State is holding back and I don’t know why! Is it possible Rob Wood is trying to save one of his own, one from his own church? I keep thinking that but surely not. I think Chad was excommunicated.
But…he has five children who share those beliefs about light and dark. It’s frightening that anymore are out there!!!

There is no basis to think Rob Wood wishes to sabotage the prosecution.

Remember, the defense wanted him off the prosecution!

MOO

 

[Nikynoo]

It’s hard for the State to pick up their pace when Prior keeps objecting and asking for sidebars. The States case has been all over the place, not cohesive at all. The evidence is there. Bring it on! There’s more to hear.
I can see Prior dragging out the defense side almost to eternity. There is no reasonable doubt. I believe the jury will find Chad guilty. We have more jurors in case a couple have to bail.
I still feel like the State is holding back and I don’t know why! Is it possible Rob Wood is trying to save one of his own, one from his own church? I keep thinking that but surely not. I think Chad was excommunicated.
But…he has five children who share those beliefs about light and dark. It’s frightening that anymore are out there!!!

Rob Wood is hardly a tiger though is he? IMO Lindsay Blake is lethal to the defence and also Wixom (?) is progressing nicely too. RW is at the bottom of the list for me in terms of effectiveness on direct.

 

[longtimereader]

So that apartment, #174, was probably Melani Boudreaux's apartment -- Lori's niece? (I'm sorry, I tuned in late!) I came in at the part where the officer was saying: "This was a no-knock warrant" and that the door was bashed in by LE. Then, they gained entry and nobody was there. However, on the kitchen counter was a bag or purse of some type, and on the kitchen island were arrayed some credit cards with the name: "Brandon Boudreaux". Hmmmm . . . I wonder who lived in this apartment?

The DL and cards laid out to be found, I believe were an attempt to make police go visit/harrass Brandon. Guesding she had maxed them or he had cancelled them anyway. Lori enjoyed emotionally and financially (and physically) abusing Charles and Melani did the same to Brandon. He was not with her and would not have given her the contents of his wallet.

 

[Pruddennce]

But no raccoon.

according to Emma, during her media interview, there is yet ANOTHER pet burial area. however, the property was surveyed for disturbances in the land. only Tylee and JJ's location were shown to have a changed landscape. and CD qualifying in that text WHERE he buried the raccoon, 'the pet cemetery'...that assisted LE where to start looking.

Emma said it as if to 'prove' her father told the truth in that text as if it discounts what LE DID find.

thank you goes out to AC for having his phone with him which led LE to check CD's property, and thank you to CD for providing LE with information that he shot a raccoon, buried it AND used the firepit, the day after Tylee was last seen AND on the same day AC was there. likewise for JJ: AC was on his property the day after JJ was last seen.

 

[Love Never Fails]

Rob Wood is hardly a tiger though is he? IMO Lindsay Blake is lethal to the defence and also Wixom (?) is progressing nicely too. RW is at the bottom of the list for me in terms of effectiveness on direct.

I agree and don’t know why. Early on I heard or read that Wood is head prosecutor of his office. I don’t see any determination in him.
Ms. Blake is awesome. And Wixim is getting there, though he frustrated me at first also. Maybe Wixom didn’t know case information as well as Blake and Wood and he had to catch up. In any case, if I was a juror and really didn’t know about this case, I would be so confused. This case had many moveable parts or players. The prosecution had four years to bring it together. I wonder if they were sitting back waiting for Chad and/or Lori to plea. In my opinion, if Chad goes free it won’t be the jurors fault. It wil be the prosecutors. JMO.

 

[Love Never Fails]

My heart was broken today when I saw the FBI agent describing how the burial sites were so close to and in plain viewfrom the Daybell home, and I couldn't hold back tears when Tylee's charm was uncovered. I hope after trials it can be returned to her only surviving brother, Colby. He was the only one spared from Tylee's family.

Gives me great respect for investigators. Nearly every one of them have broken down on the stand!

 

[wnk]

I still feel like the State is holding back and I don’t know why! Is it possible Rob Wood is trying to save one of his own, one from his own church? I keep thinking that but surely not. I think Chad was excommunicated.
But…he has five children who share those beliefs about light and dark. It’s frightening that anymore are out there!!!

The Defense's argument basically boils down to:

Yes, CD had an affair (which was a bad decision, but not illegal.) But erratic, unstable LVD and AC (and MG and DW) twisted CD's totally normal, run-of-the-mill LDS teachings to justify the murders that THEY committed, and then they tried to pin it all on poor, naïve CD (whose first wife totally died of natural causes... LE just tried to make that look like murder later because there wasn't enough evidence to connect him to the kids' deaths).

It is to the State's advantage, then, to avoid religious discussion altogether -- it would only muddy the waters. Because while CD's beliefs may not necessarily be taught-in-Sunday-School LDS theology, they definitely have their roots in LDS history and "deep doctrines," and a lot of these ideas have been circulated by prominent LDS groups and "personalities" (see also Jodi Hildebrandt, Ruby Franke, Julie Rowe, Thom Harrison, Maurice Harker, Tim Ballard, Preparing a People, AVOW, FIRM foundation, etc) and have not been denounced by mainstream LDS leadership. If CD was only repeating what others have said and written and taught before him, then he's not really at fault for how LVD carried them to their logical conclusion, is he?

So yeah, I'd say the State is holding back. They don't want the trial to be about wacky religious beliefs. They want it to be about what CD as an individual personally did, what he personally had to gain, and what he personally knew about where the children were and what had happened to them.

 

[Love Never Fails]

There is no basis to think Rob Wood wishes to sabotage the prosecution.

Remember, the defense wanted him off the prosecution!

MOO

Then he should take some geritol or vitamin b12 or something! He doesn’t appear at all interested in justice or fighting. IMO.

The basis is there. He’s not fighting for JJ and Tylee and not even for Tammy!

ETA: after hearing from another poster, I can understand why Wood “might” be taking the back seat in this trial, so as not to make this about church teachings. It’s all about murder.

I sure hope the prosecution makes this more cohesive. The evidence is there but testimony is all over the place.

 

[Love Never Fails]

The Defense's argument basically boils down to:

Yes, CD had an affair (which was a bad decision, but not illegal.) But erratic, unstable LVD and AC (and MG and DW) twisted CD's totally normal, run-of-the-mill LDS teachings to justify the murders that THEY committed, and then they tried to pin it all on poor, naïve CD (whose first wife totally died of natural causes... LE just tried to make that look like murder later because there wasn't enough evidence to connect him to the kids' deaths).

It is to the State's advantage, then, to avoid religious discussion altogether -- it would only muddy the waters. Because while CD's beliefs may not necessarily be taught-in-Sunday-School LDS theology, they definitely have their roots in LDS history and "deep doctrines," and a lot of these ideas have been circulated by prominent LDS groups and "personalities" (see also Jodi Hildebrandt, Ruby Franke, Julie Rowe, Thom Harrison, Maurice Harker, Preparing a People, AVOW, FIRM foundation, etc) and have not been denounced by mainstream LDS leadership. If CD was only repeating what others have said and written and taught before him, then he's not really at fault for how LVD carried them to their logical conclusion, is he?

So yeah, I'd say the State is holding back. They don't want the trial to be about wacky religious beliefs. They want it to be about what CD as an individual personally did, what he personally had to gain, and what he personally knew about where the children were and what had happened to them.

That’s a very good point of view and I thank you. Helps me breathe better. I guess Rob Wood being tied to the church could be brought up too and maybe that’s why he is taking a back seat approach. I’m glad Blake is doing such an excellent job.
Your paragraph about poor innocent Chad made me laugh out loud.
Blake said it well in Lori’s trial. Sex, power and money!

 

[Pruddennce]

That question has been on my mind for years.

Where are the clothes she was wearing at Yellowstone and to bed that night?

Plus there is the question of all of her clothing. Maybe her last worn clothes were just laundered then put in storage or donated or thrown away all together. But if she was naked when transported to Chad's home, she was at least wearing her necklace.

Maybe Chad just bagged up her last clothes and threw it out from his home.

I don't know how Idaho trash is disposed of- does it go to landfill? Incinerators?

And in the complex Lori lived in, was there a common place for putting out trash, and is it on camera? if she was buried naked, one possibility is her clothes were simply thrown out with kitchen trash, either at Lori's or Chad's.

If she was buried clothed, I would think some traces would be found, in spite of the burning.

What a horrific question to have on the mind, but I have had it on my mind.

MOO

same here. I think it was mentioned in testimony they found piece(s) of cloth. its possible her clothing was burned while on her. watching the search warrant video, now I can see how easily it was to hide tylee and JJ overnite after they were murdered and transport. the garage can be accessed from inside the townhome....vehicle could have been in there or pulled in after they were murdered.

 

[Love Never Fails]

The DL and cards laid out to be found, I believe were an attempt to make police go visit/harrass Brandon. Guesding she had maxed them or he had cancelled them anyway. Lori enjoyed emotionally and financially (and physically) abusing Charles and Melani did the same to Brandon. He was not with her and would not have given her the contents of his wallet.

Their group operated like a crime ring. Not about religious teachings. I guess at some point Chad was going to have to sit his worshippers down and tell them the truth. “Hey guys, my only belief is how gullible you all are to think you are gods or goddesses, betters than others. You are all part of this now and must go after others for money and make sure they end up dead”.

 

[wnk]

That’s a very good point of view and I thank you. Helps me breathe better. I guess Rob Wood being tied to the church could be brought up too and maybe that’s why he is taking a back seat approach. I’m glad Blake is doing such an excellent job.
Your paragraph about poor innocent Chad made me laugh out loud.
Blake said it well in Lori’s trial. Sex, power and money!

I wish I could take credit for it, but it was brought up on a recent Mormon Stories podcast episode (#1889) with Lauren Matthias from Hidden True Crime and Megan Connor (LVD's cousin). The host, John Delin, had been asked by Prior to be an expert witness to explain how these beliefs were connected to the LDS church, but he declined. Lauren & Megan mention in response at one point that if the murders were based on CD's own belief system that he made up, then he's guilty bc he was the one calling the shots. If he was just regurgitating teachings of the mainstream LDS church, then the case against CD is weakened, because who was actually calling the shots then? The LDS church? Their president? Joseph Smith? It reduces CD's culpability.

 

[indicolite22]

according to Emma, during her media interview, there is yet ANOTHER pet burial area. however, the property was surveyed for disturbances in the land. only Tylee and JJ's location were shown to have a changed landscape. and CD qualifying in that text WHERE he buried the raccoon, 'the pet cemetery'...that assisted LE where to start looking.

Emma said it as if to 'prove' her father told the truth in that text as if it discounts what LE DID find.

thank you goes out to AC for having his phone with him which led LE to check CD's property, and thank you to CD for providing LE with information that he shot a raccoon, buried it AND used the firepit, the day after Tylee was last seen AND on the same day AC was there. likewise for JJ: AC was on his property the day after JJ was last seen.

Because Alex had his Google location turned on when the children were buried, his positioning was more precise than Chad's or Lori's, whose general locations were mostly determined from cell tower data. All three used their phones to contact one another during the mornings in question.