REXBURG, Idaho — On Monday, the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell began selecting it jury for the highly anticipated murder case.
The court gathered in Ada county and simulcast to Rexburg for people to view the proceedings. Locals in the rural Madison County town still see the case as surreal and strange to see the national attention it has garnered.
“It is pretty odd because I think even within Idaho, we don’t get a lot of attention you know. There’s not much crime that happens here,” said Mario Miguel, student at Brigham Young University Idaho.
“I remember the first time I saw FBI cars and a lot of squad cars out here. I was so confused. I was like, what is the FBI doing in Rexburg?” said Candy Zillale, student at BYU Idaho.
Though the case is only in the jury selection process, Rexburg locals are glad the trial is underway after a long period of waiting.
“It actually is kind of a relief...like we are finally here. Things are finally getting going so I think it's good. It’s a step in the right direction. I’m just excited to see how we are going to go from here,” said Zillale.
The trial is one of the most high-profile murder cases to come out of Madison county and locals still feel shocked that it happened in their town.
“Honestly, it’s crazy. If anybody knows anything about Rexburg, it’s a very quiet town. It is a college town but it's very quiet. Not much happens here,” said Miguel.
