Judge Steven Boyce approved a motion to move Lori Vallow's trial to January 2023 to keep it conjoined with Chad Daybell's trial.
The court approved the motion Thursday to move Vallow's trial from Oct. 11, 2022 to Jan. 9, 2023 to prevent an improper severance, according to court documents filed May 26. Boyce wrote the court determined there is good cause to move the trial start date and keep Vallow and Daybell's cases conjoined and Vallow's constitutional rights are not violated.
The State filed the motion to move Vallow's trial to January 2023 to prevent improper severance on May 2, 2022. Vallow did not waive her right to a speedy trial, meaning by state law her trial was required to begin within six months of her arraignment. Vallow was arraigned in Fremont County Court on April 19 following nearly a year-long commitment to Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for mental health treatment. Boyce determined Vallow is competent to stand trialApril 11, 2022.
Daybell's team filed a motion to sever the two trials, but Boyce denied the request and ruled the two cases are properly joined, according to the document.
"The Indictment charges Defendant and Daybell with the most serious of crimes," Boyce wrote in the decision. "They are alleged to have co-conspired to commit murder, and the State has filed its notice of intent to seek the death penalty in both cases. In addition, there are allegations of conspiracy to commit multiple financial crimes. These conspiracy allegations were basis of the Court’s decision to deny Daybell’s motion for severance. The Court has been advised throughout the proceedings by counsel for both defendants that an extraordinary volume of discovery has been produced."
Moving the trial start date to January in line with Daybell's will allow both defense teams enough time to prepare for trial, according to the court document. Seeking the death penalty for both defendants further complicates the case as the "discovery volume is extraordinary," Boyce wrote.
"This inarguably complicates the preparation of defense. Of note, no argument has been advanced by the defense that the delay would impair their ability to defend this case. On balance, this factor weighs in favor of the State’s request to delay the trial until January, 2023," Boyce wrote in the decision.
Read the full document here:
