DAY 15 | LIVE UPDATES: FBI agent describes grisly scene where remains of JJ and Tylee were found
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LIVE UPDATES FROM THE LORI VALLOW DAYBELL TRIAL
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains graphic details. Reader discretion is advised.
3:28 p.m. Boyce says we will conclude with testimony for today and continue tomorrow. I’ll break everything down tonight on ‘Courtroom Insider’ at 7:30 p.m. MT. Join me on my Facebook page or the EastIdahoNews.com YouTube channel.
3:28 p.m. I have not seen Lori look up for the past hour. She continues to write in a yellow notepad with her back toward the gallery.
3:25 p.m. We now see a photo showing three big rocks that were found once officers removed some of the soil. “This is screaming to me as a team leader that something is odd. Something shouldn’t be here,” Daniels says. Boyce calls for a brief sidebar.
3:23 p.m. Daniels is describing how police went layer by layer to remove the ground near the pond. “At this point, we honestly didn’t know if this was a burial or not,” Daniels says.
3:20 p.m. We are now being shown photos of the pond area where JJ was found. There is taller grass around the burial site, and Daniels observed a raised berm with less grass and vegetation than the surrounding area.
3:20 p.m. Some bricks found on the side of the shed were also seized. The bricks were similar to those found at Tylee’s burial site.
3:18 p.m. Other items, including bush clippers, some saws and an ax, were seized from the garage. We see a photo of these items.
3:15 p.m. We now see an image of a pick-ax and some shovels that were seized as evidence. They are leaning against the wall next to a green bucket and two white buckets. We see a close-up photo of the pick-ax, and there is some material on the blade portion. A close-up image of two shovels shows “how dirty they were – could potentially be ash or other things on the shovel,” Daniels says.
3:13 p.m. Wood asks Daniels if police searched the shed and barn on Chad’s property. Daniels says yes. We now see a photo of the garage door open on the shed. Next image is the interior of the shed. “Knowing that we are dealing with a burial, one of the things we are interested in is tools,” Daniels says. There were some tools hanging or leaning on the wall in the shed.
3:10 p.m. Daniels says after all the human remains were collected, a backhoe dug deeper and wider into the burial sites. “This was especially important on JJ’s burial. His was the first burial we found, and we wanted to make sure Tylee’s remains weren’t in the same area.”
3:08 p.m. Now we see the body pieces placed on the coroner’s body bag. Daniels was unsure if this was one person or two, so he asked for an inventory on the parts.
3:06 p.m. Daniels says the team tried to lift the remains out of the ground, but they all fell apart. They were able to collect them and put them in a body bag. The anthropologist and coroner separated the remains so an inventory could be done on what parts they had. “How many pieces are we still looking for, or do we think we have everything we need to take?” Daniels says.
3:05 p.m. The next photo is Tylee’s skull next to a melted bucket.
3:05 p.m. “We want to show how these remains were buried so we can show the story of what happened here,” Daniels says. Lori continues to look down while taking notes on a yellow pad.
3:02 p.m. We now see a photo of “a mass of a human – dismembered, melted” and a green bucket with part of a skull. “It took a while for us as investigators to figure out what happened here – what is this,” Daniels says.
3 p.m. Crews continued their search on June 10. Blue tarps were placed on the ground, and a “sifting operation” was set up to find more possible remains in the ground, Daniels says.
2:57 p.m. The remains were placed in a body bag, given to the coroner and removed from the scene. We see a photo of what the burial site looked like after the remains were out of the ground.
2:56 p.m. The next photo is a close-up view of the pieces identified as Tylee. “You can see the bigger bones sticking out of the ground,” Daniels says. He says her remains were “melted together” in the ground.
2:52 p.m. The next photo shows pieces of Tylee’s remains recovered from the ground at the end of the day on June 9. “At that point, we established a new perimeter around her burial site and came up with a better excavation plan,” Daniels says. The remains were placed on a blue tarp. Summer Shiflet is wiping tears from her eyes as these photos are shown. She is looking down, and her eyes are closed. Lori is looking down.
2:51 p.m. On the screen is a photo of the bigger white bone found at the burial site. “At this point, we didn’t know if this was animal or human. We were trying to excavate it and get it out of the ground,” Daniels says. An anthropologist was on the scene.
2:50 p.m. We now see a photo showing “the first pieces of Tylee” that officers uncovered. At this point, they were unsure what they had found, but it was a “bigger bone.”
2:48 p.m. The next image shows some bricks uncovered by the tractor. This ends up being Tylee’s gravesite. At the time, police were unaware this was where she was buried, but the odor continually increased.
2:46 p.m. We now see an image of a piece of bone found in the dirt. “With the size of the bone being found … I could also smell an odor I could associate with human remains decomposing, so between this bone being found and a second bone being found, the decision was then made not to use the tractor anymore,” Daniels says. Police then switched back to hand tools.
2:43 p.m. Daniels shows an image of the pet cemetery. In front of a dog statue were some “disturbed areas” where Daniels thought human remains could be. Handtools were used before a backhoe, and tractor were brought in to help dig.
2:40 p.m. We are back in session. Boyce is on the bench, and jurors are being brought in.
2:14 p.m. The total station tool mapped out sites where the bodies were buried. The information was used to measure distances on the property. Boyce calls for an afternoon recess. Be back in 15 to 20 minutes.
2:11 p.m. Daniels says a necklace chain was found inside the firepit and processed as evidence. A silver charm was also found near the firepit.
2:09 p.m. Daniels says bone fragments, organic material and miscellaneous pieces of cloth and fabric were collected from the firepit. The next image shows the fire pit as it’s getting “cleaned up.” Daniels says the smell was “overpowering,” and a soil sample was taken from the firepit for testing later.
2:07 p.m. A photo of the firepit is on the screen. The next photo shows progress as crews begin to process the firepit area. Dirt is sifted through with rakes and shovels. Sifters with mesh screens are also brought in to catch any possible pieces of evidence – “potential bones, jewelry, or anything else that could be significant,” Daniels says.
2:04 p.m. We now see a photo showing some impressions or changes to the ground of the pet cemetery. Daniels says once he noticed the changes, he had a team start processing the area.
2 p.m. A photo of the front of Chad’s house is now shown. The next picture is an image from an upper-bedroom window where you can see JJ’s burial site. From the same window, another photo shows that you can also see the area where Tylee was buried. The next photo shows the view from another window inside the house looking out onto the property.
1:59 p.m. We see an overhead image of Chad Daybell’s property. Daniels points out the firepit, burial sites of the children, outbuildings and other key spots on the property.
1:56 p.m. Thomas has no objection to the exhibit. We are now shown a satellite map image showing the Rexburg/St. Anthony area. Key locations are marked – Lori’s apartment, Chad’s property, the Salem Church (where police staged), Walmart and BYU-Idaho.
1:47 p.m. Wood asks to admit an exhibit Daniels compiled of photos and evidence. Thomas has some questions for Daniels before the exhibit it admitted.
1:44 p.m. Daniels says a FARO scanner was used at the scene. This is a high-tech laser scanner. A “total station tool” was also on the scene. Many of the jurors are taking notes as Daniels speaks. Daniels says a drone was also used during the search.
1:43 p.m. Daniels says 500 to 700 photos were taken on Chad Daybell’s property the day they served the search warrant.
1:42 p.m. A sketch of Summer Shiflet on the stand this morning.
1:41 p.m. Another area of interest was the pond. Daniels said they wanted to look at the entire 3 to 4 acres – sheds, outbuildings – everything needed to be searched.
1:40 p.m. Two ERT members were assigned to assess the firepit area. Based on the cell phone data, the team has mapped out areas to look at on the property including the pet cemetery.
1:38 p.m. Police arrived at Daybell’s property on June 9, 2020. They prepared for about a week, and eight ERT members were tasked with a role before they got to the house. For example, one was a photographer and one created a crime-scene login sheet. Daniels did an initial walk-thru of the scene, and priority areas were noted.
1:36 p.m. The ERT was asked to help come up with a search strategy to execute a search warrant on June 9 and 10, 2020, at Chad Daybell’s property. They were looking for human remains and other evidence of crime.
1:35 p.m. Daniels works on the FBI Evidence Response Team – the ERT. The group gets 80 hours of training in Quantico, Virginia, on how to process crime scenes and execute search warrants. Advanced trainings are offered, and Daniels has participated in the human remains recovery course.
1:34 p.m. Daniels is a special agent with the FBI. Wood is questioning Daniels, who has worked for the FBI for 25 years.
1:31 p.m. Thomas has no further questions. Smith has no re-direct. Schmitt is released from the witness stand. The next witness is Steve Daniels.
1:30 p.m. Thomas tells Schmitt he’s just making an assumption that C. Quint is Alex Cox. Schmitt says that’s correct. He asks Schmitt if he followed up to ask if anyone saw Alex there. Schmitt says he did not. Thomas asks where Schmitt was specifically when he found the teeth and burned flesh. Schmitt says it was in the firepit area.
1:27 p.m. Thomas asks Schmitt about the storage unit surveillance videos. Schmitt says he reviewed some of them about a month ago. Thomas asks who runs the sportsman’s club and how people check in. The secretary told Schmitt people check in on your honor – nobody monitors it, and there’s a box to put your money in.
1:25 p.m. Schmitt says some of the dirt was pretty hard, and it appeared somebody put concrete or cement in the ground. A backhoe was called in, and eventually, officers found a melted green bucket that contained Tylee’s remains. Smith has no further questions for Schmitt. John Thomas will cross-examine.
1:22 p.m. After Chad was arrested, Schmitt and another officer transferred Chad to the Fremont County Jail. They delivered him, and then Schmitt went back to his house. Schmitt was assigned to help search the firepit and pet cemetery areas. Schmitt says he found teeth, burned pieces of bone and burned human flesh.
1:19 p.m. As police searched Chad Daybell’s house on June 9, 2020, Schmitt was assigned to keep an eye on Chad in case he left the property. “At one point in time when the search dogs were on the scene, Chad got out of his vehicle that was parked in the driveway in front of his house. They were searching the area where JJ’s remains were found and Chad was facing toward that direction.” Lt. Ron Ball and Det. Ray Hermosillo then came over to talk with Chad. “At some point in time, Chad went back into his house. He came out with a backpack and got into his vehicle. He sat there in his vehicle and then drove across the street to his daughter’s house. After some time, Chad came out of Emma’s house, got in his vehicle and started going south on 1900 East in Fremont County.” Chad was eventually stopped and arrested.
1:18 p.m. Schmitt says an Alex Cox also signed in on Sept. 3, 2019 but there is no paper record showing that. At the club, people go out and shoot their firearms for target practice, Schmitt says.
1:15 p.m. On Oct. 8, C. Quint signed into the club at 11 a.m. On Oct. 12, C. Quint signed in at 3 p.m. On Oct. 13, C. Quint signed in at 1 p.m. On Oct. 15, C. Quint signed in at 8 a.m.
1:12 p.m. Smith shows the sign-in sheet on the courtroom’s big screen. Schmitt says Alex signed in under different names: Alex Cox, Alex and C. Quint. Alex’s license plate on his vehicle was C.P.Quint. The first day Alex signed into the club was Oct. 6, 2019. On Oct. 7, C. Quint signed in at 12:20 p.m.
1:10 p.m. In January 2020, Schmitt went to the Unified Sportsman Club to see if Alex had visited. Smith asks to admit an exhibit showing records of when Alex had signed into the club.
1:07 p.m. On Oct. 22, 2019, Schmitt says Alex took a gun storage case and a tote out of the storage unit and put it in his pickup truck. On Oct. 28, 2019, he took four gun storage cases and put them in his pickup truck. Chad was with Alex on this visit.
1:05 p.m. Schmitt says during one visit to the storage facility, Alex Cox took a bunch of totes along with a long rifle case.
1:03 p.m. We are back in court. Boyce is on the stand and jurors are in their seats. Rachel Smith will continue questioning retired Det. Rick Schmitt.
11:58 a.m. On Oct. 3, 2019, Schmitt says Lori and Alex returned in the blue Nissan Rogue. They took the spare tire and the seat from the storage unit and put it back in the car. Boyce calls for a lunch break. We will be back around 1 p.m.
11:56 a.m. Schmitt says on Oct. 2, 2019, Lori and Chad visited the storage facility in the blue Nissan Rogue. They got a spare tire and a car seat out of the Nissan Rogue and put it in the storage unit. The seat looked like it was a rear seat from the Jeep Wrangler. Schmitt says Alex Cox was not in the video.
11:53 a.m. Schmitt details the trips Lori, Chad and Alex took to the storage unit in early October 2019. This story might help lay out the timeline better, and this story has more details.
11:50 a.m. On Feb. 2, 2020, Schmitt went with Rexburg detective Chuck Kunsaitis to Self Storage Plus after the owner released surveillance video to EastIdahoNews.com. Police obtained the video and noticed many days where Chad, Lori and Alex visited the storage facility.
11:48 a.m. Schmitt obtained more video from Yellowstone National Park. He found video of Alex, Lori, JJ and Tylee visiting the park on Sept. 8 at the gate.
RELATED | FBI releases photos of missing Rexburg kids in Yellowstone and asks for help
11:46 a.m. Rachel Smith is questioning Schmitt. He investigated some changes in Tylee’s Venmo account. On Jan. 8, 2020, he received video footage from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office that showed the entrance of Yellowstone National Park on Sept. 8, 2019. “I was looking for a blue Nissan Rogue, a Silver Ford pickup or a gray Jeep Wrangler.” Schmitt saw one that looked like the silver pickup truck.
11:44 a.m. Schmitt helped investigate the missing kids. On Nov. 4, 2019, he arrived at work and learned detectives were surveilling a gray Jeep Wrangler. He went to help. On Dec. 17, he was assigned to go with other detectives to Springville, Utah, to interview family members of Chad and Tammy Daybell.
11:42 a.m. Schmitt works at Brigham Young University-Idaho in the Public Safety Department. He retired from the Rexburg Police Department two years ago after 21 years of service.
11:40 a.m. Rammell has no further questions for Summer. Lori maintained a steady demeanor during Summer’s testimony. The next witness is Rick Schmitt, a retired Rexburg police detective.
11:40 a.m. Rammell has more questions for Summer. He asks her to recall that on the phone call, Lori told Summer the kids “were safe.” “Ms. Shiflet, she lied to you about them being safe,” Rammell says. “I believe so. Yes,” Summer says.
11:38 a.m. Archibald asks Summer if she is in touch with Colby. She is. Archibald says Colby testified that Lori changed after she met Chad. Summer agrees. Archibald has no further questions.
11:38 a.m. Summer now describes Alex as fun and hilarious but sometimes crude. Most weekends, he was at her house playing with her kids. Alex suffered a brain injury as a teenager, and Summer believes it affected him. “He seemed stuck in making teenage decisions. He got in his car accident when he was 16 and made decisions like a 16-year-old most of his life.”
11:36 a.m. Archibald asks Summer if she was concerned about the new religious beliefs. She responds, “Of course. I care about my sister, but I don’t really know what to think about it.”
11:33 a.m. Before 2018, Lori never told Summer that she had been someone else in another life. In late 2018, Lori told Summer about her previous lives and Summer “wanted to believe her,” but it didn’t make sense. Summer doesn’t recall Lori ever using “zombie,” but Lori did tell her about her ability to cast out evil spirits. Lori also told Summer about light and dark scales. Summer had never heard this terminology before.
11:31 a.m. Summer says in late 2018, Lori and Alex both brought up multiple lives and multiple creations to Summer. It was a new teaching and was not consistent with their religious teachings. “It was new to me,” Summer says.
11:30 a.m. Archibald: “Would you ever imagine her sister wanting to kill her kids?” Summer (through tears): “No.” Archibald: “Would you ever imagine your sister wanting to conspire to kill her kids?” Summer (through tears): “No.”
11:29 a.m. Archibald asks if Tylee had health problems. Summer says she had pancreatitis – swelling of the pancreas. Archibald asks to describe Lori and Tylee’s relationship. “Tylee had a little sassy streak in her, but I always felt Lori was very patient with her. Lori loved her and Tylee loved her mom.” Summer says she was never concerned for the safety of Tylee around Lori.
11:28 a.m. Archibald asks Summer to describe Tylee. “I would describe her as beautiful and witty and very talented in a lot of different ways.”
11:27 a.m. Archibald asks if Summer was involved in her sister’s life when Charles and Lori had separated. Summer says yes. She was not aware of Charles filing for divorce until it came out in the media. Summer thought they had reconciled.
11:26 a.m. Summer recalls Lori’s third marriage to Joseph Ryan. Summer got married in 2000 and lived in a separate state, so she wasn’t as close with Lori during that time. Summer says Lori protected her kids from Joe Ryan. Archibald references the call where Summer tells Lori she would never do anything to hurt her children. Summer says that’s because of the way she saw Lori with her kids.
11:24 a.m. Archibald asks Summer about her siblings and their family life growing up. Summer recalls Lori getting married when she was 18. Summer was 16. The first marriage did not last long. Archibald asks about Lori’s second marriage, which lasted “longer than the first but not that long,” Summer says.
11:22 a.m. Archibald begins by saying, “I’m sorry you had to relive that.”
11:21 a.m. Rammell has no further questions for Summer. Sniffling is heard in the courtroom. Jim Archibald will cross-examine Summer.
11:20 a.m. “They were innocent, and they were loved,” Summer says. “Come up with an explanation publicly!” The call cuts off.
11:20 a.m. “There is NOTHING okay about this. NOTHING,” Summer says. Lori responds, “Nothing about this is OK, Summer.” Summer says, “I am telling you because I love you with all my heart, please consider that Chad has lied and been deceived, and you have been deceived, and this is not what you think it is. There is nothing OK about killing children. Nothing. And even if you didn’t kill them and Alex didn’t kill them and Chad didn’t kill them, you threw them away like garbage! In a pet cemetery!” Summer is sobbing and can barely breathe.
11:17 a.m. Lori: “Nobody in the world knows what I’ve been through. You’ve only seen what’s on TV.” Summer: “So I’m deceived? Everyone in the world is deceived?” Lori responds, “Nobody has seen me crying on the floor.” Summer asks about the photos on the beach. “You don’t think your mother and your sister deserve to know that your children are gone?! Why didn’t you call to tell us this?”
11:15 a.m. Summer screams at Lori that she never called to tell her Alex died or that her kids are gone. “You don’t think that will cause pain throughout our entire family?!” Lori says, “You don’t think I’m in pain?” Summer responds, “No, I don’t. You were dancing on the beach, having a great time! You got wedding pictures while your kids are in the ground?” Lori says, “Nobody knows.” Summer says, “Nobody knows except you and the Lord? There is nothing in the scriptures that is godly about hurting a child! They deserve a proper burial with family that loves them in the least!” People in the courtroom are crying as this call is being played. Lori is looking down.
11:14 a.m. Lori says everyone sees what’s on TV. Summer responds, “This has NOTHING to do with what’s on TV.” She screams at Lori about how she defended her on TV and asks for Lori to tell her to the truth. Lori says, “I would love to.”
11:12 a.m. “Lori, if you let this happen to them and put them in the ground like a piece of trash, I don’t know you. … We would have taken them!” Summer is now screaming at Lori. “You cut me and Mom off for four months! Now we find out this out, and you expect me to just keep going with zero explanation, and you expect me to just keep believing without ever having a question?”
11:11 a.m. Summer asks Lori if she knew they were there. Lori says, “I can’t talk about it.” Summer says she doesn’t know what to say, and the “kids were thrown away like garbage. … It’s too painful.” Lori quietly responds, “Do you think I let that happen?” Summer responds, “Yes, I do.” Summer: “You went off to Hawaii and were dancing on the beach as the kids were on the ground?!?! You had to know they were there! I don’t understand! They were just little kids! I don’t understand!”
11:10 a.m. From the call: “How are you?” Lori asks. Summer responds, “Not good,” as she is sobbing. “I don’t know what to say. I’m willing to listen if you want to talk to me,” Summer says. Lori says she doesn’t know what anybody knows and doesn’t know anything. Lori says she hasn’t talked to anybody. “I know they found Tylee buried in a pet cemetery and JJ buried in Chad’s backyard, and we don’t understand how that happened,” Summer says sobbing. She can barely breathe. “You didn’t tell us. We are devastated.”
11:08 a.m. Rammell asks to play the call for the jury. Summer is crying on the stand and wiping away tears.
11:06 a.m. “I felt lied to and my trust in my sister was broken,” Summer says when she learned the children were dead. Rammell now mentions the video call on June 24, 2020. She received a request from Lori to call her. Rammell now admits the call.
11:05 a.m. Rammell says Summer if she spoke with Lori about the missing kids. Summer says they spoke in February 2020. “I don’t remember the exact wording but she basically told me she knew where they were and they were safe.” Summer says she believed Lori and thought the kids were ok.
11:04 a.m. Summer says she played an active role in the lives of JJ and Tylee. She learned they were missing in December 2019. Summer was not in contact with Lori at the time and did not know where she was. Summer wipes away tears as she speaks.
11:03 a.m. Lori is Summer’s older sister. “Tylee and JJ were my niece and nephew,” Summer says.
11:02 a.m. Lori looks at Summer and smiles as her sister takes the stand. Boyce notes that Summer is here representing Tylee, so she is allowed to observe other witness testimony. She was in the courtroom yesterday and today.
11:02 a.m. Summer Shiflet is called to the stand.
11 a.m. Spencer Rammell, Madison County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, asks for a quick sidebar before the next witness is called.
10:59 a.m. Wood has further questions and asks Ballance if it’s possible to turn GPS data off on one’s phone. Ballance says it is – you can opt out of GPS tracking. Wood has nothing further.
10:58 a.m. Thomas asks about Oct. 19, and Ballance confirms Lori’s phone was in Hawaii that day. Thomas has no further questions.
10:55 a.m. Ballance says he has no GPS locations on Lori or Chad – just Alex Cox.
10:53 a.m. Thomas asks why some text messages can be read or retrieved later, but other messages can’t. Ballance says it depends on which records are maintained by individual cell phone carriers. He says at the time of the investigation, Verizon was the only carrier that kept text messages for three to seven days. The other carriers did not keep records.
10:50 a.m. Thomas asks if Ballance can, with certainty, say that a particular phone was at an exact location on the Daybell property. Ballance says there is no 100% certainty – but estimations.
10:48 a.m. Thomas referencing the presentation the prosecutors displayed. “Great charts if you know what you’re doing and know what you’re looking at, but for the layperson like me, it’s a little difficult.”
10:47 a.m. John Prior, Chad Daybell’s attorney, was not in the courtroom this morning but is now here.
10:46 a.m. Ballance says it took the CAST team about a week to map out Rexburg, St. Anthony and Sugar City.
10:45 a.m. We are back from the morning break. Thomas asks Ballance to describe how “drive-testing” works. Ballance says they get in a car with a piece of equipment that is constantly taking measurements of radio frequencies. They then input the data into a computer program and map things out in relation to cell towers.
10:10 a.m. Boyce calls for a morning recess. We will be back around 10:30 a.m.
10:05 a.m. Thomas asks more questions about Ballance’s background. The agent says the Daybell case is one of his first as a member of CAST – Cellular Analyst Survey Team. Ballance details the training he received.
10 a.m. Thomas begins by asking Ballance about his background and how he became an FBI special agent.
9:58 a.m. Ballance says two incoming messages were received on Tylee’s phone in Hawaii on Dec. 15, 2019. Police believe she had been dead for over three months. Wood has no further questions for Ballance. John Thomas will be conducting cross-examination.
9:55 a.m. Tammy Daybell’s funeral was held Oct. 22 in Springville, Utah. Chad received three text messages from Lori that day. He also responded to at least one text message.
9:53 a.m. Alex Cox’s phone traveled south from the area of Chad’s home around 11:54 p.m. At 12:09 a.m., the phone is north of Idaho Falls.
9:49 a.m. A phone attributed to Alex Cox was located at a church near Chad Daybell’s home around 10:07 p.m. on Oct. 18, according to Ballance. Chad told investigators that Tammy died in her sleep early on Oct. 19. Three text messages were sent to Lori Vallow – one at 11:34 p.m. and two at 11:35 p.m. Ballance says he is not able to look at the content of those messages.
9:46 a.m. Once the 401 number was activated, Ballance says there was “heavy interactions” between Chad, Lori and Alex.
9:42 a.m. Ballance now talking about cell phone activity on Oct. 18, 2019 – the day before Tammy died. Alex’s cell phone was at his Rexburg apartment. Between 1:56 p.m. and 8:54 p.m., text messages were exchanged between Chad, Lori and Alex. There was also a call that was 2,956 seconds (over 49 minutes) between Chad and Lori.
9:40 a.m. Ballance says Chad texted Alex six times that night. The first message was sent at 7:30 p.m. The last message was sent at 10:29 p.m.
9:38 a.m. Numerous text messages were exchanged that night between Chad, Lori and Alex between 5:28 p.m. and 10:31 p.m.
9:37 a.m. By 5:16 p.m., GPS data shows Alex’s phone was back in the area of his Rexburg apartment and it remains at his residence.
9:36 a.m. Ballance says he can not determine the exact route Alex took to get to the Daybell home but at 4:58 p.m., GPS data locates Alex on the same road where Chad lives. Less than 10 minutes later, Alex is on a Sugar City road.
9:33 a.m. Beginning around 4:47 p.m., the Google account history shows the device near the area of the Daybell home, according to Ballance. It is there until 4:56 p.m.
9:29 a.m. The HOMERJMAXIMUS was tracked to Lori’s Rexburg apartment on the afternoon of Oct. 9. He then moved to his apartment. Around 2:42 p.m., the account/device starts to move toward Idaho Falls. It is tracked at or near Sportsman’s Warehouse in Idaho Falls at 3:17 p.m.
9:28 a.m. Oct. 9, 2019, is the same day Tammy Daybell reported a masked man with a paintball gun tried to shoot her in her driveway. You can read more about that here.
9:26 a.m. At 10:27 a.m., a 401 number calls Lori Vallow. The 401 number is attributed to Chad Daybell.
9:20 a.m. Tammy Daybell died on Oct. 19, 2019. On Oct. 9, Chad sent a text message at 9:57 a.m. to Lori Vallow:
“Gonna stop by the store right now to get that other number working. Hopefully won’t take long.”
He sent a second message at 10:26 a.m.:
“I will call right now from a 401 number.”
9:18 a.m. Alex (or a phone attributed to him) had a 545-second phone call with Lori Vallow (or a phone attributed to her) that morning during this time frame.
9:16 a.m. Ballance explains the HOMERJMAXIMUS Google account history between 10:12 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. on the same morning. It was on Chad’s property at 10:12 a.m. but eight minutes later, the phone has left the property and is south in the Rexburg area.
9:12 a.m. The account registered to HOMERJMAXIMUS was on Chad Daybell’s property from 9:55 a.m. – 10:12 a.m. on Sept. 23. It was tracked near a small pond on Daybell’s property, in the center of the property and in a “close proximity to where JJ Vallow was located,” Ballance says.
9:11 a.m. Jurors are shown a map of Alex Cox’s supposed movements on the morning of Sept. 23. It shows his device was headed north on U.S. Highway 20.
9:04 a.m. Cell phone records show Chad made a call to Alex on Sept. 23 at 9:25 a.m. Chad also called Lori three times between 9:30 and 9:35 a.m. on the same date. Police believe JJ was killed Sept. 22 – Sept. 23.
9:02 a.m. Ballance now explains cell phone activity on Sept. 23 between 3:59 a.m. until 8:34 a.m. Chad sent numerous text messages to Lori.
8:59 a.m. Ballance explains there was a lot of cell phone activity between Chad, Lori and Alex shortly after the phone attributed to the HOMERJMAXIMUS account left Chad’s property the morning of Sept. 9.
8:56 a.m. Between 11:42 and 11:47 a.m. on Sept. 9, the phone attributed to the HOMERJMAXIMUS account was in the vicinity of Chad Daybell’s home, Ballance says.
8:53 a.m. Wood displays a map on the screen showing activity on the HOMERJMAXIMUS account. Alex Cox was the registered owner of the account. We now see a map showing cell phone tower activity on the morning of Sept. 9 between Chad and Lori.
8:52 a.m. Madison County Prosecuting Attorney Rob Wood is questioning Ballance. Wood asks to admit the entire report prepared by Ballance regarding the cell phone activity. Defense attorney John Thomas does not oppose it.
8:50 a.m. Ballance is back on the stand. If you want to get caught up on his testimony, here is a recap of what happened yesterday.
8:48 a.m. Boyce is on the bench, attorneys are back at their tables and jurors are being brought in.
8:36 a.m. We are waiting for Judge Boyce to take the stand. The defense attorneys and prosecutors are likely in a meeting with him as they all left the courtroom. Lori is sitting alone at the defense table with her back to the gallery. She is writing on a yellow notepad.
8:35 a.m. FBI analyst Nick Ballance will be back on the stand first thing this morning. He tracked cell phones belonging to Chad Daybell, Lori Vallow and Alex Cox.
8:25 a.m. It’s day 15 of Lori Vallow Daybell’s murder trial. She has just walked into the courtroom and is sitting at the defense table with her attorneys. Lori’s sister, Summer Shiflet, is here with her husband, uncle and other family members. I expect that she will take the stand today. When Lori walked in, Summer smiled at her. Here is a photo of them in happier times years ago before the case began.
