Summary of tweets for Thursday, May 4th - Day 17
State witness:
Ian Pawlowski, Lori's nephew-in-law continues on stand for cross-exam
Nate Eaton
@NateNewsNow
·
2h
Today is Tammy Daybell’s birthday. She would have turned 53.
It's day 22 of Lori Vallow Daybell's murder trial. Ian Pawlowski, Lori's nephew-in-law, remains on the
stand. The prosecution finished questioning him yesterday and the defense plans to play secret
recordings Ian obtained for police from Lori, Chad and Alex Cox.
Melani Pawlowski, Ian's wife, is expected to be called to the stand today. At 3:45 p.m., Chad Daybell
has a status conference for his case. It will be held in this same courtroom with Chad attending via
Zoom. I'll be here for that and will let you know what happens.
Lori Daybell has entered the courtroom. She's wearing white pants with black stripes and a black top
with a black sweater. She's chatting with her attorneys. Prosecutors are settling in at their table.
The public seating area of the courtroom is packed.
The bailiff is reviewing the courtroom conduct order with the audience and reminds everyone to turn
their phones off.
Attorneys are headed back into Judge Boyce's chambers. Lori remains at the defense table with her
back to the audience as she writes on a notepad. John Prior, Chad's attorney, is in the courtroom.
Attorneys are done meeting with Judge Boyce and are back at their tables. Waiting for Judge Boyce to
enter the courtroom.
Boyce is on the bench. "The court had a conference with counsel this morning in regards to a legal
issue with the current witness - Ian Pawlowski." The issue revolves around the recordings Ian has.
The defense wants to play them and Boyce needs to decide if they are admissible. We will hear
argument outside of the presence of the jury.
Jim Archibald arguing for the defense. He says he asked for Ian to be dismissed completely and not
testify at all. "Since he was allowed to testify, he has said he was a "snitch" - a secret recording
at the direction of law enforcement.
Mr. Pawlowski has testified so far that he dated Melani Boudreaux for a couple of weeks, got married
in Vegas and then contacted law enforcement a week later and, at the direction of law enforcement, he
became a snitch."
Archibald says he reviewed the recordings last night and they have already been admitted as
discovery. They are also listed on the state's witness and exhibit list.
"The recording we would like to play this morning is from Ian Pawlowski - recording #9 on Dec. 12 or
13. It's a conversation secretly recorded by Ian Pawlowski. His new wife Melani is talking on the
phone with Chad Daybell and Lori Daybell and they are discussing several issues -
- the death of Alex, the religious issues, a blessing from Chad and I'll remind the court these
religious issues are charged by the state as an overt act. That this conspiracy my client is being
accused of is due in part to religious issues - religious beliefs."
Archibald says there are several hours worth of tape. This particular recording is about 55 minutes
and he wants permission from the court to play the recording.
"The recording is the best evidence. It contains statements of the religious issues as alleged by the
state. It contains the actual statements.
We don't believe a couple of statements (Mr. Pawlowski) has made about the summary are a fair and
accurate summary of what happened here so we would prefer the best evidence which is the recording
itself," Archibald says.
Blake now arguing for the state. She says it's objectionable to refer to Ian as a "snitch." She says
he was trying to help the police locate missing children.
"He was asked about making the recordings but prior he was asked about some of the religious
teachings that Lori had or taught to him." Blake argues the recordings are hearsay as there are
multiple people talking on the recordings.
"I do believe these would contain potentially self-serving statements - not in the sense she knew she
was being recorded but in the sense the defense would use them for the truth of the matter.
If they aren't going to be used for the truth of the matter, we get into the fact of whether they are
relevant."
Blake: "I want to be very clear. Religious beliefs are not an overt act as charged by the state. What
the state has charged is the defendants espoused religious beliefs to control others. There's been no
overt act that they actually held or believed these things."
Blake opposes having the recordings brought in.
Archibald responds that the statements of co-conspirators are not hearsay so Chad's and Alex's
statements on the recording would not be hearsay. He says the state has alleged "unknown
conspirators" so Melani Pawlowski could be included in that.
He says because of this, the recording should be admitted.
Boyce is taking a recess to his chambers to discuss the issue with his staff attorney. He will come
back and make a ruling.
Lori is standing with her attorneys in the circle and passionately explaining something.
Boyce is back on the bench about to rule on whether the secret recordings can be played.
Boyce says the recordings constituent hearsay and can NOT be admitted. He says if, on cross-
examination, the witness contradicts what he said on the recordings, it could open the door to having
them played.
Ian Pawlowski is being brought into the courtroom. His attorney, Garrett Smith, also enters and sits
on the front row of the audience section in the courtroom. Jurors are bring brought in.
Jurors are in the courtroom. Archibald will cross-examine Ian.
CORRECTION: Thomas will conduct cross-examination.
Thomas asks Ian how he's doing. "As well as can be, I guess," he responds.
Ian explains he met Melani in November 2019. They dated 10 days before getting married in Las Vegas.
Thomas reiterates that Ian asked Chad and Lori Daybell for permission before he proposed to Melani.
Ian says Melani's mom passed away when she was young. Thomas asks about casting.
Ian: "There were references to it during phone calls that I heard. My understanding is with casting
you are trying to expel a possession or "bug" type of possession where something would crawl into
your ear. During casting you would pray to force the possession out of the body."
Ian says he recorded the conversations with his new wife for two weeks. Only he and the FBI knew, he
says. On Dec. 12, 2019, Alex Cox died. It was a significant day for Melani as Alex was her uncle.
Ian remembers having a phone call with Chad and Lori the day or the day after but doesn't remember
the specifics.
Ian recalls the day Alex died. Lori told Melani to "go to a place of safety" so she went to Ian's
apartment and then went to the temple. Ian recorded the entire conversation Melani had with Chad and
Lori.
Ian says the purpose of making the recordings was to get anything he could to help find Tylee and JJ.
Ian says there were nine recordings. "I've heard bits and pieces of them. I haven't ever listened to
them all the way through."
Ian says he's never listened to them with law enforcement. The last time he listened was when he was
summoned to the grand jury for Lori. He says he heard about 10 minutes total.
The snippets Ian heard included conversations with Melani, Alex, Lori and Chad. One time Melani was
sick and on the call Lori said, "She folded Satan up in a taco and locking him in a box in
Antarctica."
Ian said spiritual attacks were coming for the next two weeks and then things would calm down.
Ian gave Melani a blessing when Alex died. Thomas is asking about a blessing from Clad and Lori.
"Blessings were flying around like flies," Ian says. "Blessings of comfort, to remove dark blessings.
When I called Chad to ask for Melani's hand in marriage, Chad gave me a blessing to shield me from
darkness."
Ian says there's no shortage of people in Melani's life who will take advantage of her. Thomas asks
if Lori was taking advantage of Melani. Ian believes she was. Thomas asks how Lori has manipulated
Melani specifically.
"In the two weeks I was meeting with them, there were a lot of things that came about that Lori was
exactly being truthful with Melani. She was telling her that Brandon is dark, that law enforcement
officers
Melani should have been cooperating with were dark beings when in reality these officers were trying
to find two missing children and what happened with the shooting of Brandon Boudreaux."
Thomas asks Ian if Chad and Lori ever said anything bad about him. He says they did not.
Thomas says based on Ian's purported lack of knowledge about what was recorded on Dec. 12/13, he asks
Boyce to allow Ian to listen to the recording. Prosecutors request a sidebar. White noise is played
in the courtroom.
Sidebar is over. Boyce says he is denying the request to play the recording at this time. Thomas
continues questioning Ian.
Zulema called Melani and told her that Alex had died. Melani then called Lori and Chad, according to
Ian. Ian recorded the call. He says he was trying to record as many calls as he could without looking
suspicious. Melani was distraught when Alex died.
She was crying and felt like she had been attacked by spiritual demons. "She had been told my Chad
and Lori that there was going to be a spiritual attack that day. With Alex dying, that confirmed it."
"I have no clue how Chad and Lori knew there was going to a spiritual attack that day. Then Alex
died," Ian says. "There's reality and then there's layers of spiritual explanation that were laid
over reality."
Chad and Lori gave Melani a blessing over the phone after Alex died "but I don't believe a spiritual
attack killed Alex."
Thomas asks if he recalls Chad and Lori saying they would put shields of light around Melani after
Alex died. Ian says that sounds like something they would say but doesn't specifically recall.
On the nine recordings, Ian says there are a "handful" of blessings done over the phone. Ian was
brought into the blessings.
Thomas asks if Ian ever remembers putting hands on Melani's head for a blessing while Lori and Chad were on the phone. He says he doesn't recall but if Thomas told him it happened, he would believe him. Thomas has no further questions.
Blake has no re-direct questions. Ian is released from the stand. Thomas asks that Ian remain under subpoena as they may call him during their case.
"Given the posture of Mr. Pawlowski, we believe it's unlikely he come back should we need him to come back so we ask that he not be released from the subpoena." Blake wants him dismissed from the subpoena.
Ian will be released from the state's subpoena but before he leaves today, the defense will issue him a subpoena. Garrett Smith, Ian's attorney, tells Blake that Ian will come back if served a subpoena.
Ian leaves the stand. The next witness is Taylor Ballard.
link:
https://twitter.com/NateNewsNow