In tonight’s edition of ‘Courtroom Insider,’ Nate Eaton breaks down Lori Vallow Daybell’s sentencing and talks about what’s next for the convicted killer.

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The post COURTROOM INSIDER: Breaking down Lori Vallow Daybell’s sentencing and what’s next appeared first on East Idaho News.

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12:35 p.m. Judge tells Lori can appeal the sentence to the Idaho Supreme Court but it must be done within 42 days.

12:34 p.m. Lori also ordered to pay restitution and fines.

12:33 p.m. Three of the life sentences will run consecutively – meaning one after the other. The other two will be consurrent. Lori Vallow Daybell will never walk free again.

12:31 p.m. Grand theft charge – 5 years fixed, 5 years indeterminate.

12:30 p.m. All three conspiracy charges – life imprisonment, no parole on each.

12:29 p.m. Tylee murder – life, no parole. JJ murder – life no parole.

12:28 p.m. Boyce ready to pronounce sentence. Lori and her attorneys rise.

12:27 p.m. Boyce says Lori destroyed family relationships, took people away who were loved, cared for and needed. “You may not believe to this day that you’ve done anything wrong but I don’t believe a God in any religion would want to have this happened what happened here.”

12:25 p.m. “JJ and Tylee’s lives were cut way too short because of you … It is a loss for everyone that you took them away from this world. It is the most shocking thing I can imagine that a mother killed their own children and you simply have no remorse for it. There is no remorse for what you did.”

12:24 p.m. “Tammy Daybell was murdered as a result of your conspiracy. She was by all accounts a happy, healthy mother and wife and you were out shopping for wedding rings to marry her husband while she was still alive. You were planning a wedding. You haven’t shown any remorse for any of your actions.”

12:23 p.m. Boyce notes that during the trial when photos were shown of Lori and Chad in Hawaii while the kids were buried at Chad’s house, jurors showed disgust on their faces. Boyce says there are images he will never get out of his mind “and I was just looking at the pictures.”

12:22 p.m. Boyce tells Lori she used “blood money” to fund her lifestyle in Hawaii as police and the public were searching for her children. “You wanted to be excused and not have to watch the evidence and were fine to let everyone else in the courtroom – including the jurors – sit through that.”

12:20 p.m. “You came here from east Idaho where I’ve spent my life and came here from somewhere else to make your children disappear. You removed your children, alienated them from friends and family. You moved to Rexburg – a community where you could find 1,000 random families to take your children – and you brought them here to murder them. You had so many other options. You chose the most evil and destructive path possible. You killed those children to remove them as obstacles and profit financially. You justified all this to go down a bizarre religious rabbit hole and clearly you are still there.”

12:18 p.m. Boyce says he learned and saw all the facts with the jurors during Lori’s trial. “Having considered all the evidence I saw at trial, it’s been a difficult task for me to narrow down and articulate all the aggravating factors because there are so many here.”

12:16 p.m. Boyce says he will not comment on Chad as his trial has not happened yet. Boyce says typically people without a criminal history are often given probation or a chance to prove themselves. “You’ve been convicted of and committed the more serious crimes possible and those crimes deserve the most serious punishment.”

12:13 p.m. Boyce commends Lori for being a good inmate in the Madison County Jail. She has served over 1,000 days. He tells her she has been respectful of the court. “You do have mental health issues. I’ve dealt with those throughout the context of this case. I have reviewed those reports. The most current diagnosis the court has is from February of this year, which shows she suffers from delusion disorder with hyper religiosity and personality disorder.

12:11 p.m. Boyce explains the factors he considers in handing down a sentence including the likelihood to re-offend.

12:09 p.m. Boyce says he’s reviewed Idaho case law about whether Lori should go to prison and whether a long prison term would be appropriate.

12:07 p.m. Boyce says normally he would rely on other information from the PSI but she did not cooperate with the PSI investigator and intended to remain silent. She did not complete the packet or any court-ordered screenings. “That was your choice to not cooperate but it left me without additional information.”

12:05 p.m. Boyce says he has reviewed Lori’s criminal history. She has no prior criminal history but she has two additional charges pending in Arizona. “It is somewhat incredible in this case seeing you have gone from no criminal history in your life to first degree murder charges and additional counts in another state.”

12:04 p.m. Lori refers to Tammy as her “eternal” and “wonderful” friend.” She says they are resting in the arms of Jesus and looks forward to the day they are together in the arms of Jesus. Lori is done speaking.

12:03 p.m. Lori says Tylee and JJ have visited her. They have told her she did nothing wrong and they know she loves them. She says JJ visited her and was an adult spirit and was very very tall. “He is busy, he is engaged and he is happy where he is. JJ’s life was short but it was meaningful.”

12:01 p.m. Lori says Tylee is free of pain now and her daughter experienced painful health often. “I am the only person on this earth who knows how much Tylee suffered in her life,” Lori says as she starts to cry. “She had pain every single day. She never felt good. Her body did not work right.”

12:00 p.m. Lori says she is homesick for heaven and it is more wonderful than we can possibly imagine. “I do not fear death but I look forward to it.” Lori says she did not want to return to her body when she died while in labor with Tylee. “As I stood in heaven, I did not want to go back because I was peaceful and happy and home. But then I was told by Jesus that I needed to go back that I had covenanted or promised to do before I was born.”

11:58 a.m. Lori says she died while in labor in Tylee. She says because of that, she’s had many angelic visitors and she can visit the spirit world. She says she knows her children are happy and busy in the spirit world. “Because of communication with my friend Tammy Daybell, I know she is very happy and extremely busy.”

11:56 a.m. Lori: “Jesus knows me, and Jesus Understands me. I mourn with all of you who mourn my children and Tammy. Jesus Christ knows the truth. Jesus Christ knows no one was murdered in this case. Accidental deaths happened. Suicides happened. Fatal side effects of medications happened.”

11:55 a.m. Judge asks Lori if she wants to address the court. Lori says she wants to speak. She begins by quoting John 8:7 “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast the stone.”

11:53 a.m. Thomas: “What do we have to do by giving a woman in her 70s to go before a parole board and ask to be released? There’s not a guarantee she will be released but that hope will drive progress in this case. In summation, we need to heal in order to have peace. Peace comes through love. We ask the court to show mercy and look to the future. We ask the court for a 20 years fixed term plus life indeterminate for all five counts concurrent.”

11:51 a.m. Thomas says Lori can help other inmates, change her habits and have hope if he gives her the sentence they recommend. “We can’t bring JJ back. We can’t bring Tylee back. We can’t bring Tammy back. We can try and bring others up who go to prison to a higher level then they are when they went in. I think that’s important. I think that’s a testament to JJ and to Tylee and to Tammy. I think that gives them something to carry on in the future.”

11:50 a.m. Thomas says Lori’s hope will benefit society. “In our opinion, if you give her fixed life you will essentially throw her away. She has no incentive to rehabilitate. There is no incentive to her or anyone else. The punishment is final and all encompassing. If you give her hope, we protect society by keeping her behind bars well into her 70s.”

11:49 a.m. Thomas explains the options the court has in issuing the sentence. “We would ask the court to sentence Ms. Vallow Daybell to a 20 years fixed term with an interminate term of life.”

11:48 a.m. “We have saved the life of the defendant,” Thomas says before saying nobody should take credit or be blamed for that. “We saved her life and that is a win for all humanity.”

11:46 a.m. Thomas talking about hope before pivoting to the items the judge keeps in mind while issuing a sentence. “First degree murder is first degree murder and conspiracy carries the same punishment,” Thomas says. “How are we going to heal the pain and devastation of this case to hope?”

11:45 a.m. “She has redeeming values. Kay Woodcock sang her praises today – that Lori was a great mom,” Thomas says. “There’s a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about how this ultimately came to pass and that’s probably not going to change any time soon. There will be a lot of confusion and misunderstanding for a while.”

11:43 a.m. Thomas says Lori’s message is one of love and she’s a very misunderstood person. “People who truly know her know she’s about love. We didn’t always get along and our team has had a lot of misunderstandings. But Lori’s overarching theme is about love. She is very different than who she plays on tv. She’s smart, insightful, witty.”

11:42 a.m. Thomas talks about knowing what would have happened with JJ and Tylee and Tammy’s students. “But we need peace through the hurt and that peace will only come through love and compassion. I hope each person touched by this case can heal and find some semblance of peace again because this world needs peace.”

11:40 a.m. Thomas admits there is devastation and destruction surrounding this case. “My heart aches – as does the rest of our team – for the victims. People are hurt. That hurt can sometimes be manifested as hate. I think Lori Daybell is the most hated woman in America right now and maybe in the world. That hate will never bring closure to the victims.”

11:39 a.m. Thomas says one day he went to his wife after talking about being a public defender. His wife said: “I don’t think Jesus Christ was a prosecutor. He is our greatest advocate. And now I sit next to Lori Vallow.” Thomas says his message is one of peace, love, joy and hope.

11:37 a.m. John Thomas says 20 years he was sworn into the bar and took an oath to uphold the Constitution. He says the state needs to prove the burden of proof in cases. He says he used to be a prosecutor and is now a public defender.

11:31 a.m. We are back in the courtroom. Lori just walked in with the sound of her ankle shackles heard across the courtroom. Her defense team will now give their recommendations and then Lori could speak.

10:54 a.m. We will now take a morning break for 30 minutes.

10:52 a.m. Wood: “What does justice for JJ, Tylee and Tammy require? It requires this defendant never has a chance for freedom because her victims never had that. What is the value of a life? Thank you.” Wood is done.

10:51 a.m. Wood asks for $50,000 fines on each murder count – total $250,000. Wood says the state has essentially asked for the maximum sentence under law.

10:49 a.m. Wood asks that Lori pay a $5,000 fine to the next-of-kin of the victims. He asks for restitution to be paid to the Department of Treasury – the money stolen in Social Security from the US Government.

10:47 a.m. Wood recommends that Judge Boyce give Lori Daybell a fixed life sentence without parole on each of the murder charges – five total charges. Larry nods his head as Wood makes his recommendation. Wood asks Lori get 20 years for the grand theft charge.

10:45 a.m. Wood asks the judge to remember the victims. He quotes from the PSI report – “a mother is meant to defend her children however this mother has been found guilty of murdering her children.” The PSI recommends Lori go to prison.

10:44 a.m. Wood says the court cannot balance Chad’s actions versus Lori’s because Chad has not been found guilty at this point. He is presumed innocent.

10:43 a.m. Wood referencing Lori’s PSI. It states something to the effect that she will make a good transition to prison. Wood says, “That’s good because that’s where she needs to go.”

10:41 a.m. “The evidence is overwhelming that she did know right from wrong. She lied to police, family members and friends. Even their close friends who they shared some of these religious beliefs with. What does that tell us? It tells us Tylee and JJ didn’t die because their mom thought they were possessed. If she truly believed that, she would have preached it because she preached all the time. She didn’t tell anyone because she killed them for money.”

10:40 a.m. “Life without parole is the only punishment that matches what this defendant did.”

10:39 a.m. Wood says the effects of these crimes are ripples and ripples and ripples. “The punishment has to match the crime.” Tammy’s sister and aunt in tears.

10:38 a.m. Wood says in the eyes of the law, conspiracy to commit murder is equally as bad as murder. “It’s bad enough to steal someone’s spouse but this defendant” then conspired to kill her. “Tammy won’t get to spend time with her children. She missed her mother’s funeral.”

10:37 a.m. Wood says JJ must have been scared in his last minutes. “He will never get to grow up, he will never be able to reach his potential, he won’t spend time with family, friends and loved ones.”

10:36 a.m. “Tylee will never get to become a mother. She will never get to go to college or choose a career to satisfy her curiousity. She won’t get to travel the world, she won’t get to marry …. The impact of murder never ends so the defendant’s sentence must last.”

10:34 a.m. Wood talks about Tylee’s death. “We don’t even know how she died because her body was mutilated, dismembered and burnt beyond recognition. Her body was utterly destroyed and she was buried in a pet cemetery. Her skull was separated from her body.” The defendants put her body in a bucket that melted and was put on top of her skull in a pet cemetery.”

10:33 a.m. Wood says the sentence must be life without parole. “WE can’t ask Tylee, JJ and Tammy about the experience of their death. They’re gone. We can’t ask them what it felt like to be murdered. We can’t ask them about the impact of their last moments. We have to look at the evidence and glean what we can about the impact of their murders.”

10:32 a.m. “One thing that has been so shocking about these crimes is where it happened. Fremont and Madison Counties – a low crime area. She is not a Rexburg, Idaho mother. The sentence imposed today will send a message to the people in these communities – don’t come here and murder children.”

10:30 a.m. “Only a sentence of life without parole is acceptable,” Wood says. She says rehabilitation requires remorse and responsibility. “There is literally zero evidence that she has remorse or responsibility.”

10:28 a.m. “This defendant has proven by her actions that she is dangerous to society. In Idaho alone, she was involved in three murders within the space of six weeks. The court can acknowledge she faces two charges of conspiracy to commit murder in Maricopa County. This defendant violated the most sacred trust that exists in society and she did it for gain. She did it for money. A defendant who is willing to murder her own children is willing to murder anyone.

10:27 a.m. “The defendant had a right to silence. She did not have a right to disobey the order of the court to produce the bodies of her children.”

10:25 a.m. Wood presents a brief timeline of the case. Lori continues to look ahead or look down as the prosecutor speaks.

10:25 a.m. Wood talks about JJ. “He loved his family and friends and loved to travel.” Wood describes Tammy Daybell “loved her children intensely.”

10:24 a.m. Wood talking about Tylee. “She loved her brother, Hawaii and the beach. She had friends and family who loved her very much.” He talks about her Instagram account and how she was “intensely loyal to her own mother.” She was a typical mother who liked to have fun but was independent and responsible.

10:22 a.m. “The defendant placed a value of zero on these lives … We echo the sentiments made in the victim impact statements.”

10:21 a.m. Rob Wood will now give his recommendation. He starts with a question. “What is the value of a human life? What is the value of a 16-year-old girl with her life ahead of her? What is the value of a 7-year-old with special needs? What is the life of a grandmother and mother?”

10:20 a.m. Colby: “I’ve lost my entire family in life. I’ve watched everything crumble and be shredded to pieces. I have lost my sister, brother, father and mother. I have lost cousins and family, friends and everything in between. These murders have changed everyone’s life who loved these beautiful people. I pray for healing for everyone involved including those who took the lives of those we love. Thank you.”

10:18 a.m. Colby’s statement: “Tylee will never be able to have the life she deserves. JJ will never have the chance to grow up. My girls will never have the chance to know him in this life. My siblings and father deserve so much more than this. I want them to be remembered for who they were – not a headline.”

10:18 a.m. Kay says Lori will never be thought about again when she walks out of the door. Kay is finished. Returns to her seat. Rob Wood now reading a statement from Colby Ryan.

10:17 a.m. “We believe there should never be a reason for her to be released from prison. She should never be given what she so easily took from JJ, Tylee and Tammy.”

10:16 a.m. Kay quotes from Colby’s jail phone call with his mom where Lori says one day she will know what happened. Kay says now we know.

10:14 a.m. “Lori is a monster. She is a danger to society. Her body and manipulative mind are used for her selfish greed and satisfaction.” Kay begins to talk about mental illness and John Thomas objects. Boyce overrules the objection. Kay continues: “We firmly believe she has zero mental illness that led her to commit these heinous acts.”

10:13 a.m. Kay says during the time the kids were missing, it was “pure hell.” “The children were found in Chad Daybell’s backyard – buried like animals. Our worst fears were confirmed and we were destroyed.”

10:12 a.m. Kay describes trying to see JJ in the time between Charles was killed and the time JJ died. Kay says Lori only agreed for Kay to see JJ once.

10:10 a.m. “His materialistic, self-centered mother brutally stole his life from this world. She murdered and stole JJ’s dad from him … Next, she tried to sell Bailey, JJ’s cherished service dog. When caught, she was forced to give Bailey back to his original trainer.”

10:07 a.m. Kay now speaking about Tylee. “It warmed our hearts seeing her and JJ together. The love they had for each other is evident in the last photo they have with each other.” Kay referencing this photo in Yellowstone:

10:06 a.m. Kay: “I will always have precious memories to cling to. Now memories are how I feel the love I so desperately miss.”

10:05 a.m. “JJ loved school, his friends and cousins … There are so many lives he has touched that all feel the immense pain and loss of him being gone. Not only was JJ smart, but he was also funny, content, compassionate and empathetic.”

10:02 a.m. Kay recalls making soup one day with JJ. He loved pouring in the ingredients. She says Lori always expressed appreciation that they gave her the greatest gift – JJ.

10:01 a.m. Kay breaks down sobbing as she describes a special connection with JJ. She says the adoption was final in 2014 and JJ moved in with Charles and Lori. They lived with a backyard on a golf course and JJ loved it – he could run anywhere and everywhere.

10 a.m. Kay describes that Lori was a caring mother and it’s “mindblowing” that a few years later she could take his life. “We loved every minute of raising him. That time was priceless.”

9:57 a.m. A photo of Lori’s reaction as Kay is speaking:

9:56 a.m. Kay describes taking JJ home and knowing he was a special child. JJ cried and cried during his first bath at home. Kay remembers putting JJ on Larry’s chest and he slowly stopped crying until he fell asleep. This developed a pattern. “Larry jumped in feet first at 65 years old and did everything a new father should.”

9:54 a.m. Kay looks at Lori and says, “Lori, Todd (JJ’s dad) forgives you. I want to make sure you know that.” Lori does not look at Kay. She has not looked once at the podium where the victims are speaking.

9:53 a.m. Kay says she wants to talk about JJ and how he lived. He was born prematurely. He spent weeks fighting for his life. “He was tiny and fragile … in fact, I still have one of his tiny, preemie diapers. It fits in the palm of my hand.”

9:52 a.m. “She has shown no grief for the lives she took and the pain she caused. Today, I take the power back. I pray my words will assist you. My sincerest hope is they will seriously be contemplated.”

9:51 a.m. Kay explains how she learned about her brother’s murder. “This all began with greed. The greed for and desire for a $1 million life insurance policy. I would have given her the money. She could have let JJ and Tylee live and have $1 million. She could have been free to be Chad’s mistress and foot the bill with money from spilled blood. JJ and Tylee could have lived with us and had wonderful lives.” Kay breaks down crying.

9:50 a.m. Kay says Lori abandoned JJ so she could carry on her affair with Chad Daybell and profit from death. “I now realize what a nothing Chad Daybell is. A man with no ability to support anyone. A man who rode his wife’s coattails of success.”

9:49 a.m. “Today marks 1,481 days that have been filled with terror.” Kay explains that Charles was killed and Lori waited to tell Charles’s sons. “This was the beginning of her cruel campaign of terror.”

9:47 a.m. Kay expresses thanks for being able to speak. She starts reading a list of numbers. She says these are more than numbers but will make sense as she continues her statement. She says 80 days ago, the word “guilty” was read. She expresses thanks to the jury for their service.

9:46 a.m. Kay Woodcock will now address the court. Larry leans forward and whispers something in her ear before Kay stands up.

9:45 a.m. “I hope the life you live is full of fear. Just as Tylee lived her life.” Vicki says her granddaughter was a good friend of Tylee. “Her friend was savagely brutalized and murdered at her mother’s hands.” Vicki thanks law enforcement, FBI, prosecutors, court admins, etc. “I especially want to thank those who had to see those things that can’t be unseen. We understand your pain.”

9:43 a.m. “Lori you participated in the savage murders of precious people.” Lori has not looked at Vicki. She is staring straight ahead as Vicki sobs about how this has broken their family. “You are now going to pay the price albeit never sufficient in this life.”

9:42 a.m. Vicki cries as she lists experiences Tammy will get to have again — “laughing, singing, playing games, etc.”

9:41 a.m. “Never will she whisper a joke with her friend and laugh. Never see another sunrise or sunset. Never smell fresh rain or see her grandchildren stomp through a mud puddle. Never to be heard called grandma or mom. Not another birthday, Christmas, birth of a grandchild…”

9:40 a.m. Vicki says the night Tammy died, she had no idea what was to come. “Lori wanted money, sex and more power and what Lori wants, Lori gets.” Instead of a goodnight’s sleep, “Tammy was brutally executed in her own bed. She was taken from us by murdering thieves.”

9:39 a.m. Vicki: “Tammy was beloved. There will be a huge void in our life. This is Tammy’s story. She was a mom, a grandma, a niece, a friend, a librarian. More than a librarian, she was a teacher. Her last days went to preparing a bookfair for underserved children.”

9:37 a.m. Sidebar is over. Wood is now chatting with Vicki privately. Boyce says he is granting the objection. Vicki continues and says Lori’s behavior during the trial was hurtful to her.

9:35 a.m. Judge calls for a sidebar with Thomas and Wood. They go into his chambers. Samantha continues to cry after sitting down.

9:33 a.m. Vicki Hoban, Tammy Daybell’s aunt, will now read a statement. “I felt (Lori) was shameful during the trial. It was apparent to me and others she did not take the proceedings seriously. Her smirking, her smiling, giggling, talking …” John Thomas objects.

9:33 a.m. “I miss my sister every day. I will grieve for her and my mother ever day. I will always remember them but I choose to forget you. As I leave this courtroom today, I hope to never think of you.”

9:32 a.m. “I am not a dark person or a zombie. For me and my family to be presented that way is unacceptable. Everyone knows what liars you are. They now know what horrible things you have done. You are not an exalted being. There is no huge event that is going to save you. No angels are coming to rescue you.”

9:30 a.m. Tammy says Lori has ripped their family apart. Rob Wood hands Samantha a box of tissues. Samantha says her mother passed away in June “knowing you will never come out of prison again. Her passing was marred by the fact that Tammy’s children choose not to participate in the funeral because of the fear it would cause more drama.”

9:29 a.m. Samantha continues: “You could have easily divorced your spouses and live your perverted life …. You’ve never met me and I don’t know you but I’ve always been able to tell when I’ve been lied to. You are a liar, an adulterer and a murderer. (Tammy) was 1000x the woman you will ever be.”

9:28 a.m. Larry Woodcock is staring directly at Lori. Lori is looking straight ahead and not at Samantha. “You planned her murder as much as you planned the murder of your own children and your former husband. You had an affair with a married man. You are not exalted beings and your behavior makes you ineligible to be one,” Gwilliam says.

9:27 a.m. Samantha now speaking on behalf of herself. She is speaking directly to Lori. “What did I find about you? Lies. Everything about you that you tried to tell others is a lie.” John Thomas objects to the statement and Boyce overrules. Samantha continues and explains research she did about Lori. Says it was lie after lie after lie.

9:26 a.m. Ron Douglas says relationship with Chad’s children has become strained. The case took a toll on his deceased wife, Phyllis. “Chad was leading a double life … Lori needs to pay for her actions, according to the laws of mortals. She will still answer to God when she passes from this life.”

9:25 a.m. Samantha speaking on behalf of Ron Douglas: “Tammy’s death was unexpected and had a profound impact on all of us. We were barely into our recovery process when we learned of Chad’s new marriage … The drama began to unfold and the reason for the quick burial became apparent.”

9:24 a.m. Victims will speak at a podium that will not be shown on the livestream but you will be able to hear what they say. Samantha Gwilliam will also read a statement from her dad, Ron Douglas.

9:23 a.m. Boyce says victim impact statements will be first. Then he will hear recommendations from prosecutors and defense for sentencing. Lori will then speak if she wishes.

9:22 a.m. Wood says state will not be calling any witnesses but four victim impact statements will be given. Colby Ryan will have a statement read, Samantha Gwilliam will speak, Vicki Hoban will speak and Kay Woodcock will speak.

9:21 a.m. Defense has no witnesses but John Thomas says Lori may speak.

9:19 a.m. Archibald says on June 13 he submitted 661 pages to the PSI investigator that dealt with Lori’s mental health. He says not all of the pages were included in the PSI. Archibald says he objects to the PSI. Boyce says he issued an order this morning about this issue and says legally he felt it was inappropriate to include all of the information in the PSI. Archibald says Lori was able to review the PSI.

9:17 a.m. There was another factual inaccuracy in a victim impact statement – that Lori was present at the time Tammy died. Boyce says those inaccuracies will be struck from the record.

9:16 a.m. The state has reviewed the PSI. Wood says there were multiple victim impact statements submitted with the report. “We don’t usually comment on those but in one of those victim impact statements there was reference to Tammy Daybell by a pillow. For the record, the state has no evidence of that.”

9:15 a.m. Boyce says a pre-sentence (PSI) report has been completed but Lori chose not to participate in the process. This would have included a mental health evaluation.

9:12 a.m. Boyce explains the procedural history of the case to Lori. Reads her charges and says she was told at the arraignment the possible punishments. He explains that a jury found her guilty on May 12.

9:11 a.m. Rob Wood says he will be making the sentencing recommendation on behalf of the state. John Thomas will be making sentencing recommendations on behalf of the defense. Boyce reminds everyone about courtroom order in effect.

9:09 a.m. Judge Boyce has entered the courtroom.

9:03 a.m. Lori has just entered the courtroom with her attorneys. She is smiling, dressed in an orange/white jail uniform, wearing shackles and handcuffs (and makeup) and carrying a manilla envelope.

9 a.m. Larry and Kay Woodcock have just walked in the courtroom. Vicki Hoban, Samantha and Jason Gwilliam, Annie Cushing and other family members are also here.

8:55 a.m. Several of the deputies and police officers have their wives sitting next to them. I imagine they’ve heard a lot – – and stood strong by their husbands – over the past 3 1/2 years.

8:52 a.m. Lori Vallow Daybell was brought over to the courtroom very early this morning. Police were very discreet on getting her in the building through a side door. We are waiting for her and her attorneys. Prosecutors are in the courtroom. Rob Wood will present his sentencing recommendation on behalf of the state.

8:46 a.m. Around 40-50 people spent the night at the Fremont County Courthouse in hopes of scoring a seat inside the courtroom. This morning Rusty Taco brought breakfast for everyone.

8:42 a.m. Preference for seating was given to victims, their families, jurors and law enforcement. There are about 30 remaining seats in the courtroom.

8:41 a.m. I’m in the courtroom. Lots of law enforcement in the room and 5 of the jurors who found Lori Vallow Daybell guilty are also here. Will post live updates all morning.

ST. ANTHONY — Lori Vallow Daybell will be sentenced Monday morning in a hearing that is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in the Fremont County Courthouse.

EastIdahoNews.com will livestream the hearing in the video player above and Nate Eaton will post updates throughout the sentencing on this story. You can refresh this page to see the latest updates once the hearing begins at 9 a.m.

The post LIVE UPDATES: Lori Vallow Daybell speaks before being sentenced to life in prison appeared first on East Idaho News.

Tonight on ‘Courtroom Insider’….the verdict is in. We break it all down, plus reaction and a tribute to JJ, Tylee, Tammy and Charles.

Watch the video player above.

You can see previous episodes here.

The post COURTROOM INSIDER: The verdict is in appeared first on East Idaho News.

LIVE UPDATES FROM THE LORI VALLOW DAYBELL TRIAL

WATCH THE VERDICT BEING GIVEN IN COURT IN THE PLAYER ABOVE. SEE REACTIONS TO THE VERDICT IN THE PLAYER BELOW.

1:10 p.m. Jurors are being escorted out. Judge asks us all to remain here until they have left. Court is adjourned. I’ll be live shortly outside with new developments. Also – a special two-hour Dateline airs tonight with Keith Morrison all about the case and the trial. Watch tonight on NBC.

1:09 p.m. Boyce thanks all the jurors for their service. He explains that a pre-sentence report needs to be completed before he sentences Lori. He believes it will be about three months. Lori’s reaction – very straight-faced, no emotion. She will not go back to the Madison County Jail.

1:06 p.m.

1:03 p.m. Clerk reads the verdict. Lori stands up:

COUNT ONE (conspiracy Tylee) — GUILTY
COUNT TWO (murder Tylee) — GUILTY
COUNT THREE (conspiracy JJ) — GUILTY
COUNT FOUR (murder JJ) — GUILTY
COUNT FIVE (conspiracy Tammy) — GUILTY
(count six does not apply)
COUNT SEVEN (grand theft) — GUILTY

1:02 p.m. Boyce asks if a verdict has been reached. Yes. They bring him the verdict. He is reading it.

1 p.m. Jury walks in. Defense and prosecutors stipulate the jurors are all here and properly seated.

12:59 p.m. Boyce welcomes everyone. “The court has been advised the jury has reached a verdict at this time. Is the state ready to proceed? Yes, your honor. Is the defense ready? Yes, your honor.” The jurors are now being brought in for the last time.

12:58 p.m. Judge Boyce is on the bench. There are a lot of extra security officers in here today and they have lowered the automatic window shades in the courtroom. I assume this will help with camera lighting.

12:57 p.m. Lori is chatting with her attorneys. She is smiling during the conversation. Legs are crossed.

12:55 p.m. Lori Vallow Daybell is walking in. She’s dressed in a black top, black suit jacket, dark pants and black boots.

12:53 p.m. The alternate jurors just walked in and are sitting on the opposite side of the courtroom across from the jury box.

12:50 p.m. Crowds are gathering outside the courthouse. Photo from Kalama Hines:

12:48 p.m. Waiting for Lori Vallow Daybell to walk into the courtroom. Jurors and judge are not here yet.

12:45 p.m. Courtroom doors have been locked. Bailiff gives instructions to remove hats and sunglasses. He tells everyone to silence their phones.

12:43 p.m. One minute away.

12:41 p.m. Verdict will be read in four minutes.

12:39 p.m. Kay and Larry Woodcock will be holding a news conference after the verdict is read on the courthouse steps. We will carry it live.

12:38 p.m. Six weeks. 60 witnesses. Hundreds of pieces of evidence. Thousands of man hours. Dozens of exhibits. Phone calls. Recordings. Videos. Blood. Sweat. Tears. We are here.

12:37 p.m. John Thomas, Jim Archibald and Brandon Hobbs, the defense investigator, just walked in. Thomas walked over to his daughter and her friend and said, “Thanks for showing up.”

12:27 p.m. Rob Wood, Lindsey Blake and Spencer Rammell just walked in.

12:22 p.m. Bailiff reminds everyone to silence their phones. “You’d hate to have a phone ring during a verdict. That’s just awkward.” The court is now testing the live stream. Verdict will be read in 20 minutes.

12:17 p.m. Here are the charges Lori faces:

12:15 p.m. The courtroom is packed.

12:14 p.m. John Thomas’ daughter and a friend, who have been here for much of the trial, just walked in and are sitting on the reserved defense row. Prosecutors Tawnya Rawlings and Rachel Smith are sitting at their table.

12:10 p.m. Personal note: I was outside the courthouse getting a sandwich and chatting with viewers about 30 minutes ago. I made my way up to the courtroom and someone told me “something is happening.” They described a bailiff walking in and whispering something to a court clerk. The clerk then texted someone. About 5-10 minutes later, the trial court administrator walked in and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the jury has reached a verdict.”

12:07 p.m. Several Rexburg police and Fremont County detectives, officers are in the courtroom. They have worked tirelessly for 3.5 years to get to this day.

12:04 p.m. Kalama Hines, my colleague who is outside the courthouse, describes the scene as “Excitement. Lots of moving. Frantic, almost.”

11:57 a.m. We will stream the verdict live in the video player above. After the verdict is read, I will run downstairs and continue live coverage all afternoon as we get reaction from people here.

11:53 a.m. The jury has deliberated for around 7 hours. There is a definite buzz in the courtroom.

11:50 a.m. We have a verdict. It will be read at 12:45 p.m.

10:38 a.m. A live video feed from the courtroom cameras will still be provided as the verdict is read – plus we will get photos from the still photographer.

10:17 a.m. Here are some photos my colleague Kalama Hines took outside the courthouse to give you an idea of the media scene.

10:09 a.m. Judge Boyce has approved a request to have one still photographer in the courtroom when the verdict is read. AP will coordinate the pool camera so we will have photos.

9:47 a.m. The jury received the case around 2:15 p.m. yesterday. They took a 15-20 minute dinner break before going home by 7 p.m. They began deliberating this morning at 9 a.m.

9:42 a.m. Kay Woodcock is wearing a blue and purple dress with a blue and purple necklace – JJ and Tylee’s colors.

9:15 a.m. The public seating area in the courtroom is nearly full. Lori’s attorneys are here. Prosecutors Rob Wood and Rachel Smith are too.

9:10 a.m. Larry Woodcock walked into the courthouse playing “The Party’s Over” on his iPad. He’s singing some of the lyrics and added, “Lori, the party’s over.” His T-shirt says “World’s Greatest Papa.”

9 a.m. A line began forming at 4 a.m. outside the Ada County Courthouse this morning. We could get a verdict today in the Lori Vallow Daybell trial.

The post WATCH: Lori Vallow Daybell found guilty on all counts appeared first on East Idaho News.

Tonight on ‘Courtroom Insider’…the jury gets the case! Deliberations began after closing arguments. Nate Eaton breaks it all down.

Watch in the video player above.

You can watch previous episodes here.

The post COURTROOM INSIDER: Closing arguments and jury begins deliberations appeared first on East Idaho News.

LIVE UPDATES FROM THE LORI VALLOW DAYBELL TRIAL

7 p.m. Jurors have left for the day. They will be back tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. to continue deliberations. I’ll be back too with more updates.

3:51 p.m. Lori’s defense attorneys remain in the courtroom but the prosecution team left shortly after the jury did. Larry and Kay Woodcock are here in their seats. Just spoke with Larry – he thanks everyone for their concern and is feeling much better. He’s watching videos on his iPad as he waits. Kay is chatting with Tammy Daybell’s aunt.

3:49 p.m. Jurors have left every day at 3:30 p.m. during the trial. Not today. They are still deliberating.

2:48 p.m. Here are the sketches from this morning:

2:33 p.m. Here is video of Larry Woodcock walking into court this morning.

2:28 p.m. Jim Archibald is leaving the courtroom but Larry Woodcock grabbed his hand and is shaking it like they are old friends. Larry has told me in the past he knows the attorneys are doing their job and respects them. Around 50-75 people are mingling in the courtroom.

2:13 p.m. Boyce asks attorneys on both sides for their contact information in case something comes up. “With that, we will be adjourned until we hear back from the jury.”

2:12 p.m. Jurors walk out of the courtroom. Lori is whispering to her attorneys.

2:11 p.m. Two bailiffs are being sworn in to watch over the jury, keep communication from getting to them and make sure they will be secure. Boyce tells the jury the case is now in their hands.

2:10 p.m. Seven men and five women remain on the jury.

2:09 p.m. The following jurors will go home: 18, 1, 2, 17, 3, 7. All the jurors leave the courtroom and now the remaining jurors will come back in to be sworn in for deliberations.

2:03 p.m. Boyce tells them they still cannot discuss the case until it’s over. They can’t talk to the media or anyone else until they’ve been notified that a verdict has been reached. Boyce sincerely thanks them and now the clerk will draw six random numbers assigned to the juror seat numbers.

2:01 p.m. Wood’s arguments are over. Boyce addresses the jury and says only 12 of them will deliberate. The clerk will draw six numbers of who the alternates are. These people will go home and be dismissed but need to be reachable should they need to be recalled.

2 p.m. Wood: “When Lori would tell her friend (Zulema) that nothing she did in this life counted for her, that she could do whatever she wanted, she made a little motion. (he taps the podium and raises his hand and says, ‘Doesn’t count for me’). Well make it count for Lori Vallow that Tylee Ryan will never go to college. That her remains were buried and put in a bucket. Make it count for Lori Vallow that JJ Vallow, a boy with special needs, had a plastic bag over his head and fought for his life. And make it count for Lori that Tammy Daybell had to die so Lori could get to that money. Ladies and gentlemen, reason and common sense. Reason and common sense. You must convict her.”

1:57 p.m. Photos of Tammy, Tylee and JJ are on the screen. Wood: “If she didn’t intend for their children to die, what mother doesn’t go report that they are missing or dead? It makes no sense to say she is a good mom when she’s not reporting the deaths of her children or that her children are missing. She intended the deaths. You have the evidence. You must convict her.”

1:56 p.m. Wood: “When Chad says the kids are 2 or 3 percent, she’s upset it’s not zero. The defense says there’s no text about killing the kids. (Wood now quotes) ‘Do you think there’s a perfectly orchestrated plan to take the children?'”

1:55 p.m. Wood: “When Chad Daybell is texting her about going into the light, we all know what that means. And what does she say? ‘Let’s not kill kids’ – no, she says, ‘That is sweet.’ Lori’s own words hold her words against her. Think about the times she says she has no more patience.” Wood shows slides of texts between the two about death percentages and romantic texts.

1:53 p.m. Wood mentions the storm text. “What does Chad say? ‘Grab me by the storm and I will follow you to the end of the universe!’ Not, ‘Follow me, Lori.’ Don’t let Lori pin this all on one other person.”

1:52 p.m. Wood pushes back on the defense that Lori’s hair could have been on the sock, pajamas or in the bag. He says the hair was not in those places – it was on duct tape surrounding the plastic bag. “Lori knew exactly what was going on.

1:51 p.m. A slide is on the screen that says “show you the evidence.” Wood tells jurors to listen to the jail phone call from Chad to Lori: “You will hear the guilt and the fear in her voice because she and Chad both know what the police are going to find.” He tell them to watch the body camera footage when she and Chad are chilling by the pool.

1:50 p.m. Wood: “The innocent don’t need to lie. The guilty lie.”

1:49 p.m. Wood: “Remember the last thing Summer testified to you? Her own sister? When she was asked if Lori had been honest with her about the kids? Her response was Lori had lied. Lori lied to cover her crimes. Repeatedly. Does a good mom jet off to Hawaii when the rest of the world is looking for her kids?”

1:48 p.m. A graphic is shown on the screen that says “Lies Lori told – tell is what REALLY happened.” There are 14 circles with statements in each circle – from Tylee Ryan attending BYU-Idaho to Charles Vallow dying of a heart attack to telling Melanie Gibb that JJ was with Kay.

1:47 p.m. Wood: “Lori was tired of the obstacles. She was tired of JJ. She didn’t want to deal with him so she found someone else who could and they buried him in the ground.”

1:46 p.m. Wood: “She knew her children were dead because she helped plan it. She knew her children were dead because she encouraged it.”

1:44 p.m. Wood: “When Lori wants something, she finds a way to make it happen. She learned her lesson with Charles when she didn’t get the money so she waited until after the money hit her back before she killed Tylee. You heard evidence multiple times – she called Tylee dark. She learned her lesson and with JJ, she waited until after the money hit her bank to kill Tylee. When the whole word is out looking for your kids, does a good mom dance on the beach in Hawaii? No. Does a good mom bury her children in her ground and go bury a recent widower? No.”

1:42 p.m. Wood: “Ladies and gentlemen, the state has met its burden beyond a reasonable doubt. Reason and common sense. The evidence in this case is clear. The evidence in this case points to one common thread and that thread is Lori Vallow. The defense says she’s not a killer. She is a killer. Lori is the connection to the deaths. What connection does Chad Daybell have to Charles Vallow? Lori. Why did we talk about Charles Vallow? The motive. The defense says the math doesn’t add up. The defense didn’t give you all the numbers.”

1:41 p.m. Boyce is on the bench. Jurors are being brought in.

1:38 p.m. The prosecutors are at their table. Rob Wood will give a rebuttal in just a moment.

1:36 p.m. Jim Archibald has joined Lori and John at the table. It appears they are trying to cheer her up.

1:34 p.m. We are back in the courtroom. Lori has her back to the crowd and appears to be wiping tears from her face. John Thomas is close to her and has his arm on the back of her chair. She does not appear to be happy.

12:45 p.m. Wood will have a rebuttal after lunch. Back in 45 minutes.

12:44 p.m. Archibald: “If there is anything we’ve learned about a storm, you hide from a storm. You seek shelter from a storm. Lori spent her whole life protecting her children. Thank you again.” Archibald is done.

12:42 p.m. Archibald: “No one here thinks Lori actually killed anyone. That’s why she’s being charged with conspiracy. So they want you to be convinced that she’s part of this plan – that there’s a specific plan to kill. If you find her guilty, will that bring the kids back? Nope. If you find her not guilty, will that bring the kids back? Nope. You can’t be concerned about that. You need to be concerned with following the law and the lack of evidence.”

12:39 p.m. Archibald: “People who follow Jesus do good things. They are respectful, kind, serve others…’If someone wants you to walk a mile, walk two miles with them (Archibald gets choked up). Treat people like you want to be treated. Judge people like you want to be judged. Since you’re a sinner, be kind and forgiving of sinners. That’s the Jesus we know. That’s the Jesus that Lori knew. That’s the Jesus Lori taught her children about. That’s the Jesus Lori knew until she met Chad Daybell.”

12:36 p.m. Archibald: “Why can’t people escape religious leaders? Why can’t Lori escape and get back to her good mom life? Lori is not a leader in Chad’s new church – the Church of the Fireborn. Lori so wants to testify of Jesus. She wants to tell the world how much she loves Jesus. She wants to tell you she personally met him on more than one occasion. But is Lori a leader or a follower of Chad? She so wants to be a leader but she’s not leading anyone. She’s following Chad. She thinks Chad is following Jesus but he’s not. He’s unfortunately being led by the storm – not the first guy to be led by the storm.”

12:35 p.m. Archibald: “Was it proven who killed JJ? No but Chad got in a scratch fight with JJ the day before. Maybe those were the scratches on JJ’s neck. Alex was only at the gravesite for JJ for 17 minutes. That’s not enough time to find a board, find rocks and line them up. I’m guessing Alex had help from Chad. Of the 15,000 texts you have in evidence, show me one where Lori is part of that conspiracy. ‘When are you killing JJ by the way? There is no such text.'”

12:33 p.m. Archibald: “What’s going on in Chad’s brain? You and I wound’t believe it – but some people do. Some people follow religious leaders when others don’t. Was it proven who killed Tylee? No – but Alex and Chad were in the backyard. Chad had said, ‘Tylee doesn’t like me.’ I’m guessing Chad and Alex on Tylee. Did they prove that Lori conspired? Of the 15,000 texts they have in evidence, show me one from Lori that says, ‘So when are you killing Tylee?'”

12:31 p.m. Archibald says Lori kept asking Chad what was happening “because Chad’s been to heaven and he knows.” He brings up the fact that Chad would change percentage ratings for people because “he’s making it up as he goes. He can’t remember if it’s zero percent when people die or 100 percent when people die.”

12:29 p.m. Archibald brings up Audrey’s testimony and says he thought she was “making up stuff.” What did we learn about her? “That she was married to Jesus, that kind of cool. That I’ll follow you to five different states even though I didn’t really follow you.” Archibald apologizes to the jury for getting a little “excited” with Audrey because he didn’t believe her. “You have to sort through that and decide what is credible and not credible with these witnesses. What is real and what is imaginary?”

12:27 p.m. Archibald talks about the prophecy Chad told the neighbors about – that Tammy would die before she was 50. “Wouldn’t Tammy also know about this prophecy? Couldn’t that be why she increased her life insurance? Tammy was still with Chad even though he was so nutty. She stood by him even as they went bankrupt as he was trying to sell his stupid books. So her prophetic husband who said, ‘Dear wife, you’re going to die next year’ – could that cause her to increase her life insurance? Prove to me that that’s false.”

12:24 p.m. Archibald brings up Tammy’s death. “That death is up in the air. Was she even murdered? Was it a natural death? To believe she was murdered, Chad is so smooth that he convinced a county coroner, a deputy coroner, and a police officer that it was all natural causes and convinced his kids. Remember the kids showed up, ‘Oh my. What happened to Mom.’ Chad convinced them all – Sorry kids, mom died in her sleep. Ok dad. You’re being asked to convict Lori on killing Tammy when Lori’s in Hawaii. Yuo’re being asked to convict Lori on killing Tammy when it isn’t even a homicide.”

12:22 p.m. Archibald talks about the photos that “I’m sure are burned into your brain” — the autopsy photos — before transitioning to the hair found on the duct tape wrapped around JJ’s body. “Is that a smoking gun? No, not at all. Why not? Because decomposition fluid was also in that bag, the pajamas were also in that bag, kids socks were also in that bag, a kid’s blanket was also in that bag. To say Lori is a killer because they found a piece of her hair on duct tape, that’s not true. I would hope all of you who are mothers – I hope your hair is somewhere on your kid’s pajamas, socks or blanket.”

12:21 p.m. Archibald quotes Summer’s testimony of Lori being a good mom, getting along with Tylee and Lori never agreeing to kill her kids.

12:20 p.m. Archibald references Summer Shiflet’s testimony and the phone call. “I have supported you your whole life. Chad has lied to you. Chad has deceived you,” Archibald quotes. Then he says Alex was a 16-year-old stuck in an adult body because of a car accident.

12:19 p.m. “They say she’s cunningly coming up with a plan to knock off all these people. Why not go get insurance policies on the kids? She didn’t go get an insurance policy on the kids. Does that tell you she wasn’t planning to kill her kids or she would have gotten policies,” Archibald says.

12:18 p.m. Archibald says Lori lied to protect Chad – her lover, her eternal in how many worlds companion. “How can someone have that much control over you? We’ve heard how reason and common sense go out the windows sometimes when religious principles are involved,” Archibald says.

12:16 p.m. Archibald says on Lori’s rental application for her Rexburg home, she listed JJ and Tylee as her kids. “Why tell everyone you had two kids? Why enroll them in school? Why hire a babysitter? The only thing that makes sense to me if she didn’t have a plan. She wanted to be with Chad. They were obviously having an affair. Chad told her all the time about life and dark things but there was no plan by Lori to kill her kids.”

12:14 p.m. Archibald talking about April Ryan’s testimony of Lori trying to recruit her to join the 144,000. April declined to join in. Archibald talks about Lori hiring a babysitter to watch JJ. “If Lori has all these plans to kill her kid, why hire a babysitter and bring her over and introduce her and why check JJ into school? You’re going to kill your kid next week. Why do that? Because Lori didn’t have a plan. The state wants you to think that this was Lori’s plan to kill her kids.”

12:13 p.m. Archibald references Colby’s testimony where he said Lori was a good mom. He mentions the phone call from Colby to Lori and says “it was so painful.” Archibald gets choked up. “It’s just so painful.”

12:11 p.m. Archibald: “Look for the lack of evidence of who’s doing what.” He brings up Chad’s blessing to Alex. “To me it’s craziness. Opening the portals of time, third creation, fourth creation, great warriors, exaltation but came back in the fifth creation. What in the heck is Chad talking about? He’s the leader of his new church. He calls himself a patriarch. Just goofy stuff.”

12:09 p.m. Archibald goes on to describe the “weird religious babble that really does not make sense.” “In America, you can believe how you want but you can’t go killing people so what are they talking about? What is all this religious talk?” Archibald tells the jurors to listen to the call from Melanie Gibb where Lori says the kids are safe and happy. “Does she know Chad and Alex were out in the backyard together? remember all the GPS data? Lot’s not there. Lori’s not in the backyard when Chad and Alex are. She’s not coming and going from Chad’s property on those days. She’s not there. They are calling and texting her. Are they texting about today’s the day we are going to kill some people? We don’t know that. Maybe they were texting about running an errand – ‘Do you want a real Coke or a Diet Coke?”

12:08 p.m. Archibald says on the jail phone call from Chad, Lori did not know the kids were in the backyard. “Chad knew but does she know that Chad and Alex stuffed her kids in Chad’s backyard? Go listen to it again and you make your determination.”

12:06 p.m. Archibald recalls Officer Ray Heromosillo’s testimony. He testified that Chad Daybell, when the police showed up, called his lawyer. “And what’s Chad doing? He’s outside looking over his shoulder then he sped away and got arrested. So when Chad was looking over his shoulder, what’s that inference? That Chad knew what was in his backyard. He knew that time was short for him.”

12:04 p.m. Archibald says the first witness was Kay Woodcock. She described Charles and Lori as the all-American family. She trusted her brother and she trusted Lori. They each had two kids and then adopted one together. Kay said something changed in late 2018/early 2019. Brandon B. then testified and said Charles and Lori were great. “I loved that family like my own.” But then “all of the end of the world talk ramped up and things got weird.”

12:03 p.m. Archibald says there’s no doubt the children are dead but did Lori do it? “You’ve heard 60 witnesses and seen hundreds of exhibits. County police, local police, state police, federal police – a lot of resources. I want to review some of these with you.”

12:01 p.m. Archibald now talking about sex. “People have sex outside of marriage every day.” He compared the physical attractiveness between Chad and Charles. Archibald says it wasn’t about sex. “She’s reading his books during a hard time in her life and this guy is telling her she’s a goddess…and by the way, we’ve already been married in previous life so it’s not really cheating. And we were best friends with Jesus and Jesus approves so everything is ok. That’s quite the pickup line by Chad to Lori and it worked. Pretty scary that the pickup line from Chad to Lori worked.”

12:00 p.m. Now Archibald talks about power. “In the year Chad convinced her she was a goddess, how many converts did Lori have? Zero. A big fat zero. How many converts did Chad have? I count six. Melanie, Audrey, etc.” Archibald says, “This great cause of saving the world and gathering up the 144,000, Chad got six and Lori got zero. Doing some simple math, Chad has 143,994 people left to gather before Jesus comes. At the rate of six people a year, that will take Chad 24,000 years to get this army assembled. The math is ridiculous.”

11:56 a.m. Archibald says he respects the state’s argument that this is about money, sex and power. But he says Charles Vallow was making $400,000-500,000. He says that Lori was receiving far less in Social Security money after Charles’ death. So what is the point of the death? Then she moves on to Chad “who can’t sell enough stupid books about the end of the world” so Tammy has to support him. “So Lori wanted to ditch Charles who makes $400-500,000 a year and go to Chad who makes $30,000 a year and she wanted to do that for money?”

11:55 a.m. Archibald: “You’ve been able to see my client. You’ve been able to see the evil glares she gets from the audience. You’ve been able to see the witnesses and the evidence. You’ve been able to hear my client six times during this trial.” He then lists the pieces of evidence (the phone calls, body camera footage, the podcast).

11:54 a.m. Archibald: “Pretty soon six of you are going to have to get bumped. And that’s too bad. The judge is going to pick numbers out of a hat to see who stays and who goes. I think the thought was during a long trial, someone was going to get sick or have issues at home or a death in the family – something is going to happen that some of you are not going to show up. All of you showed up. To you alternates, thanks again for your service and I’m sorry you won’t get to deliberate with your fellow jurors.”

11:52 a.m. Archibald: “I talked to you weeks ago about paying attention to who does what. Pay attention to burden of proof. We don’t have to provide any witnesses or evidence and my client doesn’t have to testify. You can’t hold that against us.”

11:50 a.m. “Who is Chad Daybell?” Archibald asks. Lori read some of his books and Archibald explains all about the religious teachings, the 144,000, evil spirits, light and dark ratings, zombies, Jesus being in the temple – “quite a remarkable change in Lori from people who knew her. What the heck is going on? How can this be?” Archibald goes on to say, “One year after meeting Chad, four people are dead.” Archibald reminds jurors they shouldn’t consider Charles’ death in this case as Lori is not facing charges here in Idaho for the death.

11:49 a.m. Archibald explains about Lori marrying and divorcing Joseph Ryan. “The kids needed protecting from Joseph Ryan.” Now he talks about Charles Vallow and their marriage. “You heard JJ had medical issues when he was born and Charles and Lori were a good fit for him. They loved him and they cared for him. Then the story about Lori Vallow changes dramatically in October 2018.”

11:47 a.m. Archibald:” Who is Lori Vallow? What happened? Where did it happen? When did it happen? Why did it happen? That’s what you’ve been asked to figure out. That’s what you need to be convinced of beyond a reasonable doubt.” Lori was born in California, turns 50 next month, got married right out of high school. Got divorced, went to beauty school, got married and divorced again. “She worked hard as a single mother.”

11:45 a.m. Archibald: “Thank you for your service. you have a tough job. We talked about this almost seven weeks ago when we met. We talked about the case being difficult. You were asked if you could be fair and impartial and reserve judgment until the end. We’re getting close to the end. You were asked to be patient and attentive while putting your life on hold. Again – thank you.” Archibald thanks the prosecutors and says, “We’re small-town lawyers. We’re not from Boise. We’re called opposing counsel but we do respect each other. We respect the jobs we have to do.” Archibald says he does not have a Powerpoint.

11:44 a.m. Boyce is back on the bench. Archibald will now present his closing argument. He also is standing directly in front of the jury, like Wood, rather than at the lectern.

11:40 a.m. Bailiff just came to get the attorneys and said Boyce wants to meet with them in chambers. They all leave as Lori turns her back to the crowd.

11:37 a.m. Lori is with her attorneys and the prosecutors are at their table. We are waiting for Judge Boyce.

11:35 a.m. John Prior, Chad’s attorney, just walked in and is sitting on the row in front of us.

11:14 a.m. We are now taking a recess before Archibald gives closing arguments.

11:13 a.m. Wood: “What does justice for these victims require? It requires a conviction on every count.” Photos of JJ and Tylee and Tammy are on the screen. “You must convict her.” Wood is done.

11:10 a.m. Wood: “Ladies and gentlemen, you have your instructions. You are going to go back and deliberate. Read them carefully. Consider all the evidence. Look at all the facts. Look at the timeline. Charles Vallow, Tylee Ryan, JJ, Tammy. All within a short time frame. How are they tied together? Who could have killed those people? We have Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, Alex Cox. Who had motive to kill those people? Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell. Who benefits from these murders? Lori Vallow gets Tylee’s money, she gets JJ’s money. Chad and Lori get Tammy’s money. What does your reason and common sense tell you? You’ve seen what happened to her children, what happened to Tammy. She never reported the children missing. She lied and she lied and she lied about where they were and while she lied, she kept collecting the money.”

11:08 a.m. Wood references the message Chad sent that said their spouses were “obstacles.” Chad sent a message to Lori on Oct. 5 asking for Lori to “seek a confirmation.” Wood now shows a slide documenting that Lori was in Missouri at the time of the attempted shooting. He shows a text from Lori to Melani B. telling her she can’t go out of town and Melani responds, “Ok Captain.” Wood says: “Lori was in charge. She was in command.”

11:07 a.m. Wood: “Lori never says, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t kill our relatives.’ There’s never a hesitation.” He references the Wifi password Alex set up “2manykids.” Lori responds, “Funny.” Wood: “It would be funny if her kids were still alive and maybe a little rambunctious. But her kids are dead.

11:05 a.m. Wood references Lori’s text to Chad in Aug. 2019. “I feel lost. Like I should be doing something to help,” referring to the deaths of the kids. Wood: “Not, ‘I’m worried about the kids’ but ‘I should do something to help’ get them closer to their deaths.” Lori uses sex to get Chad to do what she wants him to, Wood says.

11:03 a.m. The conversation goes into sexual text messages right after Chad and Lori were texting about the deaths of their spouses and the kids. Lori asks Chad if JJ is at zero yet. “She can’t wait (for JJ to die),” Wood says.

11:01 a.m. We now see a slide of text messages from Lori to Chad. After Charles was shot in the chest, Chad texts Lori, “Tammy is close. JJ is at a 2.” This was July 30, 2019. “On July 30, she’s already planning for JJ to go the same way as Charles. To be murdered.”

11:01 a.m. Wood: “This isn’t fantasy. Those children were found dead in real life in Chad Daybell’s backyard.”

10:59 a.m. The next slide says, “Sex: Obstacles to a Future Together.” Wood points out that when Chad spoke about Tylee and JJ being close to death (their death numbers), Lori responded with, “‘That is sweet. I miss you desperately.’ There is no doubt she wants these children gone. She is encouraging their murder. She wants these children gone.”

10:58 a.m. We now see a slide that says “Sex: Affair.” Text messages are displayed on the screen about kissing for hours, being cheek to cheek. “Lori uses sex to manipulate Chad and Chad seeks confirmation from Lori repeatedly.”

10:57 a.m. Wood: “The only reason religion matters is because it’s the tool they used to manipulate others. Who is the common thread here? Lori Vallow.”

10:56 a.m. Wood displays text messages showing the “grooming” of Alex Cox. “Lori Vallow is telling Alex Cox what to do. You never see Alex tell her what to do — she is always telling him what to do.” Wood references one message where Alex says, “My lips are sealed” and Lori responds, “Good boy.” Alex’s wife Zulema Pastenses testified that Alex believed “all of it.”

10:54 a.m. We now see a slide that says ‘Money: The benefits of Murder.” The next slide says “Power.” Wood: “It does not matter what they believed. It matters what they did. They can believe whatever they want. But when they use that to justify homicide, that changes. They used religion as a tool to manipulate others. Lori manipulated Alex Cox through religion. She manipulated Chad through emotional and sexual control. They manipulated their friends.”

10:52 a.m. Wood: “Get the money and then commit the murder.” He says she made sure to make arrangements to get money before JJ’s death as well. Wood explains the amount you need to find for grand theft is $1,000. “If you find Lori Vallow collected $1,000 that was not intended for her, you must find her guilty of grand theft.”

10:50 a.m. Wood: “We talk about money, power, sex. Lori learned a lesson with Charles Vallow. She learned how to get money before the deaths. Within a week, she’s already talking about the Social Security she’s going to get. It was planned. “We see a history timeline of when Tylee received Social Security money and when Lori switched accounts.”

10:48 a.m. Wood now shows the images of Tylee’s bones on the screen. He points to images and marks that show signs of stabbing. We now see a graphic photo of JJ Vallow’s body wrapped in tape. “They did this to a boy with special needs.” We now see Tammy’s autopsy photo. “There was nothing in her body that would have killed her. She had bruises on her arms that the ME stated were consistent with restraint. JJ had bruises on his arms, too.”

10:48 a.m. Wood: “Tylee, JJ and Tammy can’t tell us what happened. But their bodies do.”

10:46 a.m. Wood shows a photo of the grassy area where JJ’s body was buried. We now see a photo of the rocks and boards that were lying on top of JJ. “You heard the testimony of multiple officers about the smell emanating. And how they found what was a human head. Look at this grave. This was prepared in advance. This was a premeditated murder. You heard testimony that Lori Vallow handed JJ off to Alex Cox.”

10:44 a.m. Wood shows a chunk of concrete found in the ground “sitting on top of Tylee’s skull.” He says they also found pieces of Tylee “here – in the shed.” A photo of the shed is shown on the screen. We see a pickaxe that was taken to the Idaho State Lab and there was Tylee’s DNA in the eye of the pickaxe. We see a photo of the shovel that was tested for DNA. “There was blood on the handle and it matched to Tylee Ryan.”

10:42 a.m. Wood shows the firepit where Tylee was found. He shows an image of a chain and a jewelry charm found in the debris “being worn by Tylee Ryan.” “You sat satellite footage that same day of the disturbance in the ground. You saw how law enforcement found a dog and a cat (in the ground). They found what they thought might be human bones and they continued to dig. And this is what they found. This is what was left of Tylee Ryan. Charred flesh. Dismembered.” An image of Tylee’s remains are on the screen.

10:40 a.m. An overhead image of Chad Daybell’s property is shown on the screen. Wood explains a warrant was served on the property June 9, 2020. “Multiple officers testified to you of watching Chad Daybell in that car looking over his shoulder to the location of where Tylee Ryan was buried. You heard a phone call from that morning from Chad saying, ‘They’re searching the property.’ You can hear the fear and guilty in both of their voices. They know what’s about to happen.”

10:39 a.m. Wood now talking about the night Tammy died – “the night Tammy was murdered.” He shows a timeline showing the digital activity from that night between Alex and Chad and Tammy. An image is deleted from Tammy’s phone that night. Alex calls Lori at 11:53 pm. Lori is in Hawaii “on purpose – not a coincidence,” Wood says.

10:37 a.m. Wood talks about Chad getting his burner phone on Oct. 9 – the day Tammy was shot at. Alex is at his sister’s house and then goes to Sportsman’s Warehouse. “You can follow his phone as he scopes out the property.” Wood shows a timeline of digital data from that day. Fifteen texts between Alex and Chad in a short amount of time. “What ties Alex to Chad? Lori Vallow.”

10:35 a.m. “No matter how many tips police followed up on, they never found JJ. They never found Tylee except here – where Alex’s phone was pinged by GPS,” Wood says pointing to Chad’s backyard. Alex spent 17 minutes at Chad’s house that day. “That grave was not dug in 17 minutes. It was premeditated, planned.”

10:34 a.m. Wood reminds the jury of Melanie Gibb’s and David Warwick’s testimony. Lori told them JJ was a zombie and acting out. On the morning of Sept. 23, David asks about JJ. Lori tells him he was climbing up the cabinets and refrigerator so she sent him with Alex Cox. “An overt act. Alex Cox took possession of JJ that morning.” Wood now shows where Alex was that morning – in his apartment then on his way to Chad’s house “with JJ Vallow in tow.”

10:33 a.m. We now see a slide after Tylee was buried. Wood: “They’ve done the deed. They burned Tylee. They dismembered and buried her.”

10:31 a.m. We see the map of Alex’s movements from the morning of Sept. 9 and the GPS hits off his phone. There is a hit at the burn pit on Chad’s property, another hit right by where Tylee was buried and another hit at the gate to the property.

10:30 a.m. Wood says this all revolves around money and reminds the jury of Colby Ryan’s testimony. “Every two to three months, Lori would tell him we are out of money. It was a concern for her.” Wood shows the Google location history of Alex Cox and a map that lays out his cell phone activity the early morning of Sept. 9, 2019.

10:29 a.m. Wood: “Tylee Ryan was seen in Yellowstone National Park and then was never seen again. But she turned up in Chad Daybell’s pet cemetery.” Wood references the James and Elena story – “this was all a plan for them to be together without obstacles. Obstacles was the word they used.”

10:28 a.m. Wood reads the “raccoon text” from Chad Daybell to Tammy Daybell on Sept. 9. “This text is where Chad Daybell told us where to find Tylee Ryan.”

10:27 a.m. Wood talks about Chad Daybell searching SSW winds on Sept. 8. “The next day he knows he will be burning Tylee Ryan in his firepit and he needs to know which way the wind will be blowing. This is the only time he searches wind direction.” Wood shows the searches on the lollytime4ever account and Lori Vallow Google searches. “The day Tammy Daybell is being buried, Lori is looking up wedding dresses in Hawaii. Her boyfriend’s wife is being buried that day and she’s already looking for wedding dresses.”

10:25 a.m. Lori is looking at Wood as he is speaking. Wood reviews the digital evidence including all the searches on the homerjmaximus account (Alex Cox’s account). On the screen is a list of searches Alex did about prepping an AR in the cold, shooting through a Dodge Dakota (the same vehicle Tammy and Chad owned) and how to drill baffles to make a suppressor.

10:24 a.m. Wood explains how Alex visited gun ranges, went to Sportsman’s Warehouse and then was located at the church near Chad’s house on the night Tammy died. “These are all overt acts and steps taken to get to murder.”

10:21 a.m. Wood lists off overt acts he says Lori used to further conspiracy and grand theft. She never reported her kids missing, she changed bank accounts to get Social Security benefits from her kids, burner phones, etc. “All these steps were taken to further their conspiracy.” Wood mentions the text messages about Tammy being in limbo and being possessed by a zombie.

10:20 a.m. Many jurors taking notes, others looking at Wood as he gives his argument. Wood: “They couldn’t kill the kids in Arizona where they had friends and family. Moving to Rexburg was the catalyst for these murders. They had to hide Tylee and JJ. They had to go somewhere nobody knew them. Moving to Rexburg was the catalyst for these murders and then Alex followed.”

10:19 a.m. Wood: “To be clear, nobody here has been charged for their religious beliefs. They have been charged for using those religious beliefs to justify murder.”

10:18 a.m. Wood: “Aiding and abetting is just the same as pulling the trigger. Overt acts – on a conspiracy you must find at least one overt act beyond a reasonable doubt. Overt acts in and of themselves don’t need to be illegal but if it’s an act done in furtherance of conspiracy, then it is an overt act and makes it part of the crime.”

10:17 a.m. Wood: “A reasonable doubt is based on reason and common sense. Use your reason and your common sense as you deliberate. Malice is one of those words that may mean something in the real world versus in court. Follow the jury instruction. Malice can be expressed where someone says they want it to happen or it can be implied. You will find express and implied malice in this case. There is an abundance of malice.”

10:15 a.m. Wood talks about Tammy’s conspiracy charge. Asks jurors if Lori was involved. He talks about the grand theft. He tells the jurors to read the instructions carefully and they will find “the state has met its burden beyond a reasonable doubt.”

10:14 a.m. Wood now talking about the Tylee murder charge. “Did Lori aid and abed in that murder? Did she encourage the murder? Under the law, if you find Lori aided, abetted, advised or counseled in the murder of Tylee, you must convict her.” Wood says the same must be done with JJ’s murder.

10:13 a.m. Wood: “When it comes to conspiracy, you need to ask yourself, ‘Who murdered these people? Did Lori intend for it to happen and was one of these overt acts accomplished in furtherance of the conspiracy? You only need to find one overt act. The state has met its burden for each overt act – you only need to find one.”

10:11 a.m. Wood talks about Idaho law and this being a “crime of agreement.” “Did Lori agree to have Tylee killed and steal that money? Did she intend for those events to actually happen? And did any of the conspirators perform an overt act in furtherance of that agreement?”

10:10 a.m. Wood: “Lori Vallow is the one who ties this all together.” He talks about the attempted shooting of Brandon B., Rexburg police getting a call looking for JJ, the investigation into the missing kids, Tammy’s body being exhumed, the kids being found.

10:09 a.m. We now see wedding photos of Chad and Lori on the beach. Wood: “They were freed from the obstacles of their kids and wife. They were dancing on the beach…You have seen plenty of evidence of the affair that took place after they met.” Wood is now walking the jury through a timeline “that tells the truth” as it is displayed on the screen.

10:06 a.m. A picture of Tammy Daybell is now on the screen. Wood: “A loving mother of five and school librarian was murdered in her own home. She was asphyxiated in her own home. The evidence is clear that Lori, Chad and Alex conspired to murder Tammy. Acting together, they caused her death. Her death occurred just a little over a week after a masked gunman attempted to shoot her as she entered her home after a night of church activity … Lori was conveniently gone for both the attempted murder and the successful murder. Those trips were not coincidences. And just like Tylee and JJ, there was money to be gained from Tammy’s death. $430,000 worth of life insurance and Lori wasted no time to benefit from that money.”

10:06 a.m. Wood: “Just like Tylee, Lori never reported that JJ was missing or dead. She kept collecting the money. She lied to multiple people and even asked a friend to lie to the police about JJ’s location. Just like Tylee, after JJ was murdered, she kept collecting the money.”

10:03 a.m. Wood: “Lori never reported that Tylee was missing. She lied to multiple people. She had to keep her body hidden so she could keep getting the money.” We now see a photo of JJ Vallow on the screen. “JJ’s voice was silenced forever by a strip of duct tape placed across his mouth. A white plastic bag was placed over his head where it was secured tightly with duct tape wrapped around and around from his forehead to his neck. The evidence says he struggled and we’ll never know how long he fought before they wrapped tape around his wrists and ankles. He stopped breathing, his heart stopped beating and he died. It was a brutal, horrific murder of a 7-year old boy with special needs.”

10:02 a.m. A photo of Tylee Ryan is shown on the screen. “She was burned and buried in Chad Daybell’s backyard. What was left of her body they dumped in a green bucket and buried in a pet cemetery on top of a piece of her skull. Tylee was gone and buried and out of the way, but Lori Vallow kept collecting Tylee’s money.”

10 a.m. Wood: “Money, power and sex. Beginning in October 2018, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell set in a motion of events. Along the way, they included her brother Alex Cox to participate in a conspiracy unencumbered and free of obstacles. This plan was driven by Lori Vallow’s desire for and use of money, power and sex. And this plan must end today in the verdicts you render in this trial.”

9:58 a.m. Madison County Prosecuting Attorney Rob Wood will present closing arguments on behalf of the state. Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Blake gave opening statements in the case a month ago.

9:54 a.m. During the break, a man took a photo inside the courtroom. He was immediately asked to leave and the bailiff made him delete the photo. Cameras are not allowed.

9:37 a.m. We will now take a brief recess before closing arguments begin.

9:35 a.m. Boyce is done reading the jury instructions. Rob Wood will give closing arguments on behalf of the prosecution. Wood asks for a brief sidebar. White noise is played in the courtroom.

9:33 a.m. We are on the last instruction. Boyce again reminds the jury that the arguments of the attorneys are not evidence. He says the attitudes and demeanor of the jurors at the beginning of deliberations are very important. “You are not advocates – you are judges.” He reminds them of the importance of “the declaration of the truth.”

9:31 a.m. Boyce reads a rule that says the jury will appoint a foreman. The duty of the foreman is to make sure everyone is heard from. “The verdict can’t be arrived at by chance.” He says the jury cannot reveal to anyone else their verdict until the judge asks for it.

9:30 a.m. Boyce says all the exhibits will be in the jury room except the firearms. They can be viewed if requested with assistance from the bailiff.

9:26 a.m. Boyce: “In this case, you will return a verdict consisting of a series of questions. Although the questions on the verdict form are self-explanatory, I am required to read them to you.”

Question 1: Is Lori not guilty or guilty of conspiracy to commit first degree murder of Tylee Ryan?
Question 2: Is Lori not guilty or guilty of first degree murder of Tylee Ryan?
Question 3: Is Lori not guilty or guilty of conspiracy to commit first degree murder of JJ Vallow?
Question 4: Is Lori not guilty or guilty of first degree murder of JJ Vallow?
Question 5: Is Lori not guilty or guilty of conspiracy to commit first degree murder of Tammy Daybell?
Question 6: Is Lori not guilty or guilty of grand theft?

9:23 a.m. Jury instruction #33. “There are different forms of theft depending on how the theft was committed. Lori Daybell is charged in Count 7 with the theft of Social Security funds.”

9:21 a.m. Boyce continues to read instructions and stresses the jury can only find Lori guilty on each charge if the state has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the allegations were indeed committed.

9:20 a.m. Once the jury begins deliberating, they will have access to all witness testimony and all the evidence — including the 130,000-150,000 items found on Lori’s iCloud account. There are 18 jurors here – 12 will be picked as the actual jurors, the others as alternates.

9:18 a.m. Jury instruction #31. Boyce explains that in order for Lori to be found guilty of first-degree murder, the state must prove each allegation listed in the indictment.

9:15 a.m. We are on jury instruction #30. He lists out the allegations and says the state must have proven each element of the alleged crime in order to find Lori guilty.

9:13 a.m. Boyce lists out specific allegations in the charges and says if they have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, “you must find the defendant guilty.” If they have not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, “you must find the defendant not guilty.”

9:09 a.m. Boyce explains what malice is and what “to obtain property” means. “An owner of property is any person who has a right to possession of such property superior to the right of the defendant.”

9:05 a.m. Boyce says jurors should consider the qualifications and credentials of the testimony of each witness. He explains what conspiracy to commit murder is – “an agreement by two or more persons to commit first-degree murder. They may not agree on every detail. It may be shown by evidence of an oral or written agreement.” He explains what murder is.

9:04 a.m. Boyce lists off the exhibit numbers that were admitted as demonstrations rather than evidence.

9:03 a.m. The jurors have written instructions in front of them and are following along as Boyce reads them. They seem focused and not distracted. Lori is also following along on her paper copy.

9:02 a.m. Boyce: “The lawyers are not witnesses. What they say is not evidence. If the facts as you remember them differ from what you the lawyers say, go with what you remember.”

9 a.m. Boyce: “If there is a reasonable doubt, you must find the defendant not guilty.” He reads from rule #5 that the defiant has a right not to testify. Rule #11 – “You have not heard all the evidence in the case. My duty is to instruct you as to the law. You must follow all the rules as I explain them to you. You may not follow some and ignore others. Even if you do not understand or disagree, you must follow them.”

8:59 a.m. Lori is writing in a notebook, looking at the jury and looking at the judge. Boyce begins with jury instruction #4 – the defendant is presumed to be innocent and the state has the burden to prove her guilty. She is never required to prove her innocence and never has to produce any evidence at all. The state must prove the alleged crime beyond a reasonable doubt.

8:58 a.m. Jurors walk in carrying their notebooks and water bottles.

8:56 a.m. While we wait for the jury, Boyce explains that jury instructions were finalized yesterday. There are 39 instructions and each juror will receive a copy of them along with a verdict form they will each complete.

8:53 a.m. Boyce denies the Rule 29 motion on the remaining charges. Case will move forward to the jury on all counts. Jurors will now be brought in.

8:50 a.m. You can see the indictment here and follow along on each of the counts.

8:47 a.m. Boyce denies rule 29 motion on count three.

8:46 a.m. Boyce denies rule 29 motion on count two.

8:44 a.m. Boyce continues to list the charges and then explains evidence and witnesses who testified in relation to those charges. On the first count, he denies the rule 29 motion.

8:41 a.m. Boyce lists witness testimony and evidence presented during the trial that shows there is a sign of potential guilt. He says the state provided sufficient evidence to back up the charges.

8:40 a.m. Boyce says substantial evidence has been presented during the trial and he’s gone through the elements of the charges. He lists the charges (scroll down to 8:05 a.m. to read them).

8:37 a.m. “The court must deny a motion if there is some evidence of guilt presented at trial,” Boyce says. He cites case law about Idaho Rule 29, the motion for judgment of acquittal. “Obviously this has been a long trial with a lot of witnesses and a lot of evidence presented.”

8:36 a.m. Boyce will go through jury instructions before closing arguments. The defense and prosecution are ready to proceed. Boyce says he will first rule on the defense’s motion for a judgment of acquittal.

8:35 a.m. Judge Boyce is on the bench.

8:30 a.m. The reserved prosecution rows are nearly full. Rexburg Police Chief Josh Rhodes, Asst. Chief Gary Hagen, Det. Ron Ball and Det. Ray Hermosillo are sitting there. Larry and Kay Woodcock, Gerry Vallow (Charles’ brother), retired FBI Special Agent Doug Hart and another FBI agent are sitting there along with Rex Conner, Lori Daybell’s uncle.

8:29 a.m. Personal note: I’m going to miss seeing the bailiffs and courtroom staff every day. They’ve been kind and professional in handling such a high-profile case with different people showing up every day to watch.

8:28 a.m. Bailiff (who some have now nicknamed “courtroom daddy”) is giving instructions to the audience. “Today is a very big day. Thousands of man hours have been put into this case and we want to give the jury as much respect as we can. Please silence your phones. If you don’t know how to silence them, turn them off. No photos or video in the courtroom. The Lifesavers are a double-edged sword — please open the wrappers now.”

8:26 a.m. Larry is now on our side of the courtroom with the bowl of mints. “How are you doing Larry?” the lady behind me asks. “I’m doing great!” with a thumbs up.

8:24 a.m. There is a buzz in the air in the courtroom. Much more chatter and Larry is passing out Lifesavers mints from a big red bowl. “Y’all pass those down to the ladies over there,” he says. He is in good spirits.

8:23 a.m. Lori just walked in the courtroom. She’s wearing gray dress pants, a black top and a black cardigan. She was holding a manila envelope. She’s now chatting with Jim Archibald. All of the prosecutors are sitting at their table.

8:18 a.m. Larry Woodcock walked into the courthouse with Kay and he was playing “We Will Rock You” on his iPad. “That’s JJ’s song,” he said.

8:05 a.m. A reminder of the charges Lori faces:

• Conspiracy to commit first degree murder and grand theft by deception (Tylee Ryan)
• First degree murder (Tylee Ryan)
• Conspiracy to commit first degree murder and grand theft by deception (JJ Vallow)
• First degree murder (JJ Vallow)
• Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder (Tammy Daybell)
• Grand theft

8 a.m. We are back at the Ada County Courthouse as Lori Vallow Daybell’s trial begins to conclude. Today the jury will be given instructions before they deliberate and we will hear closing arguments from both the prosecution and the defense.

The post DAY 27 | LIVE UPDATES: Jury goes home for the evening, will return Friday to continue Daybell trial deliberations appeared first on East Idaho News.

Tonight on ‘Courtroom Insider’…jury instruction is finalized, your reaction to the trial, what we can expect tomorrow and more.

Watch in the video player above.

You can watch previous episodes here.

The post COURTROOM INSIDER: Jury instruction, your reaction and more appeared first on East Idaho News.

LIVE UPDATES FROM THE LORI VALLOW DAYBELL TRIAL

2:52 p.m. Court is adjourned for the day. Join me tonight at 7:30 p.m. MT for ‘Courtroom Insider’ on my Facebook page or the EastIdahoNews.com YouTube channel.

2:48 p.m. Boyce mentions that references to Chad Daybell’s crimes on the indictment should be modified before being given to the jurors. State asks for clarification on how the information will be redacted. Archibald asks if Chad’s name will also be deleted. Blake says that will only confuse the jury. She says it will get very confusing if his name is removed. Boyce says the name should be removed from a part of the caption but it will remain in other parts.

2:44 p.m. We are back from the break. State has no problems with the revised verdict form. Archibald says question #6 is very similar to questions #1 and #3. Boyce says that’s how it was charged. If there are any other revisions to the verdict form, he will let the attorneys know. Jurors will receive these instructions tomorrow and then closing arguments.

2:28 p.m. Boyce says a new verdict form has been prepared. We are taking a quick recess while the attorneys review it. We will be back in 10 minutes.

2:20 p.m. Blake pushes back on the changes and wants the wording to remain the same. She says changing it will confuse the jury and asks Boyce to deny Archibald’s request. Boyce says he’s reviewed the matter and modifications will be made so jurors are not confused.

2:19 p.m. Archibald brings up another issue with the questionnaire and asks for some changes to be made.

2:16 p.m. No objections on #36, #37, #38 and the final instruction of #39.

2:12 p.m. Instruction #35 gets to the verdict form, Boyce says. The content of the verdict form will be part of this instruction. Blake asks that changes be made to questions #2, 4 and 5 by removing “and grand theft by deception.” Boyce says the changes need to be made. Blake has no objection to the way the instruction reads. Archibald says the questions ask if Lori is guilty or not guilty – but the checkboxes are reversed – not guilty and guilty. He asks the questions say not guilty and guilty to be consistent. Boyce says the verdict form will be redrafted.

2:09 p.m. State does not object to #34. Archibald says the instruction does not contain the same language as the indictment regarding the grand theft elements. Boyce says he reviewed it and the instruction is appropriate. He lets it in.

2:03 p.m. State has no problem with #33. Defense objects. Boyce overrules and says it will be given.

1:56 p.m. State has no objection to #32. Archibald objects to some of the paragraphs and says the instruction gives more options for conviction rather than how Lori was indicted. He asks for the instruction to be removed. Blake believes the instruction is appropriate and asks for it to remain in its current form. Boyce overrules the objection.

1:55 p.m. Blake gives some suggestions on how the instruction would be modified. Boyce says he will take the issue under advisement and determine if there should be some modifications to instruction #31.

1:48 p.m. Archibald says the way this instruction reads is not how the grand jury indicted Lori. He points out words that are different and says #31 is instructing the jury “completely different than how the grand jury indicted her.” Boyce responds he does have a concern about language in the instruction and not the indictment.

1:46 p.m. No objection to #31 from the state. Lori whispers something to Archibald, he nods his head and Thomas says, “Can we have just a second judge.”

1:44 p.m. No objection to #29 from either side. Some changes will be made to #30.

1:41 p.m. Boyce agrees that some changes should be made to this instruction. It will be amended and all parties are fine with it.

1:33 p.m. State has no objection to #28. Archibald says the language in the instruction does not mirror the indictment from the grand jury. He says the jury instruction tries to fix the indictment from the grand jury and points to errors “where the and/or language has been added – that’s not what the grand jury indicted my client on.” Archibald points out other issues he has with the indictment and instruction language. He does not want the instruction allowed in. Blake responds that she doesn’t see the same issues as the defense and asks for the instruction to be read to jurors tomorrow.

1:31 p.m. No objection on either side from #26. On #27, state does not object but defense has some issues with how the amended indictment now reads. Boyce overrules the objection and it will be allowed to be read as is.

1:30 p.m. No objection from state on #25. Archibald objects to “federal agency or United States of America” language in the instruction. Objection is overruled and the instruction will be allowed in.

1:29 p.m. No objection from either side on #20, #21, #22, #23, #24.

1:25 p.m. No objection on #17 or #18 from either side. Revisions were made to #19 and state has no objection. Archibald says there is some confusion about this rule and the language in the indictment charges. Blake says they don’t see the confusion and requests the instruction remain as is. Boyce says he made some changes already and the instruction will remain.

1:21 p.m. Boyce says a sentence was added to #14 this morning and it will be given as indicated in the draft. On instruction #15, an amendment was made about exhibits. It will be admitted as it stands right now. The state has no objection to #16, defense asks court to consider other language of aiding and abetting “since they may not be defined the same we will lodge an objection.” Again – we won’t the wording of these instructions until tomorrow when the jury is here. State asks to keep the instruction as is. Boyce overrules the objection.

1:20 p.m. Prosecution has no problem with #14. Archibald says this instruction refers to Arizona crimes and believes further information will assist the jury. Blake says adding the additional information will confuse the jurors.

1:19 p.m. Instruction #12 is submitted. Instruction #13 – Lindsey Blake suggests a change from “either or both” to “any or all” since more than two are charged. Archibald says, “that makes sense because there are more than two charges.” The instruction is amended.

1:16 p.m. Boyce says instructions 1-10 have previously been instructed and read to the jurors. He will read them again to the jury tomorrow. Boyce is not reading the actual instruction right now – just the number. Neither side objects to instruction 11.

1:16 p.m. Boyce says there was an informal meeting this morning to discuss jury instructions and we will now go over the final instructions with all parties.

1:14 p.m. All of the prosecutors are at their table. Judge Boyce is on the bench.

1:03 p.m. The defense attorneys are now in the courtroom. Lori is chatting with them. Rob Wood is sitting alone at the prosecutor’s table.

12:56 p.m. We are back in the courtroom. Lori Daybell is sitting alone at her table with her back toward the audience. She is wearing a white hoodie/long-sleeved sweatshirt. Much smaller crowd today.

11:08 a.m. We’ve been told the courtroom will open at 1 p.m. I’ll begin posting updates then.

9:19 a.m. Jim Archibald just walked by and is entering the courtroom. There likely won’t be anything publicly until 11 a.m. at the earliest.

8:39 a.m. There are about 10 of us waiting outside the courtroom – mainly reporters but a few members of the public. John Prior, Chad’s attorney, just walked by.

8:26 a.m. Judge will meet with attorneys starting at 9:30 a.m. Most of the proceedings today will be held in the judge’s chambers. The parties will come out if there are arguments and need to go on the record.

8:15 a.m. Back in the courthouse and the jury is off today. Prosecutors and defense attorneys will meet with Judge Boyce to determine the instructions that will be given to the jurors before deliberations. Boyce said yesterday that these discussions will be held in his chambers off-the-record but objections will be heard publicly in the courtroom. Unclear of when their meeting will begin but I will keep this story updated all day. If you missed yesterday and need to get caught up, here’s the link.

The post DAY 26 | LIVE UPDATES: Prosecutors, defense attorneys meet with judge to discuss jury instruction appeared first on East Idaho News.

Tonight on ‘Courtroom Insider’…two witnesses take the stand and the prosecution rests. Then the defense rests and Lori Vallow Daybell speaks.

Watch in the video player above.

You can watch previous episodes here.

The post COURTROOM INSIDER: The prosecution and defense rest. Now what? appeared first on East Idaho News.

LIVE UPDATES FROM THE LORI VALLOW DAYBELL TRIAL

Here are the sketches from today:

2:35 p.m. Jurors have just left the courtroom. Boyce asks the parties to make themselves available tomorrow. They will meet informally and then there will be formal hearings. Unclear what time proceedings will be held. I’ll break down everything that happened in court tonight at 7:30 p.m. Join me on my Facebook page or the EastIdahoNews.com YouTube channel.

2:33 p.m. Jurors are back in the courtroom. Boyce asks Archibald to advise the jurors how they are proceeding. “After consulting with my client, we don’t believe the state has proven its case so the defense rests.” A few jurors write things down. Boyce says the evidence portion of the trial is over. “There will be a jury instruction conference with counsel tomorrow.” He says they will be excused tomorrow and resume on Thursday with closing arguments.

2:31 p.m. Jurors will be dismissed for the day. Tomorrow Boyce will meet with the defense and prosecutors to work on jury instructions. Closing arguments will be heard Thursday morning.

2:30 p.m. Boyce tells Lori she has the right to exercise her 5th amendment right and can not be compelled to testify. He asks if it’s her decision to not testify. “Yes, your honor.” she says.

2:27 p.m. Boyce is on the bench. He says he has taken Rule 29 under advisement. Archibald says, “We don’t believe the state has proved its case so the defense will rest.”

2:26 p.m. We are back in the courtroom. When I walked in, Lori had a big smile on her face.

2:10 p.m. There are around 75-100 people waiting outside the courtroom to see what the defense team will say once the doors open up.

1:48 p.m. Idaho Rule 29 is the Motion for Judgment of Acquittal. Archibald is asking Boyce to consider this after reviewing all the evidence. You can read about the rule here. Boyce says everyone needs to leave the courtroom except Lori and her defense team so they can meet privately.

1:45 p.m. Lindsey Blake says they have presented evidence to support all elements of the indictment, and the case is ready to be submitted to the jury at the close of the defense’s arguments. She asks Boyce to deny the Rule 29 motion. Archibald: “If we do not present any evidence, then that issue would be moot in any event.”

1:43 p.m. “If the court needs time to review the evidence, we are not opposed to the court taking time. While the court reviews it, I will ask for a break so me, my co-counsel and investigator can meet with my client to decide how she wants to proceed with a defense. I will ask for a 15 minute recess to go to a secure location so we can have an open discussion about my client’s right to proceed.”

1:41 p.m. Archibald: “Rule 29 provides for a mechanism for the court to review the evidence that’s been submitted and determine if there’s been sufficient evidence on each count to proceed to the jury. Under Rule 29, we are asking the court to review the evidence and determine if there is sufficient evidence on each count, including overt acts, to submit the matter to the jury.”

1:39 p.m. Boyce says at this stage of the proceedings, it is common to have time for administrative matters. A motion will now be argued outside of the presence of the jury. Jurors will then be brought back in when it is done, and Boyce will announce the schedule moving forward “depending on where things land this afternoon.”

1:36 p.m. Archibald says the defense would like to make a motion outside the presence of the jury. A sidebar is being held.

1:35 p.m. Lindsey Blake says there are no more witnesses. “The state rests.”

1:33 p.m. Jurors are being brought in.

1:32 p.m. Boyce permits changes to the indictment and asks the state to prepare it before jurors go in for deliberations.

1:27 p.m. Boyce does permit a change to the word “month” when it was listed as “months” in the indictment. “Because the language of the indictment does include deception in the caption and in the charging language (rather than in the citation, where the error was made), the court would find the indictment may be amended.”

1:25 p.m. Boyce says Idaho law allows minor changes to the indictment before the state rests, but he’s annoyed. “The timing is sort of unbelievable for the number of prosecutors who have worked this case for so long. It’s not something that came up … until the end of the trial. This is the kind of motion that clearly the court doesn’t like having all of our jurors sitting around waiting for us. This could have been done by motion at any point before now.”

1:22 p.m. Wood says Lori was charged with grand theft by deception and argues there was an error in the indictment with the lettering … so it says grand theft with intent to deprive another rather than deception. You can read the indictment here.

1:21 p.m. Archibald says this is a big deal, and he is concerned about making the change. “This does affect the substantial rights of my clients, and if that’s the case, this error is fatal.”

1:16 p.m. Rob Wood says the state wants to amend some clerical errors. On two of the counts, 3a and 4a were inadvertently mismarked. Archibald asked for a copy of the amended indictment. “The indictment that was filed here and signed by a grand jury foreman on May 25, 2021 – two years ago. It has not been amended for two years. We have requested the amendment as her defense team. That’s been denied and now the state is asking to amend it two years later and Idaho code indicates an amendment of an indictment cannot be amended…so by changing the code sections of the statutes, their proposal is to change the code sections from grand theft with intent to deprive another to grand theft by depiction. These are different charges. They are not just mere clerical errors.”

1:15 p.m. Boyce is on the bench. “The state is preparing to rest but has brought up two issues. One issue is to argue an amendment or alteration to the indictment in the case.”

1:10 p.m. We are waiting on Judge Boyce to come back into the courtroom.

1:07 p.m. Here is a sketch of Nicholas Edwards from this morning.

1:02 p.m. The defense attorneys and prosecutors are back at their tables.

12:52 p.m. All of the attorneys have left the courtroom. Lori asked John Thomas something and he responded, “Just stay here.”

12:50 p.m. Boyce asks prosecutors to discuss the error with defense attorneys and then bring forth a motion. Boyce leaves the courtroom and we are in recess while the attorneys discuss the clerical mistake.

12:47 p.m. Before jurors are brought in, Blake says there is a clerical error in the indictment. She would like to get it corrected and submit an amended indictment to the court. The defense and Boyce are not aware of the error.

12:45 p.m. Boyce has some questions on the exhibits and wants to be sure everything has been admitted properly.

12:44 p.m. We are back in the courtroom. Boyce is on the bench and attorneys are at their tables.

12:43 p.m. I’m told Lori Vallow Daybell will not testify in her trial.

11:40 a.m. Attorneys are back, and Boyce is on the bench. He says we are breaking for lunch until 12:40 p.m., but some issues need to be taken up outside the presence of the jury. Jurors are dismissed. We will see what those issues are after lunch.

11:37 a.m. Many jurors are standing up and chatting with each other. Crazy to think that six weeks ago, none of them knew each other, and now they’ve spent every weekday together since April 10 listening to 61 witnesses, countless exhibits, graphic details and more.

11:33 a.m. Blake asks for a sidebar. All the attorneys leave the courtroom with the judge. Lori turns her back to the audience and writes on her notepad.

11:33 a.m. Blake has no further questions, and Edwards is released from the witness stand.

11:30 a.m. Blake has follow-up questions. She asks if other investigators prepared data that Edwards then reviewed. He says yes. Blake: “If a firearm jams or misfires, would there be any kind of a sound?” Edwards says a number of things could happen. Blake asks if he found Alex Cox’s device at or near the residence on Oct. 9, 2019. He says yes.

11:29 a.m. Thomas back at the stand and says he has no further questions.

11:26 a.m. Thomas the timelines and asks for clarification on some of the points. He talks about Alex arriving at the LDS church near Chad’s house and asks about geofencing. Edwards says he isn’t sure about geofencing and got his information from the CAST report. Thomas asks for a sidebar.

11:21 a.m. Thomas asks Edwards if he actually handled the AR firearm. “It’s a lot heavier than your average paintball gun,” Thomas says. Edwards: “It is.”

11:20 a.m. Thomas asks Edwards if he spoke with the specific kid Tammy mentioned in her email to her son. Edwards says he didn’t know who the child was – there was no name. Edwards says he spoke with the Prices next door.

11:17 a.m. Thomas asks which universities Edwards attended for his degrees. Thomas now asking about the timeline exhibit and the text messages between Alex, Chad and Zulema. He asks what the texts were about. “I don’t know what all of them were about. We don’t have the content for some of them,” Edwards says. Thomas: “They could have been talking about going to lunch or going to dinner or any number of things.” Edwards: “Correct.”

11:15 a.m. Thomas will cross-examine Edwards. Thomas asks how he’s doing and starts to review his professional background. He says before he was a police officer, he worked campus security at ISU while a student.

11:12 a.m. Edwards talks about finding the rocks under the dirt. Under the rocks were some boards, and exposed on his right was “what appeared to be the shape of a head in a black bag.” Edwards used his hands to sift through and dig in the dirt. Edwards says the FBI lead agent cut a hole in the black bag and the white bag, which exposed brown hair. “My experience after that was a flood of emotion that we found him and thoughts of my own son, who is the same age.” Blake has no further questions.

11:11 a.m. Edwards was assigned to search under a tree on the north side of the property. We now see a photo of the ground where JJ’s body was found buried. Edwards says he was instructed to slowly and methodically look for a designated spot where they believed a body might be. He could tell the contour of the earth was different, and the grass had been disturbed in the form of a rectangle.

11:09 a.m. Edwards says Tammy had two life insurance policies, and they both paid out. Chad Daybell was the recipient. Edwards says Chad and Lori got married on Nov. 5, 2019. Edwards was involved in the search at Daybell’s property on June 9, 2020.

11:07 a.m. On Oct. 20, L to C: “What’s on your agenda today?” C to L: “Need to meet with the mortuary today. I hope to be able to talk after I can get my parents to go home.” They then exchange messages over the next few days about missing each other and craving each other with heart emojis.

11:04 a.m. Now we see a slide showing the messages between Chad and Lori on the morning of Oct. 20. L to C: “I am missing you more. I need you desperately. I can’t wait.” L to C: “Need you to hold me tight. That would be great. What about the idea of you coming here. or do you want me to come there.” C to L: “The apartment is haunted. I need to be here to sort out the financials. Please come home Thursday so we can spend the night together. I seriously want you to look for a condo for us there that we can return to at the first of the month.” L to C: “I know exactly where we should be. I don’t care where we are as long as we’re together.” Chad and Lori discuss the “Lili” workout plan that was mentioned yesterday. They go back and forth about being lovesick and consumed with each other. Chad to Lori: “I am feeling sad but it isn’t for the reason everyone thinks.”

11:02 a.m. The night Tammy died, her phone is active and playing games at 10:22 p.m. At 11:28 p.m., a jpeg is deleted from her phone. There are then texts between Chad and Lori. At 11:46 p.m., Alex is leaving the LDS church parking lot near Chad’s house. Alex calls Lori and then talks from 11:53 p.m. -12:09 a.m Lori texts Zulema at 12:10 a.m. Chad texts Lori at 12:35 a.m.

11 a.m. Lori was in Hawaii on Oct. 18 to 19. It shows text messages and location activity between 6:13 p.m. and 12:35 a.m. There are texts between Lori and Chad, Alex and Chad and Alex and Lori.

10:58 a.m. Thomas objects to the timeline and asks Lori was not anywhere in the area, so she has nothing to do with it.

10:56 a.m. Blake asks to admit another exhibit. It shows the timeline of events on Oct. 18-19.

10:55 a.m. The casting was being done the night of the attempted shooting. On Oct. 9, homerjmaximus searched for how to clean an AR and searched for what a Grendel AR might do through a Dodge Dakota. The Daybells owned a Dodge Dakota.

10:53 a.m. The attempted shooting occurred around 9:15 p.m. There are lots of calls and texts along with a casting that Zulema and Lori performed that day. As Fremont County deputies are on scene, there are texts between Alex and Lori, Chad and Alex and Chad and Lori. At 10:42 p.m., the deputy leaves. There is then a 38-minute phone call between Alex and Zulema. The next morning there are messages between Alex and Zulema.

10:51 a.m. Thomas objects to the exhibit but Boyce allows it in for demonstrative purposes – not as evidence. The first slide shows a timeline of Oct. 9, 2019 from 5 p.m. – 12:28 a.m.

10:49 a.m. Blake asks to admit a timeline from 2019 that Edwards created.

10:48 a.m. Edwards found on the homerjmaximus account that a search has been done for a Grendel drop – meaning the searcher was trying to figure out what adjustments needed to be made on the scope to hit your target. Scopes were recovered in Lori’s garage.

10:46 a.m. Blake asks about the email Tammy sent to her son Mark. During his investigation, Edwards says he spoke with neighbors about paintball guns. They did not own any paintball guns. Blake asks Edwards if he did additional follow-up after the shooting. He says he spoke with many people in the area and reviewed reports.

10:43 a.m. Blake shows an image of the Grendel AR gun. Edwards has used AR rifles in the military and in law enforcement. He is a certified sniper and has completed long-distance sniper courses. Edwards says a paintball gun was originally reported in Tammy’s shooting. He says a paintball gun and AR could resemble each other if the base of the weapon looks similar, and the hopper (where you feed the paintballs) could be mistaken for a scope.

10:42 a.m. Edwards learned Tammy usually parked along the long driveway at the back of the property. She would often enter through the back door. On the night of the shooting, she parked in the front of the house. This was different from her usual pattern.

10:41 a.m. Blake now shows a photo of the front of Chad’s house. We now see an overhead image of the Daybell property.

10:40 a.m. We now see a slide showing a breakdown of the 90 calls between Alex, Chad, Lori and Zulema on Oct. 9 and 10. Chad and Alex were communicating between 8:28 p.m. and 9:29 p.m. the night of Oct. 9. This would have been during and right after the time Tammy Daybell was shot at.

10:40 a.m. We are back from the break. Lori was passionately speaking with her attorneys for a few minutes during the recess. Edwards is likely the prosecution’s last witness. Jim Archibald tells me Lori still has not decided if she will be taking the stand or not.

10:10 a.m. We are now taking a morning recess. Back in 20 minutes.

10:09 a.m. Edwards says there were significantly more calls during this timeframe compared to other days. Blake asks for a brief sidebar.

10:06 a.m. There are some technical issues, so we aren’t able to see the exhibit. Edwards will describe what is on it. Between 9:12 a.m. and 2:28 a.m. on Oct. 9-10, there were 90 calls between Alex, Chad, Zulema and Lori. Chad and Alex were texting each other all day, and their devices were together in the afternoon. Four messages between Alex and Chad were sent the night of Oct. 9.

10:03 a.m. Blake argues it’s not cumulative. Boyce says the exhibit will be allowed in as a demonstrative exhibit, not as evidence.

10 a.m. Blake asks to admit another exhibit that Edwards created. Thomas objects, says the presentation is cumulative and a rehash of things that have already been said by other people.

9:58 a.m. The attempted shooting of Tammy happened on Oct. 9, 2019. She was killed 10 days later. Edwards reviewed the homerjmaximus account linked to Alex Cox. He says the device visited Sportsman Warehouse on the day of the attempted shooting. Edwards never found any connection between Alex and Tammy.

9:56 a.m. The first message we see is from Chad to Lori on Oct. 3, 2019. “Good night, angel Lili. So excited to go on our date! Fire emoji.” On Oct. 4, 2019, Chad wrote to Lori at 4:20 a.m.: “Dreaming of caressing you in your bed. I adore you and sholow (sic) you. Heart emoji.” On Oct. 4, Chad urged Tammy to visit her family in Utah.

9:55 a.m. Blake asks to admit an exhibit containing messages related to Edwards’ investigation. The defense does not object to the exhibit.

9:54 a.m. Edwards says he reviewed messages that showed Chad urged Tammy to take a trip to Utah to see her parents just weeks before Tammy died.

9:51 a.m. Edwards learned Lori was the connection between Alex Cox and Chad Daybell. Edwards learned Charles and Lori initiated a divorce in February 2019. There were never any divorce proceedings between Tammy and Chad, Edwards says.

9:50 a.m. Edwards learned Tammy was married to Chad Daybell and they were raised in Utah. They had five children and moved to Fremont County, Idaho in 2015. Edwards learned Tammy worked at an elementary school as a librarian and technology specialist. Edwards learned Chad and Tammy were married. Edwards later learned Chad married Lori.

9:48 a.m. The AG’s office was asked to assist in the investigation of Tammy Daybell’s death in April 2020. When Edwards became involved, he was aware FBI, Rexburg, Madison County and police in Arizona were investigating two missing children and the death of Charles Vallow.

9:47 a.m. Edwards describes where he went to school, his training background and law enforcement experience.

9:46 a.m. Edwards is currently deployed with the United States Army. When he’s not on military orders, he is the lead investigator at the Idaho AG’s office. He has worked since 2019 at the Attorney General’s Office. He previously worked at the Pocatello Police Department.

9:45 a.m. Attorney General Investigator Nicholas Edwards called to the stand. Lindsey Blake will question him.

9:43 a.m. Thomas has no questions for Heideman. She is released from the witness stand.

9:40 a.m. Boyce is back on the bench. Blake says prosecutors will not be admitting the exhibit and she is done questioning the witness. Jurors will be brought back in.

9:35 a.m. During the break, Lori is chatting with the defense investigator and looking at a laptop as her attorneys stand behind her.

9:33 a.m. As we wait for the recess to end, a woman on our row tells me her dog’s name is Storm, and this trial has forever ruined it. (See 9:22 a.m. on Day 24.)

9:31 a.m. Blake asks for a recess so prosecutors can confer as a team.

9:28 a.m. There will now be a potential objection by the defense that needs to be taken up outside of the presence of the jury. Jurors are leaving the courtroom.

9:27 a.m. The witness was talking so fast that I missed the first message Chad sent to Lori. It was about intertwined bodies, breathing heavy and spending intimate time together.

9:26 a.m. Chad to Lori: “I love you Elena. What a wonderful chemistry we share. Fire emoji. Fire emoji.” Lori to Chad: “I love you more. That’s so hot. I need you now more than ever. Heart emoji. Heart emoji.” Chad to Lori: “You are amazing. Please save that segment. I want to read it with you naked and relive it all.”

9:25 a.m. Next message – Chad to Lori: “I completely agree. We were definitely in new territory in your bedroom.” Chad to Lori: “Elena’s magic hand has gripped the storm. Barely able to breathe as intense waves wash over them.” Lori to Chad: “Yes she did!”

9:21 a.m. The first message Blake displays was from Lori to “bubby” – Chad Daybell – on Aug. 9, 2019. “That is pretty incredible. Fire emoji. Fire emoji. Fire emoji. Fire emoji. The fire is definitely burning. I miss you way too much. You have to stop or I might explode.” Next message from Lori to Chad: “The intensity of each encounter in my mind. One greater than the last. Fire emoji. Fire emoji. Especially this last one. I’ve never loved you more. It just keeps growing.”

9:20 a.m. Thomas says he renews his previous objections to having the messages admitted. Boyce overrules the objection and will allow the exhibits in.

9:19 a.m. Blake asks to admit messages found on the iCloud account. Thomas is reviewing the documents before they are admitted.

9:18 a.m. Blake has asked a few times if there were descriptions of intimate interactions between James and Elena in the story. Heideman says yes.

9:16 a.m. In the story, James traveled to Arizona to do a podcast with Elena and her friends. Chad traveled in January 2019 to Arizona (based on flight records), and a podcast was posted online that same month “along the lines of Chad Daybell participates in a podcast about his life experiences with Lori,” Heideman says.

9:14 a.m. In the story, James stayed at Elena’s house during the conference. In real life, Chad stayed at Lori’s house during the conference. Blake asks Heideman if there were similarities to travel between Elena in the story and Lori in real life. Elena traveled to James’ hometown in the story, and Lori traveled to Idaho Falls (about 30 minutes from Rexburg).

9:12 a.m. Chad and Lori went to the temple on Nov. 16 or 17, according to temple records. In the story, James and Elena went to the temple in mid-November.

9:11 a.m. In the James and Elena story, James Google searches Elena. Heideman says that’s consistent with Chad Googling Lori. “In the story, James authored a story. Chad also authored a story,” Heideman says.

9:10 a.m. Blake shows the jury and courtroom a photo of Chad surrounded by Lori and other women at the conference.

9:07 a.m. Blake questioning Heideman about the story. “In the James and Elena story, it beings on Oct. 26 and there are multiple images on Oct. 26 of Chad and Lori at a conference in St. George, Utah. Chad Daybell was a speaker at the conference.” In case you’re lost, Chad referred to himself as James, and Lori was referred to as Elena.

9:07 a.m. If you’re wondering what the James and Elena story is, you can check it out here.

9:04 a.m. Defense attorney John Thomas objects to having the PowerPoint admitted. Boyce says he will allow the exhibit in with instruction to the jurors that the title is demonstrative and not evidence.

8:57 a.m. On another note, Judge Boyce has issued a response to media requests about carrying the verdict live when it’s time. He says the court will stream it live. We will then stream it live on EastIdahoNews.com. Here is the order:

8:58 a.m. Heideman was tasked with organizing the entire James and Elena love story. She put it into a PowerPoint presentation. Blake asks to admit the PowerPoint.

8:53 a.m. Prosecutors call FBI analyst Nicole Heideman to the stand. Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Blake will be questioning her. Heideman testified earlier in the trial. Blake is asking her about the James and Elena love story found on the iCloud.

8:53 a.m. Jurors have been seated. Boyce says today’s delay is due to some court business that needed to be conducted.

8:49 a.m. Boyce is on the bench. Jurors are being brought in.

8:46 a.m. Attorneys just walked into the courtroom. Lori is writing on her yellow notepad. Defense attorney Jim Archibald has said the defense team would not decide whether Lori will take the stand and testify until the prosecution rests.

8:39 a.m. A phone just went off and the bailiff is asking who it was. Nobody is fessing up. Larry Woodcock says, “Someone’s phone went off. I’m gonna take it!” Many people laugh.

8:38 a.m. Attorneys left the courtroom and are meeting with Judge Boyce. There seem to be a lot more people at the courthouse today – especially members of the media. The audience gallery is full in the courtroom and many people watching in overflow rooms.

8:33 a.m. All the attorneys are huddled on the side of the courtroom. Lori has her back to the audience.

8:30 a.m. Lori is in the courtroom wearing a blue vest with polka dots. Her attorneys are sitting next to her. Prosecutors are at their table. Bailiff is reminding everyone of conduct rules.

8:15 a.m. Day 25 of the Lori Vallow Daybell trial is about to begin. Retired FBI Agent Doug Hart was on the stand all day yesterday explaining what he found on Lori’s iCloud accounts. Today we are expected to hear from Idaho Attorney General Investigator Nicholas Edwards. If you need a refresher on what happened yesterday, click here.

The post DAY 25 | LIVE UPDATES: Prosecutors and defense rest in Lori Vallow Daybell murder trial appeared first on East Idaho News.