LIVE UPDATES | Mother, sister-in-law take the stand and body camera footage is played on day 15 of Daybell trial

LIVE UPDATES FROM THE CHAD DAYBELL TRIAL

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

3:25 p.m. Stubbs says they never saw JJ or Tylee the day they went to the apartment. Wood says this would be a good stopping point for the day. Stubbs will be back on the stand tomorrow. Join me tonight for Courtroom Insider at 6:30 p.m. MDT.

3:23 p.m. Stubbs says police were not able to verify JJ’s location that day. Stubbs says Melanie did not have JJ. A warrant was established the following morning to search three apartments in the complex – 107 (Alex), 174 (Melani B.) and 175 (Lori).

3:21 p.m. Ball knocks on the door and says, “Lori.” Lori opens the door and says Melanie is at “Frozen 2” with JJ. Stubbs tells Lori to call Melanie and have her return the officer’s call.

3:20 p.m. Stubbs went back to the apartment 10 minutes later. Wood shows the body camera footage on the screen. Stubbs says they should ask Lori if she will call Melanie and get a certification. Melanie was not answering the phone.

3:18 p.m. Stubbs went back to the apartment because the police could not get a hold of Melanie Gibb. He was wearing a body camera. Wood moves to admit it as evidence.

3:16 p.m. Stubbs was concerned with Lori and Alex’s states of mind. Lori said her brother was in the apartment, but Stubbs never saw him. Stubbs says he noticed the staircase to his right. There was a shadow on the wall that kept moving back and forth. “It appeared to be a person moving back and forth at the top of the stairs. It made me nervous as to what that person’s intentions might be that we could not see.”

3:14 p.m. Stubbs says Melanie Gibb was not in Arizona that day — she was in Utah. Stubbs notes that Lori says Chad was her brother’s friend whereas a month earlier, he had seen the couple holding hands and police knew Lori and Chad were married Nov. 5 in Hawaii.

3:12 p.m. Stubbs says he had several concerns after his conversation with Lori. Stubbs found no evidence that Lori’s brother had been to her apartment or even in the area. Stubbs never found evidence that Kay was trying to take JJ. Stubbs went to BYU-Idaho officials and could find no evidence of her ever applying or being enrolled at BYU-Idaho.

3:11 p.m. The video is over. We will post it in its entirety later.

3:10 p.m. Lori says her brother from Kansas keeps knocking on her door. Lori says after her husband passed, she found emails and texts between her husband and brother that they were planning “all this stuff.” Lori says she was going to stay with her friend Melanie.

3:08 p.m. Kay is watching the screen as Lori is talking about how bad Kay is. Stubbs says their only concern is the child. Ball brings up the two guys who were outside. One was Alex; the other was Chad. Lori says Chad was one of her brother’s friends. Ball asks if Chad’s wife recently passed away. Lori nods her head. Stubbs doesn’t know.

3:07 p.m. Lori says she doesn’t tell people the truth about where she is or what they are going. She says she’s a good person and done everything she’s supposed to do in life, but everyone is causing her trouble. Lori says her daughter is going to BYU-Idaho.

3:05 p.m. Chad is watching the monitor as the body camera footage is played. Lori tells police that her husband died earlier that year and since he passed away, Kay has been trying to fight to get JJ. Lori says JJ has autism and ADHD.

3:04 p.m. Lori says her son is with Melanie Gibb. Ball says the officers at her house earlier got a bad vibe that something was going on. Nobody knew anything about a child. Lori says a lot of stuff has gone on. Lori says she’s had to move around a lot because one of her brothers is trying to kill her.

3:03 p.m. The video is played in court. Stubbs says to Ball, “Her car is out there. It’s blue.” They knock on the door. Lori opens the door and Ball introduces himself. Lori says her brother is there.

2:59 p.m. Lori told Stubbs that JJ was in Arizona staying with Melanie Gibb. Lori said Alex Cox was in the apartment. Stubbs asked if Lori knew Chad Daybell. Lori said Chad was her brother’s friend. Wood asks to play the body camera video.

2:58 p.m. Wood moves to admit the body camera footage.

2:55 p.m. Stubbs and Lt. Ball went to the apartment to help Hope and Hermosillo look for JJ. When the officers approached apt. 175, Lori’s apartment, they knocked on the door. She answered. Police told her they were there inquiring about her son as there was concern his grandmother had not heard from JJ for some time.

2:54 p.m. On Nov. 26, 2019, the police department got Kay Woodcock’s request for a welfare check on JJ Vallow. She had not heard from him. Stubbs and another officer went to Lori’s apartment to try and make contact with her.

2:53 p.m. After Chad and Lori went into the store, Stubbs left and the other Fremont deputies stayed to continue surveillance.

2:50 p.m. Chad and Lori were smiling, laughing and joking with each other. As they approached the store, Lori placed her head on Chad’s shoulder. Wood displays the Hobby Lobby photo on the screen.

2:48 p.m. Two deputies from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office were in another vehicle tracking Chad and Lori’s movements as well. Wood asks to admit the photo showing Chad and Lori holding hands outside Hobby Lobby.

2:47 p.m. While Stubbs was doing surveillance, he saw Chad and Lori Vallow leave her apartment and get into a blue Subaru with Arizona license plates. Stubbs followed the car to see if Chad and Lori would lead officers to the Jeep. They ended up in Idaho Falls and stopped at Mountain America Credit Union. Then they visited Hobby Lobby.

2:45 p.m. Stubbs’ first involvement was Nov. 1, 2019. Arizona authorities were investigating the attempted shooting of Brandon Boudreaux and contacted Rexburg police to see if they could find a gray Jeep on Pioneer Road. Stubbs and other officers went to do surveillance on the Jeep.

2:42 p.m. Stubbs was over digital forensics with the department. He had training on Cellebrite, a program used to find information on cell phones, tablets and computers.

2:39 p.m. Stubbs retired from law enforcement about three months ago. He is now a specialty mechanic. Before his retirement, Stubbs was a sergeant supervisor in the detective division. He was a detective since 2010.

2:36 p.m. We are back in the courtroom. Next witness is retired Rexburg Police Officer David Stubbs. Rob Wood will question him.

2:13 p.m. Afternoon recess. Back in 20 min.

2:11 p.m. Heather doesn’t exactly recall when she sent the email to the stake but believes it was after the children were found. Wixom has nothing else. Heather is excused and Prior does not intend to call her. Heather is released from the subpoena.

2:10 p.m. Heather’s hope was that if his dad said something to Chad about his teachings getting off track from mainstream LDS teachings, Chad would listen.

2:07 p.m. As far as Chad using the church building, Heather knew Chad, knew his vehicle and knew what he was doing inside the building. Heather said she and Matt both went to Matt’s dad with concerns about what Chad was participating in. “Most of the time the response was just don’t worry about it,” Jack Daybell said. Heather said one time they were talking on her driveway and Jack said, “Don’t be a pot-stirrer.” This was in 2015-2016.

2:06 p.m. At the time Heather wrote the letter, she felt he was a very misguided person and had gotten himself involved in relationships with other people that hurt others.

2:04 p.m. Heather is unsure if Chad was still serving as the executive secretary when the kids were found on the property. He was serving in that capacity when he married Lori Vallow. Wixom asks if Julie Rowe has been excommunicated from the LDS Church. Prior objects. Boyce sustains the objection. Heather says when she observed Chad and Julie together, she was concerned about their personal relationship. “They seemed particularly close. He brought her to my home on one occasion, and it made me uncomfortable,” Heather says. Chad brought Julie to Heather’s home to show him the property. They walked along the land and the river. “What I observed was Chad and Julie were communicating very close to each other and Tammy and the children were following behind. It made me feel bad for Tammy that Chad appeared so close to Julie.”

2:03 p.m. Wixom asks if it’s consistent for an executive secretary to be engaging in an adulterous relationship. Heather says having an affair is not conducive to having that calling. If the church became aware of that, the person would be subject to church discipline.

2 p.m. Prior has no further questions. Wixom will now re-direct. He asks Heather if it’s fair say someone having an adulterous relationship … and Prior objects. Boyce asks for a sidebar.

1:58 p.m. Heather was concerned that Chad was using the church building to write his books. Chad’s father referred to Heather as a pot-stirrer when Heather and Matt approached him about Chad’s teachings and books, Heather says.

1:56 p.m. Heather says she injected her own personal opinion in the email because this was her community. Heather says she wasn’t happy with Chad moving to Rexburg. “Had they even moved in and been somewhere further away, or they just wanted to move to Rexburg for a new start, no problem with that,” Heather says.

1:55 p.m. Boyce tells Prior he is cutting Heather off on almost every question and to wait for her to finish before asking another question.

1:52 p.m. Prior asks if Heather knows the person who forwarded the email. Heather does – it was the ward Relief Society president. Heather says she sent the email to the 10 presidents and left is up to their discretion if they shared it with their wards.

1:50 p.m. Prior asks Heather about another paragraph in the letter. She wrote that she had firsthand knowledge about Chad and his beliefs for some time. Prior asks if her firsthand knowledge came from Dave Hope. Heather isn’t referencing the investigation – she says she’s referencing the beliefs of Chad.

1:48 p.m. Heather says Dalling asked her to forward on the top portion of the email but then Heather added her own thoughts. Dalling sent Heather a talk that he asked her to forward to the ward Relief Society presidents.

1:46 p.m. Heather has her glasses and read the letter. The letter has not been admitted into evidence, so Heather can use the letter to refresh her memory but can’t read from it. Prior asks what the first sentence is. Heather wrote that she was forwarding an email at the request of President Dalling, the stake president.

1:39 p.m. Heather needs her reading glasses. We are taking a short break so she can get them. You can read the letter Heather is talking about here.

1:33 p.m. Heather had access to everyone’s email addresses. Prior asks if she has a recollection about what was in the letter. Heather hasn’t read it for several years. Prior asks if he can provide a copy to Heather.

1:32 p.m. Heather was the president of the Relief Society in the Henry’s Fork Stake. There were 10 wards and around 200-300 people in each ward. Heather was over the 10 ward Relief Society presidents.

1:30 p.m. Heather was concerned that Chad had chosen to buy a home so close to Heather’s home, and Chad had talked about Heather’s land being part of whatever was coming in his visions.

1:29 p.m. AVOW stands for Another Voice of Warning. Prior asks Heather if her husband and Chad had a close relationship. She says before 2014, they had a good relationship.

1:27 p.m. Rowe spoke primarily to LDS members. Prior asks if Rowe was looked down upon because she was doing this. Heather said Rowe filled the Tabernacle in Rexburg when she spoke. Chad told Heather he reached out to Rowe on a website called AVOW. Heather was never on AVOW. It’s a website with like-minded people who have visions and dreams – it’s like a prepping website.

1:25 p.m. Heather says the bishop is the priesthood leader of the ward. A ward is a specific geographic area and each ward has a bishop. Heather says in 2014, Julie Rowe’s became an issue. Chad was publishing Rowe’s book.

1:23 p.m. Prior asks about Chad having these unusual teachings but he was able to maintain his LDS membership. Heather says that’s correct. Heather says Chad was the executive secretary in his ward.

1:21 p.m. Prior now questioning Heather. He asks her about speaking to Det. Mattingly in Feb. 2020. Heather expressed concerns that Chad was doing his writings inside the LDS Church building. Heather noticed his car often at the church.

1:20 p.m. Wixom asks if sending the letter out has come at a cost to Heather and the Daybell family. She says there was a cost because in the beginning, people thought Heather was just trying to cause problems with Chad. This caused damage with the relationship with Heather and Chad’s kids. Wixom has nothing further.

1:17 p.m. Heather said she tried to raise awareness that Chad was involved in inappropriate activities. In the beginning, she shared this information with church leaders – once or twice with her stake president. As things progressed, she became more concerned. “There were people in the ward I would talk to to try and stop what was happening.”

1:15 p.m. Because Chad was a relative, Heather wrote the letter about the importance of sticking to the basic principles of the gospel. She said Chad appeared to be doing everything he appeared to be doing and Heather was trying to make things hard for him. Heather said some of the Relief Society presidents in the stake reached out because there were women in their congregations that were following Chad’s teachings.

1:14 p.m. Heather sent a letter to the 10 Relief Society presidents in her LDS stake. She was in charge of keeping track of the presidents, giving them support, etc. Heather believes the letter was sent during the time period JJ and Tylee were missing and Chad was in Hawaii. Beginning of 2020.

1:13 p.m. Heather rarely had contact with Hope. They attended a baby blessing together a few years ago and went on a family camping trip with a bunch of other families. Heather has never spoken to Hope about the case.

1:11 p.m. We see another photo displaying more musical instruments in the room. Wixom asks Heather if he knows who David Hope is. He is her daughter’s father-in-law. Hope is also a retired police detective with Rexburg Police.

1:10 p.m. Wixom shows a photo on the screen. We see a staircase going up to the cozy cone area of the house. The next photo is a piano and little drum set. Heather believes they were in the cozy cone loft, where the music instruments were kept.

1:06 p.m. Heather doesn’t recall hearing anything from Chad about vision he had for Tammy. Wixom asks to admit some exhibits. Prior asks for a sidebar.

1:04 p.m. Heather says she has not spoken to Chad’s children since JJ and Tylee were found buried on the property. Wixom asks Heather about the trip Tammy made to Utah a few weeks before died. Heather says Tammy didn’t like to travel alone, so it was abnormal.

1 p.m. We are back in court, and Heather Daybell remains on the stand. Prosecutors are at their table, and Chad Daybell is at the defense table with John Prior.

11:56 a.m. Chad called Heather a pot-stirrer. Wixom suggests we take a lunch break now and questioning of Heather will continue after lunch. See you at 1 p.m.

11:55 a.m. Heather didn’t understand what she had done to Chad her whole life that created a problem. Chad didn’t explain. Heather did not want to meet Lori because she was upset he had remarried weeks after Tammy passed. “It seemed almost cruel for his children.”

11:54 a.m. Chad told Heather he was going to be living in Hawaii so she wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore. Heather doesn’t remembering challenging Chad because she was so shocked by what he had said. Heather asked how he could get married so quickly after Tammy died. Chad said he had met Lori about a year before and her husband had died of a heart attack.

11:52 a.m. Around 3-4 weeks later, Heather had learned he was remarried and his children were struggling and upset. Heather reached out in a group text to his kids to let them know she was there to help them. Chad called Heather and was upset. He said that Heather had a been a problem for him his whole life. Heather asked who he had married. Chad said it was Lori and would Heather like to meet her. Heather said no and asked what happened to Tammy. Chad said she died of a pulmonary embolism because Tammy had gained 40 lbs. Heather had not noticed a big weight gain on Tammy.

11:50 a.m. Heather says Chad was late to his own wife’s funeral luncheon. “I assumed he would be there with everyone else.” Heather remembers Jason, Chad’s brother-in-law, announcing they would just get started without Chad. Heather says everything seemed like a normal day to Chad. He didn’t seem upset.

11:49 a.m. “Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel” is a song about work and pushing along – not a funeral song. Heather thought Chad was being disingenuous at the funeral. Heather observed Chad and his kids at the viewing. She thought it was strange Chad was smiling and then suddenly crying. “His demeanor seemed strange to me.”

11:48 a.m. Heather said the opening song of the funeral was, “Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel.” Chad and all his kids spoke and the bishop concluded the service. Heather was the Stake Relief Society President at the time and planned/helped with a lot of funerals.

11:47 a.m. Chad told Heather the funeral would be in two days. Heather told Chad they weren’t even home and another brother was out of town. Heather asked if they could wait until everyone got home so they could attend. Chad said no, they just wanted to get it done. Heather and Matt left Las Vegas to get to Springville.

11:46 a.m. Heather said Chad felt scripted and it made her feel very uneasy. She asked if they were going to do an autopsy. Chad said no, a coroner had come and looked at Tammy and found matter in her throat that caused her to die.

11:44 a.m. Matt left for his conference and Heather called Chad. She expressed her condolences and shock and asked what happened to Tammy. Chad said Tammy had not been feeling well, started coughing around 10 p.m. and went to sleep. Around midnight, she started coughing and vomited. Tammy went back to bed. Chad slept from midnight to 6 a.m. because the sheet that was on him came off of him and he heard a thud. He found Tammy had fallen off the bed. Chad said Tammy had been gone for a little while because she was “hard.”

11:43 a.m. Matt and Heather were at a work conference in Las Vegas on the morning of Oct. 19 when Matt got a call from his parents saying Tammy had died. They didn’t know much but said they would call back when they learned more. “I was very upset,” Heather says.

11:42 a.m. Heather and Matt were in the same LDS ward as Chad and Tammy. They saw each other at church. Heather says she tried not to have interactions with Chad at church but would try to chat with Tammy and the kids.

11:41 a.m. Heather says Chad and Tammy’s bedroom was down in the main part of the home. To get to the cozy cone from the Daybell’s bedroom, you’d have to go up or down some stairs, Heather says.

11:39 a.m. Wixom display a photo on the screen showing the back portion of the home and an area the Daybells called the “cozy cone.” Wixom asks Heather to describe it. She says you enter the house and go up some stairs to get into the cozy cone. Mark kept his instruments up there. Heather understood when Garth moved to Rexburg, his room was in the cozy cone.

11:38 a.m. Boyce sustains the objection for some of the photos but will allow part of the exhibit in.

11:36 a.m. Prior objects to some of the photos and asks Heather if she has seen particular items in the photos or the pictures themselves.

11:34 a.m. Wixom moves to admit some photos showing Chad’s home.

11:32 a.m. Chad’s home was about a half mile from Heather and Matt’s. When Chad and Tammy moved in, Heather took some bread over, gave suggestions on doctors, visited the house, etc.

11:31 a.m. Heather’s intent of the conversation was to ask if Tammy was doing ok with the move. Tammy said she had prayed about it and felt like it was a good thing for their family. Tammy told Heather she didn’t have any confirmation that Chad’s visions were going to happen.

11:29 a.m. Heather was becoming concerned with how Tammy was doing. Heather and Matt invited Chad and Tammy over to their home. Chad told Heather that if she has any questions, they all need to be directed to Chad, not Tammy. “I did not follow that instruction and Tammy was a grown woman so I directed my questions to her.”

11:27 a.m. Wixom asks Heather if she feels Chad’s children believed his father’s visions. She says she believes all the children did. Heather says her oldest son came to her and Matt in 2014. Their son said Chad had approached him and said he was going to be a great leader in the gathering. Heather went to Chad and told him not to discuss these issues with her children.

11:25 a.m. Heather tried to help Tammy when they moved to Rexburg but the relationship with her and Chad became strange. Heather says Chad told her he would come home with visions and Tammy would look at him, roll her eyes and then go pray about it.

11:23 a.m. Heather was concerned that Chad was trying to convince his family and others that the earthquake and other events were going to happen in 2015. A week or two after Chad and Tammy left, they called Heather and Matt to say they put an offer on a home near them and would be moving to Rexburg. Heather says she cried. She was very upset. She asked her husband to talk him out of it but the home was already in process of being purchased.

11:22 a.m. Chad and Tammy went to look at homes and told Heather and Matt they didn’t find a home they liked. They asked if they could store some stuff in a shed. Heather and Matt agreed to let them leave their stuff and were under the impression they wouldn’t be moving soon.

11:20 a.m. Chad was spreading his visions to other church members and Heather was concerned. Heather told Chad she wasn’t feeling good about what he was saying and “I was very blunt.” Chad doesn’t show a lot of reaction, Heather says. He didn’t argue or anything. Matt and Heather decided years ago they wanted to live apart from family and made a home for themselves in Rexburg. They told Chad if they moved to Rexburg, that’s fine but please don’t move into their neighborhood or ward. “I knew why he was coming and I didn’t want him trying to draw in people from my ward and having people think we were involved or believed in him.”

11:19 a.m. Heather did not believe the teachings and was concerned. Chad said he was going to be telling people about the destruction and visions. Heather said in the belief system she had at the time (the LDS Church), some average person doesn’t get information like Chad was getting. “It wouldn’t come through someone like Chad.”

11:17 a.m. Heather and Matt asked Chad point blank why they felt the need to move. Chad told Heather and Matt they would become great leaders in this gathering of people because of destruction in Utah, that their land would help with that and Heather’s home would become like a church or temple. Chad felt like he needed to be in Rexburg with his family because the LDS Church headquarters would have to move to Rexburg because of the destruction.

11:16 a.m. Chad said he was seeing these things in visions and Julie Rowe was also teaching these prophecies, according to Heather. In 2014, Chad told his family he was planning to move to Rexburg with his wife and kids. Heather had a detailed conversation about the move when Chad came to look for homes in Rexburg.

11:15 a.m. In 2014, the relationship changed when Chad started talking about the end of times and was publishing Julie Rowe’s books. Heather was not comfortable with what Chad was saying. Chad indicated an earthquake would be happening in 2015 and he was preparing them for these end time events that would cause a lot of destruction in the Salt Lake area.

11:14 a.m. Heather says there was a normal amount of contact over the years with Chad and Tammy. Wixom asks Heather to describe the nature of her relationship with Chad. “In the beginning, it was normal as any in-law relationship would be. We moved away but when we’d get together, we would talk – mainly about his books,” Heather says. She says things were cordial and nothing out of the ordinary.

11:12 a.m. Heather recently had surgery and may need to take some breaks during her testimony. Heather and Matt have been married 30 years and started dating 35 years ago. Heather has known Chad for more than 30 years.

11:11 a.m. The court exclusionary rule is not applicable to Heather likely because she is the sister-in-law of a victim, Tammy Daybell.

11:06 a.m. Wixom will question Heather, who is married to Matt. Prior asks for a quick sidebar with the judge and prosecution.

11:05 a.m. Next witness is Heather Daybell.

11:04 a.m. Prior has nothing further. Batey will re-direct. She asks Sheila if it’s common in the LDS faith to get married after your spouse dies. “Not common,” she responds. There are no further questions and Sheila is dismissed from her subpoena.

11:02 a.m. Prior says Chad and Lori got married quickly. He asks about Chad being visibly upset on the day Tammy died. Sheila says several people came over while she and Jack were at Chad’s house for around 4-5 hours. Prior asks if Chad was being businesslike. Sheila says he was acting like someone whose partner had just passed away.

11:01 a.m. Prior asks if it was a shock that her son went from someone like Tammy to someone like Lori. Prior asks if, in the LDS faith, it’s not uncommon to get married quickly. Sheila thinks for a moment and says, “Not uncommon.” Prior says when young men return from missions, they get married quickly.

10:59 a.m. “Would it be fair to say your son is an introvert?” Sheila says yes. Prior: “He’s not a gregarious personality, is he?” Sheila says no. Prior says, “Your son Chad is not necessarily the man of the world. He didn’t have a lot of experiences dealing with relationships.” Sheila says that’s correct.

10:58 a.m. Sheila says Lori was very friendly and upbeat. Prior asks if she would use the terms “charming, convincing, persuasive.” Sheila says yes. Prior asks Sheila if her son Chad is shy. “He can be.”

10:56 a.m. Prior asks Sheila about Emily, her daughter-in-law, providing her with information about Lori having a daughter. Sheila met with Lt. Ron Ball in Dec. 2019.

10:55 a.m. Prior asks Sheila to say the names of her children and in-laws. He notes that Matt Daybell is in the courtroom wearing a green shirt.

10:54 a.m. Sheila didn’t know where Chad and Lori were living. She assumed they were living in Idaho but a few weeks later learned they had moved to Hawaii. Sheila would sometimes talk to them on the phone and they never mentioned Lori having young children in Hawaii. Prior will now cross examine.

10:52 a.m. Lori told Sheila her husband had recently died of a heart attack. Lori said she had a daughter who had died but didn’t say how old the child was. Lori didn’t say anything about having a young son. Chad didn’t say anything when Lori mentioned these things.

10:51 a.m. Batey asks Sheila about the middle of November 2019. Sheila and Jack met Chad for dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Idaho Falls. Lori Vallow was also there. Sheila had never met Lori. Sheila noticed Chad and Lori had rings on. Jack asked if they were engaged and they said, “No, we’re married.” This was a month after Tammy’s death.

10:50 a.m. Chad called Sheila on Oct. 19 to say Tammy had died. Sheila and Jack immediately drove to Idaho. She says Chad was upset and Chad’s children were upset. Sheila attended Tammy’s memorial service.

10:49 a.m. Sheila says the last time she saw Tammy Daybell was on Oct. 13, 2019 at Tammy’s home in Idaho. Sheila and Jack traveled for a baby blessing. Sheila says Tammy seemed fine when she visited.

10:48 a.m. Sheila is married to Jack Daybell. They have five children – Chad, Paul, Matt, Brad, Becky.

10:46 a.m. Sheila Daybell, Chad Daybell’s mother, is called to the stand. Special Prosecutor Ingrid Batey will question Sheila. Chad nods to his mom as she takes the stand.

10:44 a.m. We are back in the courtroom. Boyce is on the bench and jurors are being brought in.

10:17 a.m. Wixom has nothing further. Yancey is released from the stand. It’s now time for our morning break. We will be back in around 20 minutes.

10:16 a.m. Wixom asks why this situation was traumatic. Yancey says the death of an employee is traumatic and the subsequent information was traumatic as well – the involvement of Lori and the missing children.

10:15 a.m. Prior has no further questions. Wixom has some re-direct.

10:13 a.m. Prior asks if the insurance company gets more money if people increased their life insurance. Yancey says they got a commission on the number of people enrolled but not if premiums go up.

10:10 a.m. Prior asks if the insurance is very reasonable. Yancey says yes. Yancey oversaw 200 employees. Prior asks Yancey why she specifically remembers her encounter with Chad. “I believe any incident that is traumatic sticks in your memory,” Yancey responds.

10:08 a.m. Prior displays the form on the screen and asks Yancey some follow up questions about Chad’s life insurance as part of the plan.

10:05 a.m. Prior asks if Yancey was aware of Chad’s employment and the fact he didn’t have health insurance. She was not. Prior asks Yancey what Tammy’s salary was. Prior suggests she made around $16,000 a year working 35 hours a week.

10:04 a.m. Prior asks if there are a number of factors people look at when getting life insurance. Yancey agrees.

10:02 a.m. Prior asks if the number of death certificates would pertain to how many entities need copies for other policies. “If he were to have another life insurance policy or two, he would need death certificates for that, correct?” Yancey says that’s right.

10:01 a.m. Chad returned to file the claim on Oct. 25. Yancey was out of town until Oct. 30 and Chad returned first thing on that date to get the claim filed. Wixom has no further questions.

9:59 a.m. Yancey says most of the time, she would need to search out employee families after deaths to remind them they had life insurance. It was rare that Chad came in so quickly and wanted the insurance money.

9:58 a.m. Chad was the primary beneficiary of the policy at 100%. No other beneficiaries were included on the plan.

9:57 a.m. The next exhibit is a life insurance payout of $130,000 to Chad Daybell from LifeMap. The check was dated Nov. 8, 2019.

9:55 a.m. The next exhibit is the employer statement portion of the claim. This is where the employer fills out information concerning the employee. Yancey completed this form.

9:54 a.m. Wixom shows the beneficiary statement on the screen. Chad filled it out. The first question on the form is, “When did health of deceased first become impaired?” Chad wrote, “Oct. 18, 2019.”

9:52 a.m. Yancey gave Chad a claim form and explained the process. Yancey says it was unusual that Chad came in so quickly. Tammy had passed away Saturday and was in the office Monday morning. He had already ordered the death certificates.

9:51 a.m. On Monday morning, Oct. 21, Chad went into the district office to inquire about filing the life insurance claim. Yancey told him they had to receive a death certificate. Chad said, “That’s ok. I’ve ordered eight of them.” Yancey says eight is not a normal number of death certificates to request.

9:50 a.m. Wixom asks if there is an open enrollment period. Yancey says it starts in August and goes into September. The due date is Sept. 15 but becomes effective Sept. 1. Tammy filled out the form on Sept. 8.

9:47 a.m. Tammy elected $20,000 of life insurance for Chad. She had $10,000 on Chad before and increased it to $20,000.

9:45 a.m. Wixom displays Tammy Daybell’s change of life insurance form on the screen. Tammy asks to have her insurance increased an additional $80,000 – the maximum amount she could ask for. The next exhibit shows the signatures of Tammy and Chad Daybell on the form. Tammy elected spouse coverage for Chad.

9:44 a.m. Wixom asks Yancey to explain the process an employee follows to increase their life insurance. She says employees fill out a form and can increase up to 5x their salary. Once the employee fills out the form, it’s submitted to Yancey and sent to the insurance company.

9:39 a.m. Yancey says when Tammy was first hired, she elected for the minimum about of life insurance – $10,000. A $50,000 policy was also offered by the district for all employees. So the first year of Tammy’s employment, she had $60,000 of life insurance. The second year of Tammy’s employment, she did not increase the amount.

9:36 a.m. Yancey lives in Idaho Falls and previously worked in payroll and benefits for Sugar Salem School District. She didn’t have a lot of interaction with Tammy as Yancey worked in the district office. Once a year, Yancey did a benefits meeting for employees. Benefits included medical, dental, vision, life insurance.

9:35 a.m. Next witness is Angela Yancey. Fremont County Dep. Prosecuting Attorney Rocky Wixom will question Yancey.

9:34 a.m. Wood follows up and asks Kay to clarify the dates for the Amazon searches. Wood has nothing further.

9:33 a.m. Kay says Lori was buying wedding stuff on Charles’ credit card. Prior has nothing further. Wood will now re-direct.

9:31 a.m. Prior asks about the Amazon search. He asks when Lori started looking for the items. “On Nov. 8, I saw she was searching for items on Oct. 2.” Prior asks Kay if Chad had access to Lori’s Amazon account. Kay says she has no idea.

9:29 a.m. Prior asks Kay if she is aware that on April 16, Charles Vallow changed his beneficiary back to Lori Vallow on his life insurance. Kay was aware he had changed it and assumed it was to Lori. Prior asks Kay when the beneficiary was changed back to her. Kay says she isn’t sure – there were issues with the insurance company.

9:27 a.m. Kay says Lori was back and forth to Hawaii. Kay later learned Tylee made a few trips to Hawaii with her mom but Kay didn’t know where Tylee was or who she was staying with.

9:26 a.m. Prior asks Kay if she knew Lori spent 60 days in Hawaii. Kay says she has learned that Lori made several trips to Hawaii during the 70 days she was not talking to JJ. JJ ended up with Charles from the first of February into the first part of April.

9:24 a.m. Prior asks Kay about Lori and Charles moving to different places at different times – Hawaii, Houston, Arizona.

9:19 a.m. Kay and Larry went to Rexburg in early January 2020. They offered a reward for help in finding JJ and Tylee. They met with Rexburg police. Kay became aware of the kids being found on June 9, 2020. Wood has nothing further. Prior will now cross examine.

9:18 a.m. The search had been done on Oct. 2, 2019. Kay knew Tammy died Oct. 19. “It was mind-blowing that they were looking at wedding rings before Tammy’s death.” Prior objects, Boyce sustains.

9:15 a.m. The Amazon email on the account belonging to Charles was about a delivery. The address was an apartment #175 on Pioneer Road in Rexburg. Kay opened the Amazon account browsing history. “It was jaw dropping. I saw a search for malachite wedding rings, there was one purchased for $35 or $36.99, I saw searches for women’s beach wedding dresses, I saw that she looked at or purchased a yellow one piece bathing suit and another search for men’s linen beach clothes size large.”

9:13 a.m. Kay had access to Charles’ email account, passwords and bank accounts. On Nov. 8, 2019, Kay was trying to hook up a printer to Kay’s computer. It was 4:30 a.m. “with a compulsion to go finish hooking up my computer to his printer.” Kay noticed Charles’ Gmail account login page was open on her screen. Kay logged in and found an email from Amazon.

9:11 a.m. After Brandon Boudreaux’s attempted murder, Kay and Brandon began talking. They hired a private investigator and split the cost.

9:10 a.m. Kay says once she knew Charles was dead, she knew JJ was in trouble because Lori didn’t want JJ, Tylee or Charles anymore. “She was done.” Kay reached out to Det. Nate Moffatt at Chandler police to share her concerns. After the last FaceTime with JJ on Aug. 10, Kay said she spoke often with law enforcement to express her concerns about JJ.

9:08 a.m. Kay says she didn’t know Charles had died until July 12. Lori texted Charles’ two oldest sons and said their father was dead. One of the sons contacted Kay and said Charles was dead. Kay thought it was a joke because Charles was healthy. Larry then Googled Charles Vallow’s name and read he had been killed the day before.

9:07 a.m. Kay tried to make arrangements with Lori for JJ to attend his dad’s memorial service. Kay bought a plane ticket for JJ and everything was set but after Lori found out about the insurance, Lori said they were too busy and moving to Hawaii and it would be too much for JJ to attend.

9:06 a.m. Kay says from the time Charles was murdered to Aug. 10 (one month), they were only able to see JJ on FaceTime twice. “Any contact with us, she was limiting it.” After Aug. 10, Kay emailed, texted, left voicemails for Lori. “She would never respond. Not one time did she respond.”

9:05 a.m. Kay recalls having a 7th birthday party for JJ in May 2019 at a pizza place with friends and cousins. “It was the last birthday we’d ever have with him.” The last time Kay saw JJ was on Aug. 10, 2019 on FaceTime. Kay says after Charles was killed, they had a very hard time getting in touch with Lori.

9:03 a.m. Kay says she never spoke with Charles again about the policy. She didn’t know she was the beneficiary until the insurance company called after Charles was killed. She received the money months after Charles died. Wood asks if Lori ever contacted Kay about the insurance. Kay says toward the end of July 2019, Lori texted and said something like, “Is this why you want JJ? I’ve got five kids and no money and you get everything.”

9:01 a.m. Wood asks if Kay ever had a conversation with her brother about her being beneficiary on his life insurance policy. Kay says yes. He had a $1 million life insurance policy and Kay committed to give Charles’ two adult sons $250,000 each, which she did do in January 2020, and Charles said the other 50% was for Kay and Larry because they would end up raising JJ – if anything happened to Charles. Kay says it was a very short conversation and she never knew if he followed through and changed the policy.

9 a.m. Kay says Charles was headed for divorce. “The day he was murdered, on July 11, he had made arrangements to meet with a friend who was going to show him a house to lease not far from Lori’s,” Kay says. Wood asks Kay how Charles died. “Two gunshot wounds to the chest.”

8:59 a.m. Kay had access to her brother’s email accounts. After Lori came to Houston, Kay continued to see JJ. In May, Charles started visiting Kay and Larry on weekends so JJ could visit with them. Charles rented Lori a house in Chandler in June.

8:57 a.m. Kay says in mid-April 2019, Lori visited Houston. Charles really wanted to reconcile with Lori but Lori wasn’t interested. Charles was a financial planner and asked Kay to help him with his business. She did payroll, accounts payable, Excel spreadsheets, etc.

8:55 a.m. Kay would sometimes bring JJ home with her to Louisiana or she would stay with him in Chandler if Charles was working. Toward the end of March, Kay helped Charles pack up his house in Arizona and helped moved him to Houston so he would be closer to Louisiana, where Kay and Larry live. Houston is 150 miles from Lake Charles.

8:54 a.m. Wood asks Kay if she saw JJ in January 2019. She says Lori and Charles separated at the end of January. Kay flew out to Arizona at the end of January to help Charles with JJ because Charles was very distraught. Nobody would tell Charles where Lori went.

8:52 a.m. Wood shows a photo of Tylee on the screen and asks Kay who it is. “Tylee Ryan,” Kay responds. Wood asks Kay if she ever met Alex Cox. Kay did meet him in passing a handful of times but never really sat down and had a conversation with him.

8:51 a.m. Kay says Lori and Charles were loving to JJ. They studied autism and how to handle his meltdowns. When Larry and Kay would visit, Charles and Lori would often leave and go away for a day or two so the grandparents should spend time with JJ.

8:49 a.m. Kay says she and Larry had a really hard time letting JJ go. They would see him every 2-3 months. Charles and Lori moved to Hawaii in 2014. Kay would go visit JJ in Hawaii. Kay says she was very close with Charles. “He was the proud dad. He would send pictures and videos of JJ all the time. We were very close.”

8:48 a.m. Charles and Lori approached Kay and Larry early on and asked if they would consider letting them adopt JJ. Larry and Kay agreed but wanted to maintain the role of grandparents in JJ’s life. When Charles and Lori adopted JJ, they changed his name to Joshua Jackson Vallow.

8:46 a.m. JJ was born ten weeks premature and weighed around 2.5 lbs. He was born with drugs in his system and spent some time in the hospital. After JJ was out of the hospital, he lived with Larry and Kay. Charles Vallow was Kay’s older brother. Charles was married to Lori Vallow.

8:45 a.m. Wood displays a photo of JJ. He asks Kay who it is. “My grandson — JJ Vallow.” Kay explains that her son and girlfriend had a baby. They named him Canaan Trahan. They were unable to care for him so he came to live with Kay and Larry.

8:44 a.m. Kay Woodcock takes the stand as the state’s first witness today. Madison County Prosecuting Attorney Rob Wood will question Kay.

8:43 a.m. A juror was unable to attend today due to illness. Boyce says he has been dismissed from the trial. Boyce and the attorneys had a sidebar this morning about the issue.

8:42 a.m. Boyce is on the bench and jurors have entered the courtroom. Around 30-40 people in the gallery today.

8:36 a.m. The attorneys are not in the courtroom yet. They are likely meeting with Judge Boyce.

8:32 a.m. Chad Daybell is sitting alone at the defense table wearing a blue dress shirt and red tie. Matt Daybell is sitting next to Kay Woodcock and Vicki Hoban, Tammy Daybell’s aunt. Larry Woodcock is also sitting with them.

8:28 a.m. We are in the courtroom. Sheila Daybell, Chad Daybell’s mother, was escorted into the courthouse this morning. We also saw Heather and Matt Daybell (Chad’s brother) in the lobby of the courthouse. Matt is in the courtroom. Heather is not. She and Sheila may be testifying today. Video of Sheila entering here.