Summary of tweets for Tuesday, April 18th - State witness:
Colby Ryan - Part 2
Nate Eaton
@NateNewsNow
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Colby is back on the stand while we wait for the judge and jury to enter the courtroom. Lori is looking at him but he either looks straight ahead or down.
Attorneys from both sides headed back to meet with the judge privately. Colby remains on the stand, his mom remains at the defense table alone.
While we wait, Lori is staring at Colby on the stand. He refuses to make eye contact. Now she is writing in her notebook.
Lori pulled several tissues from a box of Kleenex and appears to be crying or wiping her eyes. It's hard to see from my vantage point as her back is toward the gallery. Colby still has not looked at his mom for several minutes.
Attorneys have re-entered the courtroom. Lori is whispering with Jim Archibald as he prepares to cross-examine her son about the deaths of his siblings and step-dad.
Earlier I said Lori may be crying or wiping her face. Chanley Painter with Court TV is on the other side of the courtroom with a better angle of Lori's face and tells me she did not see tears.
Jurors are back in the courtroom. Archibald begins his cross-examination.
Archibald asks Colby who his dad is. He says William Lagioia but explains his step-dads were Joseph Ryan and Charles Vallow. Archibald asks if Lori Daybell has ever met Colby's two kids. Colby says she met his oldest child but not the youngest.
Archibald asks if Colby's childhood with Joe Ryan & Lori was good or bad. Colby responds, "Bad." Archibald asks if his stepfather abused him. Rob Wood immediately objects and asks for a sidebar w/the judge. Attorneys meeting with the judge as white noise plays in the courtroom.
Judge back on the bench and grants the objection. He tells the jury to ignore the question about abuse. Archibald asks Colby is his mother protected him from Joe Ryan. Colby says yes. Archibald asks if she protected Colby by moving away and divorcing Joe. Colby says yes.
Colby says Charles Vallow had a good relationship with him.
Colby says he had a good relationship with JJ and Tylee. Archibald asks if Tylee had health issues. Colby says she had pancreatitis & often had to go to the hospital. Archibald asks about JJ's special needs and asks if Lori cared for the needs of Colby, Tylee & JJ. Colby says yes
Archibald asks if Colby had depression as a teenager and if he was suicidal. Wood objects to the question and Boyce grants the objection. Archibald asks if Lori helped him when he had thoughts of self-worth. Colby says yes.
Archibald asks, "Did you mother encourage Tylee to do good things with her life?" Colby responds, "I don't know."
Archibald questions Colby about his education and mission to Nampa, Idaho. Colby says his mission lasted six weeks "at the most." Archibald asks if Colby actually made it to Nampa or was just in training. Wood objects to question, Boyce sustains.
Archibald asks Colby is his mother taught him about Jesus. He says yes. Archibald asks if they sang songs about Jesus. Colby says yes - at church. Archibald asks if his mom taught about multiple lives or probations or if he was someone else in another life. Colby says no.
Colby says his mom never taught him about zombies, casting out evil spirits or dark and light scales. When asked about vibrations, Colby says his mom said that they were the same vibration. Archibald asks if his mom ever taught Colby that she was a goddess.
He says no. He says his mom never taught that he should join a new church called The Church of the Firstborn.
Colby was not at home when Charles filed for divorce from Lori or when they reconciled. Colby says his relationship with Alex Cox was "minimal" and describes his uncle as "odd." "He was crude and kind of funny and odd."
Colby says he didn't see Alex a lot until he got married in 2018. Colby moved out of his mom's house when he got married.
Archibald asks about the book Colby wrote since this case started. He says the book is about how God has helped him through his life. Archibald asks about media appearances Colby has made and asks if he was paid for his Netflix documentary. Colby says he was not.
In the docuseries, Colby says his mom changed when she met Chad Daybell. Archibald asks him about this line and Colby says he doesn't remember saying it but he could have.
Archibald asks Colby if he loved his mom. He says yes. Archibald asks if his mom loved him. Colby responds, "I think so."
Archibald: "Who taught you God was good?" Colby: "The church and my mom."
Lori is wiping her eyes with a tissue during this part of Colby's testimony.
Archibald reading parts of Colby's book where he wrote about God helping him through obstacles and hardship. Colby says those statements are accurate. Archibald has no further questions. Wood has more questions for Colby but asked for a five minute recess.
During the break, Lori is smiling while she stands and chats with Archibald and Thomas. Colby remains on the stand. Most people stand to stretch their legs.
Prosecutors are back in the courtroom and Wood will commence with re-direct.
Wood asks Colby if his mom has ever asked him for anything since he moved out of her house. He said the only thing she asked for is to help them move. Wood asks if Lori controls Colby's bank account. He says no.
Colby says at one point, Lori gave him Tylee's debit card so he could buy himself a birthday present.
Colby says his mom never asked him to come to special church meetings or participate in castings. Colby says he learned from the news that his mom had moved in Dec. 2019.
Colby says when he was a teenager, he had a conversation with his mom about her life insurance. Colby says Tylee and JJ were alive but Colby was the only person listed as the beneficiary. Wood has no further questions and Colby Ryan is released from the stand.
Lori watches as Colby Ryan leaves the courtroom.
Wood now asks to admit and play the jail phone Colby and Lori had with each other. Colby is out of the room but he remains under subpoena and could be called back in if the defense has questions.
"Hi Colby," Lori is heard saying. "Can you hear me? Do you want to talk to me?" Colby responds, "Do you think you can hide to me?" Lori says she isn't hiding but he didn't want to talk to her. "Probably because you murdered my siblings," Colby says.
Boyce interrupts the phone call and asks for a sidebar with attorneys.
Wood starts the call from the beginning again. Colby says to Lori: "I have prayed for you in my worst moments, I have prayed for my siblings who you swore to me were ok. I thought I could trust you. I thought that you were a completely different person."
She responds, "You've known me your whole life." He says, "I don't know a murderous mother."
Colby to Lori: "It kills me to watch you take the victim's route and say this shouldn't have happened to you when you are telling me that Chad Daybell came into your life and all of a sudden everything changes.
And I'm talking about my spirit feels this. I prayed, I trusted you, I gave you every chance I could past my own limitations of a human being. I pushed back all of everything to try and get to you to help my own mother.
You lied to me specifically to me more times than I can count about this. To know that they're gone and you knew and my phone's being texted by my little sister who is not even alive.
My little brother, who is the sweetest little kid ever...you tell me this is God's will for my whole family including my stepfather to be dead after everything that you'd tried to tell me you can tell me right now that Jesus
Christ, the Savior of the World is on your side? You tell me that with all the conviction of your heart that Jesus Christ is on your side right now. Please." Lori responds, "I can tell you that."
Colby is telling his mother that Jesus will judge his mom and she begins to laugh. He calls her out for laughing and Lori says nobody was there. She says nobody understands and Tylee and JJ know exactly what happened.
"They love me and they are fine and they know the truth and we are the only people that do." Lori says Colby can judge her and the whole world can judge her.
Colby yelling at his mother to tell him that Jesus Christ told her to do these things. "The kids are found buried in your new husband's backyard?!?"
This is a very emotional call. Colby is yelling at his mom and she is pushing back that nobody understands.
Colby tells his mother to explain what is happening. She says she would love to tell him and one day the truth will come out. "My own mom, my siblings, my whole family, my dad - everyone is gone except my mom and you're in jail because of it.
I have prayed to Heavenly Father myself and asked him to help me survive this. Why are you following Chad down the rabbit hole? Why would you follow anyone who is not good? How can you follow someone who cannot lead you to salvation in Jesus?
You can't lie to me anymore. You can't hide anymore."
Colby tells his mom he prays that she will see Jesus Christ and fall into his grace. "I pray every day no matter how mad I am at you, no matter how bad I want to hit your husband in the face with a shovel, I pray for you, I pray for him.
You ripped my heart out, you ripped everyone's heart out. I want to be in Idaho this week. You need to look me in my eye, Mom. Look me in my eye." Colby noted earlier that Lori's camera is turned off and the call ends.
I will play the entire call tonight on "Courtroom Insider" at 7:30 p.m. It is something. The defense and prosecution have no questions about the call and Colby is dismissed from the witness stand.
The jurors remained focused during the playing of the call. Court is taking an early lunch and we will be back at 12:30 p.m. for a new witness.
link:
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