BOISE, Idaho, June 1, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Chad Daybell has been sentenced to death for the murders of his first wife Tammy Daybell and of 7-year-old Joshua “J.J.” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, the children of his second wife Lori Vallow Daybell.
The verdict came just before noon Saturday, after a jury found him guilty on Thursday of three counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and insurance fraud.
Daybell, 55, is a former Utah resident and Brigham Young University student who self-published doomsday-themed books and led what he called The Church of the Firstborn. Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake reminded jurors that Daybell believed he could determine if people became “zombies” vulnerable to evil spirits, and could detect what he called their “death percentage.”
Daybell reportedly believed a zombie status justified killing the subject in order to save their soul, according to witness testimony during the trial.
Lori Vallow Daybell has already been sentenced to life in prison for her part in the deaths. Also believed to have participated in the plan was Alex Cox, Lori’s brother, who shot and killed her husband, Charles Vallow, saying it was in self-defense. He was not charged in the case and died before charges were filed in the deaths of J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan.
Investigators believe J.J. and Tylee died in September of 2019. Tammy Daybell died in October of 2019 of what a medical examiner later determined was asphyxiation. The bodies of J.J and Tylee were found on June 9, 2020, buried in Chad Daybell’s backyard.
Lori Vallow Daybell faces charges in Arizona in connection with the death of husband Charles Vallow.
Gephardt Daily will have more information as it becomes available.
