Trial Begins for Christian Doomsday Prophet Who Killing Wife & Girlfriend's Children
Opening statements are expected Wednesday in the trial of an Idaho man charged with killing his wife, and his then-girlfriend's two youngest children in an unusual case rooted in extremist religious beliefs.
Chad Daybell, 55, is facing charges of first-degree murder, insurance fraud, and conspiracy to commit murder and grand theft in connection with the deaths of Tammy Daybell, seven-year-old Joshua Vallow, and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. Last year, their mother Lori Vallow Daybell received a life sentence without parole for the killings.
Prosecutors say the couple justified the three killings with doomsday beliefs, part of an elaborate scheme to eliminate any obstacles to their relationship, and to obtain money from survivor benefits and life insurance. Vallow Daybell referred to her two youngest kids as zombies, one friend testified during her trial.
Chad Daybell also is charged with the murder of his first wife Tammy Daybell, who was initially believed to have died in her sleep. He remarried less than three weeks after her death in 2019. Chad Daybell and Vallow Daybell called themselves "James and Elaina," and believed they were religious figures, and had a system of rating people as "light or dark," a prosecutor told jurors at her trial.
Chad Daybell and Vallow Daybell exchanged texts about Tammy Daybell "being in limbo" and "being possessed by a spirit named Viola." In addition, Daybell was connected to a religious doomsday prepper website. When Vallow Daybell was sentenced last year, she denied having killed her children. She said she had spoken to Jesus, her children, and her husband's wife after their deaths and said they were "happy and extremely busy" in heaven.
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Apr 9th, 2024 10:31 PM
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