LIVE UPDATES | Steamy text messages revealed on day 7 of Chad Daybell trial
Published at | Updated atLIVE UPDATES FROM THE CHAD DAYBELL TRIAL
Excuse the typos – these are live updates from the courtroom
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRIAL LIVE
11:58 a.m. Boyce suggests we break for the day until Monday. Court is now adjourned. I’ll break it all down tonight on “Courtroom Insider.” Join me live at 6:30 p.m. MT. on the EastIdahoNews.com YouTube channel or my Facebook page.
11:53 a.m. Messages from July 28. Lori to Chad: “R u mad? Sad? What?” Chad to Lori, “I’m doing okay. Just no privacy here to hardly text, and I’m missing you immensely. I feel good about the trip.” Lori to Chad: “I need a distraction while I’m waiting for you! I love you!” Chad to Lori: “Absolutely. I think you’ll have a fun time!” Hart says Lori was going to take a trip with Alex and Melani Boudreaux to Southern California.
11:52 a.m. Chad shows little emotion in the courtroom as these text messages are read. He occasionally writes a few things on a notepad in front of him. The jurors are focused – some taking notes, others reading the messages on the screens in front of them.
11:49 a.m. Chad texts Lori on July 26. “I’m home. Missing you immensely and feeling very tired, but I had a splendid time with you, my love! I will text again soon.” An hour later, Chad texts, “Tonight I figured out who I feel like. I’m a grown-up version of Harry Potter, who has to live with the Dudleys in his little space under the stairs. Every few weeks I get to escape and have amazing adventures with my Goddess lover, but then I have to return to my place under the stairs, feeling trapped. But I sense permanent freedom is coming!”
11:46 a.m. Texts on July 22. Chad to Lori: “Love you. going with Garth in an hour to see ‘The Other Side of Heaven 2.’ Missing you desperately, but so excited to be with you. Lori to Chad: “I love you. U will enjoy the scenery…looks like Kauai a lot!” Lori to Chad: “Hopefully we will be there some day soon together!”He responds, “That is the plan! And my greatest desire.” After the movie, Chad texts, “Hi darling, Back from the movie. We enjoyed it! I look forward to being on a tropical island with you!”
11:44 a.m. Hart says Chad and Lori had a clear plan to be with each other together and forever. They were both begging God for that to happen, Hart says. Tammy Daybell was alive when these messages are exchanged. Blake asks if there was ever any indication of Chad planning to get divorced or separated. Hart says no.
11:43 a.m. We now see messages from July 21. Lori to Chad: “It’s making me so happy to read about our life that I am finally going to dance. Missing you and loving you from afar!!” Lori to Chad: “It was great. I feel free again. I love you more than ever and can’t wait to. be with you forever. I’m begging father and mother. That’s my job tonight!” Chad to Lori, “I will be right beside you, begging just as much. I need you desperately!!!” All of these messages have multiple lip, fire and/or heart emojis.
11:42 a.m. Hart says Chad and Lori went to the Gilbert, Arizona, temple together while they were both married to other people.
11:39 a.m. Chad to Lori: “They arrived at the temple, and they both felt they should do sealings together. They were soon seated in a sealing room, facing each other. Elena looked so stunning as she smiled at him. She seemed calm, while he felt quite nervous. Their opportunity soon came to kneel across the altar from each other, and as the sealer pronounced those sacred words, James and Elena knew that they were now sealed as husband and wife for eternity. As the earthly sealing was taking place, a similar scene involving their spirits was happening on a higher plane, where they kissed and unified their souls. They knew they had just begun a new journey together that was eternal and never-ending.”
11:37 a.m. Chad to Lori: “They embraced following the blessing, and the emotions they felt were a mixture of eternal bless and telestial desire. The sexual chemistry was undeniable, but the spiritual unity was a glorious bonus for them both. They had only known each other for three weeks, but two lonely, misunderstood souls had finally found their best friend that they could trust and confide in.” Lori responds: “She loves it.”
11:34 a.m. Next slide: Chad to Lori on July 21 at 8:17 p.m. “James and Elena had agreed to visit the temple the following morning. She returned to the hotel room, and after additional romance on the couch, they calmed their nerves enough to give each other a blessing. As James placed his hands on her head, he connected with Elena’s true eternal self. He knew hew as in the presence of an exalted goddess who had returned to earth to perform a special mission. This mission included being with him, and they would progress together as translated beings. The full plan wasn’t yet completely clear to him, but the immense power radiating from her confirmed his belief that she was among the greatest women in the universe.”
11:32 a.m. Hart says he never saw any signs of grief or sorrow from Lori or Chad. “None,” when Blake asks.
11:29 a.m. Texts from July 21, 2019. Lori to Chad, “Found it. Ned gave all of it to Rhonda.” Chad to Lori: “Glad you found that out.” Lori to Chad: “It fits. Now she will try to take him. Thx for working on her. Work on me too. Reading all this stuff makes me sick.” Chad to Lori: “We will work hard on Rhonda when we are together. I will get her numbers as low as I can by Wednesday.” Lori to Chad: “Good. Let’s work on it hard.” Hart says Rhonda was the dark spirit that inhabited Kay Woodcock, JJ’s grandmother.
11:27 a.m. Lori responds that he (Charles) can change the life insurance at any time. Chad tells Lori that he thinks Kay is the beneficiary, and she was probably “freaking out” after Lori got “those computers.” Chad says he’s going to shower and give Lori a blessing. Lori texts Chad later that day. “So I talked to the insurance company. He changed it in March. So it was probably Ned before we got rid of him. They can’t tell me to who of course but it’s done. I’ll still get the 4000 a month from SS.”
11:25 a.m. Chad tells Lori that there should be a paper trail, and this is another step to bringing down the Gadiantons – “especially Brandon.” Lori responds that he (Charles) can change the life insurance at any time. Smith asks Hart what Gadiantons mean. “The Gadiantons were a group of people from the Book of Mormon – robbers and thieves.” When the phrase is used, it identifies someone as being a bad person.”
11:22 a.m. The next slide: Lori to Chad on July 18: “I just got the letter from the insurance company saying that I am not the beneficiary. It’s a spear thru my heart. Who do you think he changed it to? Brandon?? or probably Kay?? He left nothing for jj!!” Chad to Lori: “Wow. That’s terrible. There is no way to find out?” They go back and forth and Chad says, “Hmmm…it will be interesting if it got changed after he had two bullets in his chest.”
11:21 a.m. Hart says Lori would manipulate Chad – such as in her response, “And yet, you are” – meaning he can’t live without her but he is.
11:20 a.m. Next message from Chad to Lori on July 15: “I know you won’t get this for another hour or so, but my love for you is overflowing right now. I just want to hold you endlessly. You are my wonderful best friend I can’t live without!” Lori responds: “And yet…you are. So sad (emojis) missing you! Just landed! Gotta get to work!!”
11:19 a.m. Message on July 14. Chad to Lori: “I need so badly to just gently kiss you…for hours.” Chad: “It would likely lead to other activities.” Lori to Chad: “Likely or Luckily?” Chad to Lori: “It would LUCKILY lead to nakedness.” Hart says there was a lot of sexting messages in iCloud, and this was just one example.
11:17 a.m. Hart says the “she” in the message referred to Tammy Daybell. He believes the camp was an excuse for Chad and Lori to meet up in person.
11:15 a.m. The next slide shows messages sent the evening of July 14, 2019. Chad to Lori: “Hanging in there, but really missing you too! Please find out the name of Mel’s campout in Utah. I have no intention of going, but I feel it is our avenue to get together, whether she is still here or not.” Lori: “Zion’s family camp. Mel speaks Wed night and Dave speaks Thursday night. Shelly M is their main speaker…eye roll.” Chad: “My trip to speak at the camp July 24-26 has been approved and is now on the calendar.”
11:12 a.m. “He also became aware that his spirit would visit her at night, and they would wrap around each other in a sensual embrace. Kissing her was so wonderful and real, and he knew that the next time they saw each other, he needed to kiss her. He wouldn’t be able to resist holding her. He was absolutely in love with her in every way.”
11:09 a.m. Next slide: “As James and Elena talked on the phone, he tried to delicately describe their connection to each other, and he was delighted that she believed him. He also shared that they had been married other times on a previous world, and she accepted that information as well. James was overjoyed to have these memories restored to him, because he truly loved her with all of his heart. He knew they were meant to be married again and complete important missions together before the Second Coming.”
11:04 a.m. Chad referred to himself as James, Lori as Elena. Part of the novel is on the screen: “They would both attend the same event in mid-November, and it seemed like that day would never arrive. Each day they opened their hearts to each other a little more. James knew he could trust her with the mysteries of the universe that had been revealed to him. He knew they had been married before, and they had been close friends with the Savior when he lives in Jerusalem. James had served in an important position in the Lord’s church, and Elena had been his beloved spouse and best friend. That relationship was now meant to continue in this lifetime.”
11:02 a.m. Chad texted Lori the next day.“I love you so much! You are my greatest desire and my best friend. Now on with the story.” Chad then goes on to text “The James and Elena story.” You can read the romance novel to his “goddess lover” here.
11:01 a.m. On July 14 at 7:42 a.m., Chad to Lori: “Good morning my most beautiful Lili. (Thanks for joining me in the shower this morning. Wow!) Getting ready to leave for my meetings. Does noon your time look like a time we could talk? I love you so immensely that the whole universe knows it, and very soon the people on this little blue globe will know it too.” Lori responds at 8:19 a.m., “Morning sunshine. Sure. Call me if you get a chance.” Hart says Lori was in Arizona, and Chad was in Idaho at the time of this message.
11 a.m. These messages were sent two days after Charles Vallow was shot and killed.
10:59 a.m. Boyce asks Hart who he believes the “she” is referring to in the next. Hart says Tammy Daybell.
10:58 a.m. Next slide from July 13 at 11:06 p.m. Chad to Lori: “Concerning the two weeks, BYU-Idaho’s graduation is July 23rd. Adam is getting his bachelors and Leah and Joe are getting their associates. They are all walking in the same commencement ceremony. I feel she will be gone by then, but I will still have that hoopla to deal with, because a lot of my and Adam’s family are coming and will stay for July 24th. So I believe that’s why the Lord hinted I might not get to be with you until that is over. Please ask about that.”
10:57 a.m. Hart says the individuals within the group look to Chad as the supposed visionary who will give them this type of information. When the requests are made, Chad responds.
10:55 a.m. Next slide. Lori texts Chad: “Can you clear Mel’s new house? She is sleeping there tonight. And check it for recording devices?” Chad to Lori: “Glad we are in sync! I will clear the house and check it. Was he surprised when she returned home early?” Chad to Lori: “I’m working on the house, but having to break down some dark entities Brandon created. I detect three listening devices.” Lori to Melani: “From your dad: I’m working on the house, but having to break down some dark entries Brandon created. I detect three listening devices.”
10:53 a.m. Continuing…Lori to Chad: “Good idea.” Chad to Lori: “Aly Bloomer is 4.1 dark. Her cop husband is 3 dark. I suppose Brandon doesn’t know yet about the discovered Charles texts?” Lori to Chad: “Not yet but I’m sure he knows it’s not good. They have had a lot of conflict. Mel says he looks scared.” Lori to Melani: “Aly Bloomer’s husband 3 (dark emoji).” Chad to Lori: “His emotions are 75 percent panic, 25 percent fear. Yeah, he’s a little worried.”
10:52 a.m. Hart says Chad assigned people light or dark and would give them scores. Lori and others would seek Chad’s visions in relation to whether people were dark or light. This is one of the first references we see in the iCloud account where Lori is seeking information from Chad – meaning he will see what scores Aly Bloomer and her husband are, Hart says.
10:48 a.m. The next slide. These were sent between 9:18-9:30 p.m. on July 13, 2019. Text from Melani Boudreaux (her niece, now Pawlowski) to Lori: “Brandon (Melani’s ex-husband) is making me promise to not have your or AI around my house or kids. He’s talked to a lawyer. And he said his lawyer said that due to the circumstances he can do that. What do I do.” Melani sends another message: “He brought Aly Bloomer’s husband here who is a cop.” Chad texts Lori: “He can’t do that, just like he can’t get a restraining order against you. The mediator would make that clear. You and All did have any charges against you.” Chad sends another message to Lori: “I will check ALL Bloomer and husband.”
10:47 a.m. Audrey Barattiero was a friend and associate of Chad Daybell, Hart says. Chad introduced Audrey to Lori. Hart says the Lori being excited to talk to Audrey about “what they both know” stuck out to him.
10:42 a.m. Audrey responds: “Hi Lori. Guess you talked to Chad. Haha. Did he tell you I have a crazy work schedule? I might be able to talk tonight. I’ll have to play it by ear but I wouldn’t know until about 9:30 p.m. or after. The same for tomorrow.” Lori responds: “He did. That’s ok. Just let me know when you’re available. No pressure. I just think it’s fun to talk to someone who knows what’s really going on :)” Audrey responds: “So what times usually work for you? I usually talk to him on my lunch breaks on Mondays or Tuesday. Sunday afternoons I can talk.”
10:40 a.m. The majority of the information on the presentation is from the lori4style account. Lindsey Blake is questioning Hart. She shows the first slide. It’s a text message from Lori to Audrey Barattiero: “Hi Audrey, this is Lori. I would like to talk to you sometime. Text me or call me. I’m excited to be able to talk to you about what we both know :-)”
10:37 a.m. Hart says Chad and Lori met on Oct. 26, 2018. He says there are communications in the exhibit that reference the time frame of when the couple met.
10:34 a.m. Hart says the amount of data on the iCloud accounts was voluminous. The FBI used a program called Cellebrite to search through the accounts. Hart has a summary exhibit showing what we discovered.
10:31 a.m. Hart was the FBI supervisor in the case. He reviewed and approved things that went into the case file. He also carried several investigative assignments in the case. He looked into two iCloud accounts of Lori Vallow – lori4style and lollytime. Lollytime started July 1, 2019, but lori4style was an older account.
10:30 a.m. Hart says this case was brought to the FBI’s attention toward the end of Nov. 2019. The FBI works well with partners in missing kid cases. The FBI worked with the Rexburg Police Department, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office.
10:25 a.m. Back in the courtroom. Boyce is on the bench and the jurors have been brought in. Next witness for the prosecution will be retired FBI Agent Doug Hart. Hart is currently the chief deputy for the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office.
9:52 a.m. We will now break for the morning recess. Back soon.
9:50 a.m. Boyce says there are limitations on what should be allowed in redirect. He says he has been liberal in allowing the scope to be broad because there is an agreement between the state and defense in being efficient in moving through witnesses so they don’t have to be called twice. Boyce says he will keep an eye on the topics and take the objection under advisement.
9:49 a.m. Blake says Prior has been allowed to do a recross on all witnesses. She is objecting to the generality of him being able to recross everyone and asks that he be limited. Prior says it’s not up to the prosecutor to decide when he can recross, it’s up to the judge.
9:47 a.m. Boyce says we will take a mid-morning recess, but there is an issue that needs to be discussed outside the presence of the jury. Jurors are dismissed but the rest of us remain in the courtroom.
9:45 a.m. Prior at the podium and asks Gibb about castings. He asks if the purpose was to rid the body of evil spirits. She says yes. Prior has nothing further but he wants to keep Gibb under subpoena in case he wants to call her again later in the trial. He says the final decision has not been made if he will recall her.
9:42 a.m. Gibb says she didn’t know JJ had been reported missing when Chad told her not to talk to the police. Blake has no further questions. Prior has come follow-up questions. Blake asks to approach. The attorneys huddle in courtroom, and white noise is played.
9:40 a.m. Blake asks about the call and the part where Chad told Gibb she could be in danger. Blake asks if Chad ever jumped in to correct Lori on the call. Gibb doesn’t recall him jumping in. Blake follows up by asking about the call Gibb received from Chad around Thanksgiving when he asked her not to pick up the phone when the police call. Gibb asked Chad if JJ was with Kay. Chad told her no.
9:39 a.m. Blake asks who labeled people dark or zombie. Gibb says Chad. Blake asks that once someone was labeled dark or zombies, what would happen to their bodies? Gibb says if the casting was successful, the body would die. Gibb says JJ, Tammy, Charles and Tylee were all labeled dark or zombie.
9:37 a.m. Blake asks Gibb about her communication with prosecutors and if any of that communication altered her version of events. Gibb says no. Blake asks Gibb if she ever observed Chad and Lori on the phone together. Gibb says yes. She was able to overhear some of the conversations.
9:36 a.m. Blake asks if it would be fair to say that some people may have a glow about them. Gibb says yes. Blake asks if that’s different than the light and dark Chad and Lori taught. Gibb responds, “I think so.”
9:35 a.m. Blake asks about vibration. Gibb says Chad and Lori used the term in a way to express their knowledge about translation. The higher the vibration number, the closer the body would be to a translated state. Gibb says when you are translated, your body is changed in a way so you don’t have to eat, are stronger and more powerful.
9:33 a.m. Blake says Gibb has been asked a lot and asks if she has done her best to recall the facts. Gibb says yes. Blake asks if Chad ever indicated that he had visions. Gibb says he shared them publicly, so yes.
9:31 a.m. On Monday, Gibb and David left around 9:30 a.m. to drive to Pocatello to visit David’s son. Prior has no further questions. Blake will now conduct redirect.
9:30 a.m. After they saw the parcels of lands, Gibb went back to Lori’s townhouse. They recorded their podcast that night, and Chad was not there. They finished recording around midnight.
9:26 a.m. Lori colored and cut Gibb’s hair on Sunday. Prior asks if they went out for lunch. Gibb says she doesn’t remember the lunch arrangements. Gibb went to see a field and may have been with David. They then went to meet up with Chad to see a piece of property.
9:25 a.m. Gibb was at the conference all day and didn’t see Chad that night. Prior asks Gibb if she and David slept in the next day (Sunday). Gibb says no – she doesn’t sleep in.
9:23 a.m. That night Alex, Lori, Gibb and David were hanging out at Lori’s house. Gibb recalls Chad may have come over. Alex played Guitar Hero. On Saturday, Gibb went to a Firm Foundation conference. Prior asks if she remembers texting Wood that she was at the Firm Foundation for about ten hours taking photos.
9:21 a.m. The jump house was for JJ. Gibb says they were there around two hours. Alex came and went from the jump house, according to Gibb. They went out for pizza. Prior says she had to go back to Lori’s townhouse to get ready to pick up David. Gibb says that’s not correct – David drove in.
9:19 a.m. Gibb doesn’t recall seeing Chad that day – she just remembers she was with Lori. She landed on Thursday. Prior asks Gibb if she remembers going to Gravity Factory, a jump house, on Friday. Gibb doesn’t recall the exact date or time that they went.
9:17 a.m. Prior now discussing Gibb’s trip to Rexburg in September 2019. She landed in Idaho Falls and Lori picked her up. Gibb and Lori went to Johnny Carino’s, according to Prior. Gibb remembers going to an Italian restaurant. Prior says after they ate, they went to Walmart. Gibb doesn’t remember.
9:16 a.m. Prior asks Gibb about visiting Hawaii in 2019. He asked if Lori paid for her flight. Gibb doesn’t remember. Tylee was not there. Prior asks if there were occasions Lori paid for people’s flights. Gibb doesn’t know about that.
9:15 a.m. Prior asks about castings. Gibb had never done anything with castings until she met Lori. Prior asks if death was ever in the equation for castings. Prior says the person would eventually pass on if the evil spirit didn’t leave. Prior asks if this teaching is consistent with the LDS faith. Gibb says no.
9:14 a.m. Gibb does not recall the message and does not recall talking to people outside of the inner circle about light and dark.
9:13 a.m. Prior asks Gibb is she had discussions with people about light and dark. She said she did but didn’t go around teaching. Prior shows Gibb a message where she apparently spoke about a man named Mike James and a woman named Nancy being super dark.
9:09 a.m. Prior back at the stand. This email was from July 2019. Prior says Gibb was getting ready to go teach at a mountain retreat. Gibb says she doesn’t recall anything like that. Gibb says the text was from Lori to Gibb. Prior says the message was from her to Lori. Gibb says she never taught in any camp about dark portals.
9:05 a.m. Prior shows an email sent from Gibb to Lori where she says she will teach people about dark portals. There is some confusion over who sent the email to whom. Blake asks to approach. Attorneys are meeting with Boyce on the side of the courtroom.
9:01 a.m. Prior asks about Chad, Lori and Gibb using different names. Chad and Lori used the names James and Elena. Prior says Gibb went by the name of Phoebe. Gibb says she occasionally went by that name.
9 a.m. Prior asks Gibb if Lori was being vague on the phone call because Chad was there and Lori didn’t want Chad to know she was going to talk about the murder of JJ Vallow. Gibb says she has no idea what Lori’s agenda was.
8:58 a.m. Gibb says there was contact with law enforcement before the call but she doesn’t recall the time or date. Prior says during the call, the majority of the conversation was between Chad and Lori. He says the only time Chad got on the phone call was to talk about his premonition about Tammy. Gibb agrees Chad was not a significant portion of the call.
8:56 a.m. Prior asks about the recorded call Gibb made to Chad and Lori on Dec. 8, 2019. He asks if she had contact with law enforcement before making the call. Gibb says she spoke with police but isn’t sure of the date. Prior says she made two calls to Rexburg Police Det. Ray Hermosillo on Dec. 6 and 7. Gibb says she doesn’t recall the dates.
8:53 a.m. Prior asks about the police calling Gibb and inquiring about JJ. Gibb told them she had JJ, even though she didn’t. Prior says after that point, she decided to tell police she didn’t have JJ because she was having an emotional reflection. Gibb says yes. She says it took a few weeks to go to the police and tell them the truth.
8:52 a.m. Prior follows up by telling Gibb she is denying the fact Chad called her seeking out information on JJ. Gibb says yes. Gibb says Lori called and asked her to go to “Frozen” and take photos of kids.
8:51 a.m. Prior asks Gibb is she spoke to Lori prior to Nov. 23, 2019 with Lori warning her Chad was going to call. Gibb says no. Chad called on the 23rd and said Lori was going to get a hold of her. Prior says, “Isn’t it true that on Nov. 25, 2019, Chad Daybell contacted you and specifically asked you where is JJ Vallow?” Gibb says no.
8:48 a.m. Gibb says Chad never told her he intended to do harm to Tammy, JJ or Tylee. Prior refers to the call Gibb received from Chad about not talking to the police.
8:47 a.m. Gibb was present a few times when Chad openly discussed that his wife wasn’t going to live long. He was saying this before he met Lori Vallow. Prior refers to a text message Gibb sent Rob Wood saying Chad told people his wife was going to die young.
8:45 a.m. Prior asks Gibb if she is familiar with the group Seven Gatherers. She says she is not. Prior asks if Chad and Lori ever talked about a plan of spending their lives together. Gibb says within a month or two of them meeting, they started talking about leading the 144,000.
8:44 a.m. Prior asks Gibb is she provided a hair sample to law enforcement. She says she did not. He asks if she ever turned over her phone to police. She says no – she was never requested. She never turned over emails or social media accounts to law enforcement. She did provide a DNA sample to police in 2021.
8:41 a.m. Larry Woodcock is in the courtroom this morning. Vicki Hoban, Tammy Daybell’s aunt, is also here.
RELATED | Who’s who in the Daybell case
8:38 a.m. The attorneys are at their tables and Gibb is back on the stand. Boyce is on the bench and jurors will be brought in.
8:30 a.m. The attorneys are headed back into Judge Boyce’s chambers.
8:25 a.m. Melanie Gibb, who was once Lori Daybell’s best friend, will be on the stand again this morning, and Prior will continue cross examination.
8:22 a.m. It’s day 7 of Chad Daybell’s trial, and we are back in the courtroom. Chad is wearing a light blue shirt and tie. John Prior is sitting next to him, and the prosecutors are at their table. There are a lot of people in the courtroom today – many here for the first time. The bailiff (“Courtroom Daddy”) is reminding everyone not to record, take photos and to be sure all phones are off.