LISTEN: Court audio from Vallow Daybell hearing as trials are severed
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ST. ANTHONY – District Judge Steven Boyce ruled Thursday that Lori Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell’s trials will be severed, and they will be tried separately. Listen to the court audio in the player above.
The couple is charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan – two of Lori’s children – along with Chad’s previous wife, Tammy Daybell.
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The severance comes after new DNA testing, which was given to the parties involved in the criminal case. Since the results came back so close to the April 3 trial date, the defense attorneys for both Chad and Lori felt there was too little time for additional testing to be done on the sample, and they would not be prepared for trial.
Boyce stated that because the evidence was not given to the defense by the state in a timely manner, and Lori has refused to waive her right to a speedy trial, he felt there was no option but to sever the cases.
As a result, Chad’s trial has now been vacated from April 3 and will be rescheduled for a later date, possibly toward the end of the year. Because Lori has not waived her right to a speedy trial, her court proceeding will continue as scheduled next month.
