LIVE UPDATES | Neighbors, insurance broker, teacher, medical examiner testify in Chad Daybell trial

LIVE UPDATES FROM THE CHAD DAYBELL TRIAL

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Please excuse the typos. These are live updates from the courtroom.

3:15 p.m. Rob Wood says the next witness will be longer than 14 minutes. Boyce says given the timing, we will dismiss for the day. Join me tonight at 6:30 p.m. MDT for “Courtroom Insider.”

3:14 p.m. Ballard says Lori Vallow’s children never came up in conversation. Prior is done. Wixom has no redirect.

3:12 p.m. Prior asks when the enrollment period was in the Sugar-Salem School District. The forms were due back Sept. 15. Ballard gave the presentation at the school on Aug. 23. Ballard says Tammy elected for $80,000 of insurance. Prior asks if it would be unusual to get the maximum amount of insurance. Ballard agrees.

3:10 p.m. Prior references an interview Ballard did with Det. Mattingly. Ballard says the entire family was losing health insurance coverage because of Tammy’s death.

3:09 p.m. On March 11, Chad was thinner and tanner. He had on a black ring. Ballard assumed that was his new wedding ring, and the turquoise ring must have been Tammy’s. Wixom has no further questions. Prior will now cross-examine.

3:07 p.m. Ballard had done the presentation for open enrollment at Tammy’s school district, and she gave Tammy the life insurance election form. Wixom asks if she ever noticed what Chad was wearing when she came in. Ballard noticed Chad was wearing a ring when he came into her office. The ring was turquoise.

3:04 p.m. Ballard had a conversation on March 16. Chad reached out because he had received some information from Health and Welfare that Lori’s identity could not be verified. Chad provided his marriage certificate and Lori’s driver’s license to verify her identity. The issue was resolved. The last time Ballard spoke to Chad was on March 26.

3:03 p.m. Ballard was concerned they had a fraudulent life insurance payout. “I was worried Tammy’s death may not have been an accident, and the life insurance money was paid out when it shouldn’t have been.”

3:01 p.m. Chad said Lori should be getting out of jail the following week. Ballard was going through information, and when she got to the income information, Chad said “they” confiscated my computer, so he wasn’t able to pay himself yet. Ballard said, “They?” And Chad said the FBI took his computer. Chad wanted to make sure he, his wife and son Mark would be covered. Ballard asked about adding dependents. Chad never mentioned JJ or Tylee.

3 p.m. On March 11, 2020, Chad went to Ballard’s office to ask about getting health insurance for his wife. He told Ballard his wife was Lori Daybell and wrote on a sticky note, “Lori Ryan Daybell.” Chad told Ballard they were married Nov. 5, 2019. “He had stated to me that she was incarcerated. I told him she wouldn’t necessarily get insurance right now, but he was worried about something happening to her.” Ballard told Chad she would be covered by the state if she was incarcerated.

2:58 p.m. Ballard’s office handled Tammy’s health, life and disability insurance before she passed away. Ballard looked at her life insurance amount and learned it had been paid out. During her open enrollment in August or September, she had upped it to the max.

2:57 p.m. Ballard was in Health and Welfare on Dec. 23 and she learned Chad had remarried someone who had two children that were missing. Ballard was confused and wondered if they were the children she had helped insure. Ballard said this information made her question his deceased wife.

2:55 p.m. On Dec. 11, Chad picked his health insurance plan and paid for it. He did not bring up JJ, Tylee or Lori. Around this time, Ballard received five letters addressed to Chad, but they had been sent to Ballard’s address. She said that was very weird – it never happens.

2:53 p.m. Chad asked if he were to get married, how hard would it be to add a new wife. Chad was already married at this time but told Ballard, “I’ll be honest with you. I’ll probably be married by the end of the year.” Chad never mentioned the names JJ or Tylee.

2:52 p.m. Ballard texted Chad on Nov. 5, 2019, asking for his 2018 tax returns. Chad responded that he was out of town all week but would be able to stop by the following week. On Nov. 21, Chad came back into Ballard’s office. Based on Chad’s tax return, it was proven that his business did operate at a profit, so he was eligible for different insurance, and they discussed his options for January 2020.

2:49 p.m. Chad wanted health insurance for himself and Seth, Leah and Mark. They discussed his income, demographic information and options for insurance. Chad said without his wife’s income, his self-employment as a book publisher would operate at a loss. Ballard learned from Health and Welfare that Chad was making $30,000 a year. Ballard asked for a copy of Chad’s tax return to verify his income.

2:47 p.m. Ballard works at Ballard Insurance Group. She has worked in the industry for 14 years. She met Chad Daybell on Oct. 31, 2019. Chad visited her office to inquire about an individual health policy for him and his children. Chad was losing coverage from his deceased’s wife’s policy through her employer plan.

2:45 p.m. Next witness is Taylor Ballard, an insurance broker from Rexburg.

2:44 p.m. Janice says she saw Tammy walking around school all day, every day. She’d come and gather books before the students went to the library. Tammy would gather books on certain subjects and bring them to the classrooms. Wixom has nothing further.

2:42 p.m. Wixom has no further questions. Prior will now cross-examine. He asks Janice about the day before Tammy died. He asks Janice if Tammy was preparing for a book fair. Janice doesn’t recall. Prior has nothing further. Wixom asks Janice to explain where her classroom is. It’s right by the front door.

2:40 p.m. Janice says she got a call about Tammy’s death and was shocked. She had just seem Tammy the day before at school, and Tammy had been at exercise class. Tammy never mentioned anything about not feeling well. She didn’t have any ill symptoms.

2:38 p.m. Tammy attended Janice’s high fit/Zumba class twice a week. Each class was an hour. Janice says Tammy never struggled in class and wouldn’t quit early.

2:37 p.m. Janice saw Tammy multiple times a day. They had lunch together 3-4 times a week. Rocky Wixom is questioning Janice. Janice says Tammy was a friend and good colleague. Tammy was very organized, on top of things and went the extra mile to get books into the hands of kids.

2:35 p.m. Next witness is Janice Olson. She lives in St. Anthony and teaches first grade. This will be her 30th year teaching. She has always taught at Central Elementary, the same school where Tammy taught.

2:30 p.m. Back in the courtroom. Chad and John Prior are smiling, laughing with each other. Boyce is on the bench and jurors are in their seats.

2:06 p.m. Gilbert is released from his subpoena. He leaves the witness stand. We will take afternoon recess and be back at 2:30 p.m.

2:05 p.m. Blake asks if some of the things Chad discussed with Gilbert were beyond the standard LDS teachings. Gilbert says yes. Blake asks if someone disclosed they were having an affair, would they qualify for a temple recommend? Gilbert says no.

2:03 p.m. Prior asks about the coughing spell Tammy experienced. He asks Gilbert if Chad mentioned what Tammy had eaten to make her throw up. Chad did not. Prior has nothing further. Blake will now re-direct.

2:02 p.m. Gilbert says Chad is a soft-spoken person. Prior suggests he’s shy and reserved.

2:01 p.m. Prior asks about Gilbert meeting Lori and Chad at the temple. Gilbert says you have to be an active member and have a recommend to get into the temple. Melani Boudreaux (Lori’s niece) and another lady was also with Lori and Chad at the temple.

2 p.m. The Gilberts attended three “Preparing a People” conferences. Prior asks what AVOW is. It’s a preparation website, Gilbert says. Gilbert says Chad was an active member of the LDS Church through the time they knew each other.

1:57 p.m. Prior asks about Melanie Gibb and if she is involved in any organization attached to the LDS faith. Gilbert says not that he is aware of. Prior asks about “Preparing a People.” Gilbert says to his knowledge, she really isn’t involved with it. Chad introduced the Gilberts to Melanie Gibb at the “Preparing a People” conference in Caldwell, Idaho in 2019.

1:56 p.m. Prior begins by asking about the attached building on Daybell’s house. Gilbert says there’s a mechanical room, a storage room and a room up above the area. Prior asked who used the attached building. Gilbert says the whole family used it, and there was a bed upstairs.

1:55 p.m. Gilbert did not give up his home for bond. Gilbert recalls Chad saying that Tylee didn’t really like him (Chad). Blake asks if there are stairs in the Daybell home. Gilbert says there are some in the back part of the home. Prior will now cross-examine.

1:53 p.m. After Lori was brought back to Rexburg and booked in jail, Chad visited the Gilberts. “When he walked in the door, he said, ‘Christ has sent me here to ask you guys if you would be willing to put your home up for bond to get Lori out of jail.'”

1:52 p.m. Gilbert says when they would see Chad, he would tell them that Tammy had appeared to him in spirit at least twice and she was doing fine. She understood the plan and was going to move on in the spirit world. Chad’s mission was to be married to Lori, and his children were fine with it.

1:51 p.m. Blake asks who was in the wedding photos. Just Chad and Lori – nobody else.

1:50 p.m. Chad and Lori returned to the Gilberts after they got married. They wanted to show them all of their wedding photos “which was quite a few.” They talked about a family trip with Chad’s kids to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm around Thanksgiving. They never mentioned taking Lori’s kids on the trip.

1:49 p.m. Chad told the Gilberts he and Lori were going to move to Hawaii. Gilbert asked Lori if she had been married before. Lori says her husband had died of a heart attack in December 2018. Gilbert asked Lori if she had any children. She said she had several. Chad “popped up and said she had a daughter who had just died.”

1:47 p.m. Two or three days later, Chad and Lori went to the Gilberts. “They were real happy, excited with each other. We invited them to sit on the couch. They ended up sitting real close to each other holding hands. I seen Chad rubbing her leg. I thought that was kind of odd – you’re carrying on like a teenager in love.” Tammy had only been dead a week and a half. Gilbert had never seen Chad like this before.

1:46 p.m. Chad told the Gilberts that Tammy’s mission was over in this life and Lori was to fulfill her mission with Chad now. Chad said Lori and her friends were going to be in the area and asked the Gilberts if they would like to meet her. The Gilberts work in the temple and they met Lori and Chad at the temple.

1:44 p.m. Gilbert and his wife called Chad a few days after the funeral and said they wanted to bring him a pizza. Chad said he would instead come to their house. He arrived around 6 p.m. Chad told the Gilberts he had a girlfriend. “We about fell on the floor,” he says. Chad seemed hesitant to tell them but he said her name was Lori Vallow. Gilbert had heard that name before on a podcast. They had never met in person.

1:42 p.m. Gilbert attended Tammy’s funeral. He says things moved fast to have a funeral for your spouse when they died on Saturday and services were Tuesday. Gilbert says before the funeral started, Chad was standing by the casket. Gilbert spoke with him and looked at Tammy in the casket. “We felt like we needed closure with Tammy. He seemed like he was in a hurry to get it over with.”

1:39 p.m. The day the Gilberts visited the Daybells, they left and got breakfast for everyone at McDonald’s. They returned to the house, and Garth told them to leave the food on the table. The day after the funeral, the Gilberts took dinner to the Daybells around 6. Chad told Gilbert he needed to move out and had a friend on Pioneer Road in Rexburg he was planning to move in with. Gilbert figured it was a man.

1:38 p.m. Gilbert said they had recently seen Tammy shopping at Walmart. She looked fine. They saw her at church at least once a week and saw her in the yard. She always looked fine.

1:36 p.m. Gilbert told Chad it looks like it happened – meaning the prophecy from February that Tammy would die. Chad turned away from the kids and told Gilbert he had not told the kids about the vision. Gilbert asked Chad if he had any idea what happened to Tammy. Chad said Tammy got up around midnight, had a big coughing spell, threw up and went back to bed. Chad figured Tammy died around 2 a.m. from an embolism and around 5:30 a.m., the weight of her body rolled out of the bed onto the floor.

1:34 p.m. On Oct. 19, 2019, around 7 a.m., the Gilberts received a call from Emma. She was upset, and Chad took the phone. Gilbert learned from the call that Tammy had died. The Gilberts went over around 8:15 a.m. to the Daybell house. “Chad didn’t seem like he was real sad like I would expect somebody to be after their spouse had passed on. He seemed businesslike to me. I thought it was kind of strange.”

1:33 p.m. Blake asks Gilbert about Chad visiting his home in February 2019. Gilbert and his wife were removing tile in a bedroom. Chad sent a text saying he wanted to come over. As he was leaving, he told Gilbert that Tammy’s life mission was going to come to an end before her 50th birthday. Gilbert didn’t know how old Tammy was but figured she was around 48.

1:31 p.m. Gilbert understood all of Chad’s books to be fictional based on his near-death experiences. Gilbert says Chad spoke to him about events he had seen in his visions and things that would happen in the future. The things Chad told him did not always align with standard LDS doctrine, Gilbert says.

1:30 p.m. Gilbert saw Chad about once a week, usually at church. Gilbert would sometimes go over and help Chad with plumbing. Gilbert says Chad sometimes spoke about his religious beliefs, and they “didn’t ring true” with him.

1:28 p.m. Gilbert says he heard of Chad Daybell in 2015 – that he was an author. Gilbert read most of Chad’s books before they ever met in person. Todd and Alice moved to Salem in March 2017. That’s when he met Chad and Tammy in person.

1:27 p.m. Next witness is Todd Gilbert, Alice’s husband.

1:25 p.m. Gilbert recalls about Chad telling her that Lori had a daughter who had recently passed. As she testifies, Chad rolls his eyes and nods his head. Blake asks Gilbert if she’s aware the remains of Lori’s children were found on Chad’s property. Gilbert says yes. Blake has no further questions. Gilbert is released from her subpoena.

1:23 p.m. Prior has no further questions. Blake is back up for re-direct. Blake asks Gilbert if she knew where Chad went every morning. Gilbert doesn’t know but sometimes saw that his vehicle was gone. She once asked Chad about this and he said he could go to the college (Brigham Young University-Idaho). Blake asks about the stairs. Prior objects. Boyce overrules it. Gilbert says all of the residence is not one story.

1:22 p.m. Prior asks Gilbert if Chad was trying to hide his whereabouts. Gilbert says he didn’t with them. Prior is questioning Gilbert about the children, and she chokes up. She says she couldn’t get a straight answer out of Chad about the missing kids.

1:21 p.m. Prior asks who was living in the home at the time of Tammy’s passing. Gilbert says Garth was and perhaps Seth was. Mark was on his mission, and Emma lived in the home nearby. Leah, the other daughter, lives in Utah.

1:19 p.m. Prior asks Gilbert if she is aware of the utilities on the addition of the house. Blake continually objects that Prior is testifying, and Boyce sustains the objections. Gilbert doesn’t know specifics of the living conditions in the home.

1:17 p.m. Prior asked about Melanie Gibb. He asks Gilbert how she knows her. Gilbert says she came upon Gibb’s podcast and that’s where she heard about Lori. Prior asks Gilbert if she has been to Chad’s house and if it’s a one-story house. Gilbert says there’s an addition to the house – you walk through a breezeway and up stairs.

1:16 p.m. Prior asks about the meal Gilbert and her presidency took over to the house. Gilbert says she involved the bishop and went over to the house with the food.

1:15 p.m. Prior asks Gilbert where the Daybells sat in the building. She says toward the middle of the chapel, but after Emma had a baby, they moved toward the back. Prior asks about Chad parking his truck at the Salem church every morning. Gilbert has no idea.

1:14 p.m. Prior asks Gilbert how often she saw Tammy. They had their meetings on Wednesday mornings for 1-2 hours and then on Sundays. Four people were present at the Wednesday meetings.

1:13 p.m. Blake has no further questions for Gilbert. Prior will now cross-examine.

1:12 p.m. The previous February, Chad went over to the Gilberts and mentioned he had a vision that Tammy was going to pass away before her 50th birthday. He didn’t know how or when. Chad told the Gilberts that Tammy liked to play games on the computer and that her grandmother had come to Chad. The grandmother told Chad to tell Tammy that she was not happy that Tammy was wasting her time on the computer.

1:11 p.m. When Chad asked Gilbert about the bond, she was “a little miffed.” “I asked him, ‘Where are the children? Where’s Tylee? She’s a teenager. Doesn’t she want a life? Doesn’t she want a job? A life and a boyfriend?’ He said, ‘She didn’t like people, and she didn’t like me,'” Gilbert says. Gilbert noted Chad used the past tense – “didn’t.”

1:09 p.m. The Gilberts said they would think about it. The next day, Chad texted and said he was going to come over with the bondswoman. The Gilberts said no – they would not help him post bond. Gilbert confronted Chad about him saying that Lori had a daughter who passed away but then saying later it was a custody battle.

1:08 p.m. Gilbert was OK if Chad spent the night but not live with them. “When he came in, he was quite upset and he said he had to get her out of jail. He cried and said it was killed her to be in jail and could we put our house up for bond. We asked him if he had family that could help him. He said no.”

1:07 p.m. Gilbert was surprised they got married so soon. Gilbert recalls Chad visiting their home again after Lori was arrested in Hawaii. Chad had moved back to Idaho. “He asked us if we would put our house up for her bond,” Gilbert says. He also asked if he could live with the Gilberts.

1:06 p.m. Gilbert learned Chad and Lori got married in Hawaii. After their marriage, Chad visited the Gilberts and showed them wedding photos. “He was quite excited to show us the wedding pictures,” Gilbert says.

1:05 p.m. When Gilbert learned in November that JJ and Tylee were missing, she called Chad and asked if the kids belonged to Lori. Chad said yes and that it was a custody issue but would eventually all be resolved.

1:03 p.m. Back in the courtroom. Blake continues to question Gilbert.

11:55 a.m. Gilbert says Chad and Lori never mentioned taking Lori’s kids to Disneyland. Gilbert assumed Lori was an empty nester, and the daughter who died was older. Blake says now may be a good time for lunch. Be back at 1 p.m.

11:53 a.m. That October was very cold, and there was a hard frost in the Rexburg area. Chad and Lori told the Gilberts they were going to get married, but they didn’t know when or where. They also planned on taking Chad’s kids to Disneyland at Thanksgiving. Chad said he was also going to Hawaii to write a book.

11:52 a.m. Lori said her husband had died of a heart attack in December. Gilbert asks Lori if she had children. Chad said she recently had a daughter who had passed away. Lori told Gilbert she had children but didn’t give a definite answer as to the amount of kids.

11:52 a.m. Chad and Lori sat on the couch, and Gilbert says, “It was awkward.” They were very affectionate with each other, more than she had seen Chad be with Tammy. They were giggling and laughing, and Gilbert says she and her husband were embarrassed. Chad had never acted that way with Tammy.

11:50 a.m. Chad told the Gilberts that Lori was in town. The following Tuesday, the Gilberts went to the temple. They were waiting for a meeting to begin, and Chad was there with Lori. Melani Boudreaux was also there. Later that week, Chad and Lori went over to Gilbert’s house.

11:48 a.m. Chad went over that night. Gilbert had made cookies. Chad said he had found the woman he was going to marry. Gilbert and her husband were “absolutely stunned when he said that.” Chad said he had met the lady at a conference in St. George in 2018. Chad didn’t want to tell who she was at first but then told them her name was Lori Vallow. Gilbert had not heard that name but then remembered that Lori had done a podcast with Melanie Gibb.

11:47 a.m. Garth was living in Chad’s house at the time, and Emma was staying in the home kitty corner. Gilbert called Chad on Oct. 26 to see if she and her husband could come visit with him. He told them no, he would come to their house that evening. Gilbert never saw where Chad was living in Rexburg.

11:45 a.m. The following Friday, Gilbert went and saw Emma. She was sobbing, had lost a lot of weight, and meals were organized to help her and Garth out. Gilbert says both kids were struggling. Chad had moved out by Friday. Gilbert believes he moved after the memorial.

11:44 a.m. Tammy is pronounced dead on Saturday, and by the following Wednesday, Chad had plans to move out of the house. Chad told his kids to go through Tammy’s items, and Gilbert was surprised things were moving so fast.

11:42 a.m. Gilbert was surprised Chad spoke because most spouses are too devastated to talk. Gilbert says Chad’s speech was like a church talk. Other talks at funerals are loving tributes – she says Chad’s wasn’t. After the memorial in Idaho the next day, Gilbert took a meal over to Chad’s house. The kids started to eat and Chad told Gilbert he was moving to a condo in Rexburg. He said his friend had a place for him to stay.

11:41 a.m. Gilbert says before the funeral, she noticed Chad standing by the casket. He didn’t seen mournful. Gilbert said Tammy looked good, and Chad said, “Yes, she does.” Gilbert recalls Chad and all the kids speaking at the funeral. Gilbert was impressed with the children’s talks.

11:41 a.m. Blake asks if Gilbert went to the funeral. She responds, “Yes, I needed to see her,” and breaks down crying. Gilbert says Tammy looked nice in the casket. Gilbert never spoke to Chad about why he held Tammy’s funeral in Springville.

11:40 a.m. Gilbert knew the preparations and time needed for a funeral and was surprised it was so soon. She was also surprised because the funeral was going to be in Utah. This was Saturday, and the funeral was scheduled for Tuesday. Gilbert felt like the funeral had been planned.

11:37 a.m. Chad didn’t seem devastated, Gilbert says. She says Tammy left a church activity that previous Wednesday at 8 p.m. to go to a clogging class. Gilbert says Tammy wasn’t coughing that night. When Gilbert arrived, they asked if the kids had breakfast. They had not. Gilbert and her husband stood up to go get the kids some food. Chad told her that the funeral would be Tuesday. Gilbert was shocked it was so soon. She asked if Chad had planned that and he said no.

11:36 a.m. When Gilbert asked Chad what happened, he said Tammy vomited at midnight and he thinks she passed away at 2 a.m. Her legs were hanging over the bed, and she had fallen out of bed. Chad also said he thought she died of an embolism.

11:35 a.m. Gilbert and her husband went over to the Daybells’ home around 8:30 a.m. Chad answered the door and hugged them. All the kids and their spouses, except Mark, were sitting in the living room. “They were stunned. They could hardly speak and were crying.”

11:33 a.m. Gilbert recalls getting a phone call from Emma Daybell on Oct. 19. Emma was sobbing. Chad took the phone and told Gilbert that Tammy had died. Chad asked Gilbert not to tell anyone for an hour that Tammy had died. Gilbert said she needed to tell the bishop. Chad told her not to tell the bishop. She called the bishop because he was leaving for work. Gilbert was surprised Tammy had died. They had just spoken on Wednesday.

11:31 a.m. Gilbert observed Chad coming to the church and setting up chairs. In 2019, she noticed Chad and Tammy’s relationship was “distant.” Tammy did mention to Gilbert that sometimes the finances were strained in her marriage. Gilbert never observed Tammy slowing down. She never complained about health issues.

11:30 a.m. Gilbert says Tammy was great to work with. She was organized and computer-savvy. Tammy had a lot of empathy for the women in the ward and had a good wit.

11:28 a.m. Gilbert moved into the neighborhood in March 2017. She got to know Tammy as they served in the LDS Relief Society presidency together. They met once a week and on Sundays.

11:27 a.m. Blake is questioning Gilbert. Gilbert says when they moved into the neighborhood, they got to know Tammy and Chad through their Latter-day Saint ward and community.

11:25 a.m. Next witness is Alice Gilbert, Chad Daybell’s neighbor.

11:22 a.m. Boyce will allow Prior a brief re-cross. Prior asks about the medical records – one from 2017 and one from 2019. There were also records from 2015 and 2016 that Christensen also reviewed. He says he also looked at records from 2014. Prior asks about Tammy going into the doctor for a wrist injury. Testimony is over for Christensen. He remains under subpoena.

11:21 a.m. Blake is done questioning and Prior asks for a sidebar. Boyce grants the request and attorneys huddle in the corner of the courtroom while white noise is played.

11:20 a.m. Blake asks if it was possible someone restrained Tammy while someone else suffocated her. Christensen says it’s possible. Blake asks Christensen if it’s likely Tammy died of a seizure. He says no.

11:16 a.m. Blake asks if anemia is treatable. Christensen says yes, most times. Tammy started having anemia five years before her death. Prior objects and asks to approach. Boyce overrules the objection and denies the request to approach. Blake asks if there were any signs in medical records that Tammy had blood pressure, seizure problems. Christensen did not. He did not find any indication that Tammy had negative interactions with her drugs and herbal remedies.

11:14 a.m. Blake asks Christensen to explain what anemia is. It’s a problem of not having enough healthy red blood and can happen for a variety of reasons.

11:12 a.m. Christensen doesn’t know if the kids ever agreed to speak to law enforcement. Had the kids made statements about Tammy’s health, Christensen would have wanted to review them.

11:10 a.m. Prior has no further questions. Blake will now re-direct. She asks about the exhumation order. Christensen say he was not the one who requested it. Blake asks if any of Chad’s kids ever reached out to the medical examiner’s office. He says not to his knowledge. None of them ever passed along information to the office either.

11:09 a.m. Prior is asking if anemia goes undiagnosed for five years, and Tammy isn’t getting treatment, and there is insufficient oxygen to reach her heavy lungs, could we get the same results. Christensen says he doesn’t think so. Tammy was active and exercising.

11:07 a.m. Prior says arrhythmia could happen to any one at any time. Christensen says that’s very unlikely. He says based on Tammy’s heart, it’s very unlikely she suffered from arrhythmia.

11:06 a.m. Prior asks about seizures. He asks Christensen if he can exclude the fact Tammy didn’t have a seizure. He says he can’t 100% rule it out, but it is very unlikely.

11:04 a.m. Prior asks if the “heavy” lungs could have an impact on the cause of death. Christensen says yes. Prior asks if that was taken into account before determining asphyxia. Christensen says absolutely.

11:03 a.m. Prior asks Christensen about Tammy taking fluoxetine – a form of Prozac. Prior ask if fluoxetine is mixed with the wrong medicine, if there could be significant consequences. Christensen says there could be.

11:01 a.m. Prior says there are situations where people pass away, and there’s no way to determine how they died. Christensen says that’s correct. He reviewed Tammy’s medical records from Rexburg and Utah. There were not a lot of records.

11 a.m. Prior says in this situation, if there was insufficient evidence to determine a cause of death, it could be listed as undetermined. Christensen says yes. It doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t foul play involved.

10:58 a.m. Prior asks Christensen to list the five options for manner of death: natural, accident, suicide, homicide or undetermined. Prior asks Christensen about undetermined. He says it’s used when you don’t have enough information to decide between two different manners of death.

10:57 a.m. Prior asks if Christensen is firm on the idea that the death is from asphyxiation. He says he is.

10:56 a.m. Prior asks if Christensen is suggesting someone stopped Tammy from breathing. He says yes. Prior asks if someone was holding her arms down, how did bruises get on the front of the arm and the back of the right arm. Christensen says you can have bruises from a grab.

10:54 a.m. Prior shows the bruise diagram on the screen. He asks Christensen how many bruises were on Tammy’s right arm. Eight. Four on the front, four on the back. On the left arm, there is one bruise. On the chest, there is one bruise.

10:52 a.m. Prior tries to ask repeatedly why Tammy Daybell was “dug out of the ground.” Blake objects each time saying the question has been asked and answered. Boyce grants the objections.

10:51 a.m. Prior asks Christensen if he spoke to any of the immediate family members about the bruises. He did not. Christensen says he did not talk to any family members about what she used to treat bruises. He says there were ointments and other creams photographed at the house that Tammy used to treat bruises.

10:50 a.m. Prior asks Christensen if he can determine the cause of bruises on someone’s body. Christensen says he cannot, but he can offer opinions on how they might have been inflicted upon the person.

10:48 a.m. Prior asks about the order that was obtained to exhume Tammy’s body. Blake has objected over 10 times to Prior’s questioning over the past few minutes as questions being asked and answered. Boyce has sustained most of the objections.

10:47 a.m. Prior asks if there was discussion about Charles Vallow or Brandon Boudreaux at the exhumation hearing. Christensen doesn’t recall.

10:44 a.m. Christensen says the reason Tammy was exhumed was to determine the cause of death. Prior pushes him for the exact reason that was given in the court hearing. Christensen doesn’t recall the exact reason.

10:43 a.m. Prior asks about the initial cause of death for Tammy Daybell – it was pulmonary edema. Christensen says pulmonary edema was present, but not the cause of death.

10:41 a.m. Blake asks Christensen if it’s likely Tammy died of a seizure. He says no. Likely she died of arrhythmia? No. Intoxicant? No. Christensen reaffirms caused of death was asphyxia. Blake has no further questions. Prior will now cross-examine.

10:39 a.m. Christensen believes Tammy had likely been dead at least an hour or two or longer for her body to have been stiff – but it’s unlikely she had been dead more recently than an hour.

10:36 a.m. Rigor mortis can help determine time of death, but it’s imprecise, Christensen says. As a forensic pathologist, he generally does not determine a time of death. Christensen recalls Tammy was reported dead before 6 a.m. She was described as being cold and stiff. Based on that description, it would indicate to Christensen that rigor mortis would have set in.

10:33 a.m. All of the lividity was on Tammy’s back, Christensen says. Blake asks about rigor mortis – stiffening of the joints and muscles a few hours after death. The body becomes solid and very difficult to move. Once it’s fully developed around 12 hours, it will stay that way until the body starts to decompose.

10:31 a.m. Christensen says the bruises could be consistent with someone being restrained. Blake asks if Christensen noticed any signs of lividity. He says yes. Lividity is pooling of the blood to the part closest to the ground.

10:29 a.m. Blake asks when the bruises would have occurred. He says they all showed evidence of hemorrhage in the tissue without any inflammation – so they would have occurred sometime from minutes to hours prior to Tammy’s death.

10:29 a.m. Blake displays more images of the bruises for the jurors. Christensen describes the different aspects of each photograph.

10:27 a.m. Chad and Prior are looking closely at the images on the screen in front of them.

10:25 a.m. Many jurors looking closely at their screens as more photos of the injuries are shown. Christensen explains what dark coloration means on the bruises.

10:24 a.m. The next image shows the bruise on the left bicep. There was hemorrhage in the bruise. The following photo shows the two bruises on the back of Tammy’s right upper arm. The next image is three bruises on the right biceps and two on the right forearm.

10:21 a.m. Christensen describes the first photo – the bruise on Tammy’s left chest. The next image is a close up of the bruise that shows hemorrhage in the tissue. The next picture shows tissue that was removed. They looked at the tissue under a microscope that showed the hemorrhage.

10:20 a.m. Blake says the photos are graphic. We will not see them in the courtroom or on the livestream. The jurors will see them on their monitors.

10:18 a.m. Photos were taken during the autopsy to document the injuries. Blake moves to admit the series of the pictures.

10:16 a.m. There were no bruises on the lower part of Tammy’s body or her head.

10:14 a.m. The diagram is shown on the screen. There are markings on Tammy’s right arm – front and back, one bruise on her left arm and a bruise above her left breast:

10:10 a.m. Blake asks for Christensen to be handed a diagram of Tammy’s body. She asks him to mark where the bruises were on the body. The exhibit is now taken to Prior for him to see the markings. Chad leans over to look at the diagram.

10:09 a.m. Pulmonary edema itself is not a cause of death. Lots of things can result in pulmonary edema, including asphyxiation.

10:08 a.m. Tammy’s lungs were a little on the “heavy side,” according to Christensen. There was some fluid in them. Nothing else was abnormal.

10:07 a.m. Christensen says if he had responded to the scene, he would have done an autopsy. Tammy was young, and there was no medical explanation as to why she died.

10:06 a.m. The foam is a sign of pulmonary edema, according to Christensen.

10:05 a.m. A photo is displayed showing foam coming out of Tammy’s mouth. We cannot see the photograph, but the jurors can. So can Chad, prosecutors and the judge.

10:01 a.m. We are in the courtroom. Boyce in on the bench. Matt Daybell is back in the courtroom, sitting in a different spot with a clear view of his big brother about 10 feet in front of him.

9:36 a.m. Chad has repeatedly looked over to his brother Matt during the past few minutes. Boyce is back on the bench. Apparently there are problems with the juror’s monitors. We are taking a morning break to get them fixed.

9:34 a.m. It appears they are going to show graphic images to the jury. The people sitting on the right side of the courtroom are being asked to move. The jurors have monitors in front of them, and some people on the right side may be able to get a glimpse at the images.

9:31 a.m. Blake asks to publish an exhibit. Boyce asks for a sidebar.

9:30 a.m. Fluoxetine was found in Tammy’s system but at a non-toxic level. There was also selenium at a non-toxic level.

9:28 a.m. Christensen says extensive toxicology testing was done on Tammy’s body because of the circumstances surrounding her death. The fact Tammy had been embalmed didn’t inhibit the ability to do the toxicology test.

9:25 a.m. Blake asks about intoxicants. Christensen says tissue testing sample was done to look for intoxicants. The liver provides the best specimen. Samples were taken on Tammy’s liver and sent to the lab to see if there were pesticides, heavy metals, drugs, biologic toxins, etc. Nothing was found.

9:21 a.m. Christensen found nothing in Tammy’s health history that would support her having seizures. Blake asks about heart arrhythmia. He says there was nothing in Tammy’s heart that showed irregularities, and normally heart arrhythmia would not exhibit itself in someone who is 49.

9:20 a.m. Christensen says there were no signs of seizure activity during Tammy’s autopsy. Christensen reviewed her medical records. No mention of seizures. Christensen says it would be very uncommon for someone of Tammy’s age to start developing seizures.

9:19 a.m. Blake asks what a seizure is. Christensen says they are abnormal electrical charges in the brain that result in abnormal external behavior. He has conducted autopsies on people who have had seizures. Usually there is trauma to the person’s tongue and evidence of incontinence.

9:16 a.m. Blake asks what a negative autopsy is. He says it means there are no findings that explain the death – basically, a person with a normal anatomy has died.

9:14 a.m. Christensen says he saw no external injuries or traumatic event that could have been the cause of Tammy’s death. Tammy’s heart, lungs, liver, kidneys were normal. There was no pathologic explanation for her death. There was some bruising on her arms and one bruise on her chest.

9:13 a.m. Asphyxia can result from anything that blocks the airway – smothering, choking, drowning, chemicals (carbon monoxide, cyanide).

9:11 a.m. Blake asks the cause of death. Christensen says asphyxia. Matter of death: homicide. To the medical examiner, homicide means another person was involved in the victim’s death. Asphyxia means the person was unable to get enough oxygen.

9:10 a.m. Christensen says it’s hard to tell the age of many blunt injuries or bruises. The colors don’t tell you the age of the bruise until you start seeing yellow, green or brown. It’s harder to tell the age of a red, blue or purple bruise.

9:08 a.m. The body is then opened up and everything is examined – the brain, internal organs, the rectum, the spine, the neck, etc. X-rays are also performed in many cases to evaluate the presence or absence of skeletal trauma.

9:06 a.m. Blake asks how an autopsy is conducted. It begins with a detailed external examination. The body is photographed and documented in its original condition. They look for any damage to clothing, the body, etc. Clothes are then removed and photographed separately. The body is then photographed unclothed before being cleaned. Pictures are taken again. Fibers and hairs found on the body are collected.

9:05 a.m. Christensen says he conducted the autopsy with Dr. Lily Mardsen, who was a trainee at the time. Christensen says they discussed their findings as they did the autopsy and after it was over.

9:02 a.m. Christensen reviewed information from the coroner’s office and sheriff’s office before Tammy’s body was exhumed. Blake asks if exhumations are common. Christensen says no. The first exhumation case he was involved in was in 1998.

9 a.m. Blake asks if there were any concerns about Tammy’s exhumation that would affect the autopsy. Christensen says no. He goes on to explain that a forensic autopsy is different from a regular, hospital-type autopsy. In a forensic autopsy, they are looking for evidence and focus on what is present on the outside of the body before delving into the internal parts.

8:57 a.m. Christensen was present when Tammy’s body was exhumed and transported to the medical examiner’s office. Someone from his office always attends when bodies are exhumed so they can observe the condition of the grave.

8:56 a.m. Christensen has performed around 7,200-7,300 autopsies over the course of his career. He performed the autopsy on Tammy Daybell. Christensen’s office was contacted in Nov. 2019 by someone in Fremont County. An order was then received by the court to exhume Tammy’s body.

8:54 a.m. As a medical examiner, you need a medical degree and go through speciality training. They perform autopsies. Coroners do not perform autopsies but can request them from medical examiners. The medical examiner will then determine if one needs to be done.

8:53 a.m. There is not a lot of national uniformity to death investigation systems, Christensen says. Historically most states have had elected county coroners. Over time, things changed. In Utah, it is entirely a medical examiner system, and there are no coroners.

8:51 a.m. Christensen says he has undergone training in autopsies and forensic autopsies. Blake asks who determines cause and manner of death in Utah. Christensen says 80% of death certificates in Utah are signed by physicians. The other 20% fall under jurisdiction of medical examiner.

8:47 a.m. Christensen was the chief medical examiner for the state of Utah before retiring.

8:46 a.m. Lindsey Blake will question the first witness – Dr. Erik Christensen.

8:44 a.m. Boyce is on the bench. Jurors are being brought in.

8:41 a.m. All the attorneys have left the courtroom and are back meeting with Judge Steven Boyce in chambers.

8:33 a.m. Madison Coounty Prosecutor Rob Wood, Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake, Fremont County Deputy Prosecutor Rocky Wixom and Special Prosector Ingrid Batey at the state’s table. Chad Daybell is wearing a checkered dress shirt with dark tie. Around 30-40 people are in the courtroom gallery.

8:32 a.m. We are now in the courtroom. When Matt walked in, Chad said to John Prior, “That’s my brother.” Matt is seated between Kay Woodcock and Vicki Hoban, Tammy Daybell’s aunt.

8:28 a.m. Back at the courthouse for day 14 of Chad Daybell’s trial. We are waiting to get in the courtroom. Matt Daybell, Chad’s brother, is here chatting with Larry and Kay Woodcock. He is NOT here to support his brother and will be sitting with the Woodcocks. Matt has not seen Chad since Tammy’s memorial service.