RECAP: The Trial of Chad Daybell Day 15

BOISE, Idaho — Day 15 of the trial of Chad Daybell saw many of his family members and other related parties on the witness stand. Live updates from the courtroom are available below.

LIVE UPDATES:
3:27 pm: Judge Boyce sends the trial into recess for the day, Officer David Stubbs is expected to continue his testimony on the stand tomorrow morning.

3:26 pm: The officers could not locate JJ at the apartments. Officers were not searching for Tylee at that time but they did not locate her on the property either.

3:24 pm: The officers were not able to locate JJ, and they found that he was not with Melanie Gibb. The officers then received a warrant to search the apartment for the child.

3:21 pm: Stubbs says he went back to Lori's house again after police could not get in touch with Melanie Gibb. The bodycam footage of the interaction is played in the courtroom.

3:15 pm: Stubbs says he also found that Melanie Gibb was in Utah, not in Arizona as Lori told him.

3:14 pm: Stubbs says he never found evidence to substantiate claims from Lori that Kay Woodcock was trying to take JJ from Lori, or that Tylee Ryan was attending BYU-Idaho.

3:13 pm: The video finishes playing. Wood asks him about his concerns following the welfare check. Stubbs says she had several concerns.

3:10 pm: Lori refers to Chad as one of her brother's friends. The officers note that Chad Daybell's wife passed away recently.

3:07 pm: Lori complains to the police about Kay Woodcock receiving the money for Charles's life insurance policy. She says she knows she looks like a suspect in the footage.

3:04 pm: In the bodycam footage, Lori Vallow answers the door and says Alex Cox is at the house as well. The officers ask Lori where JJ is, she tells them that JJ is with Melanie Gibb in Arizona. She acknowledges that the situation is weird.

2:59 pm: Stubbs executed the welfare check for JJ Vallow requested by Kay Woodcock on Nov. 26, 2019. The bodycam footage of this welfare check is played for the courtroom.

2:50 pm: According to Stubbs, Lori and Chad were laughing and holding hands when he saw them on their trip to Hobby Lobby. A photo of the couple in the store parking lot is shown to the courtroom.

2:48 pm: Stubbs followed the pair to Hobby Lobby and Mountain America Credit Union.

2:47 pm: Stubbs says he was personally involved in the surveillance of the Jeep on the Daybell property. Stubbs says he saw Chad Daybell during that surveillance. He saw Chad and Lori exit the residence and get into a blue Subaru with Arizona plates.

2:46 pm: Stubbs explains that he was involved in the disappearances of Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow after he was contacted by authorities in Arizona who were requesting that he look for a vehicle involved in the attempted shooting of Brandon Boudreaux.

2:41 pm: Stubbs was a supervisor for the detectives in Rexburg for over 6 years. He details his qualifications and experience. He was working in law enforcement for 30 years before his retirement.

2:40 pm: Stubbs confirms that he has retired from his position, but he served as a detective with the Rexburg Police.

2:38 pm: The State calls Rexburg Police Officer David Stubbs to the stand, Rob Wood will question him.

2:13 pm: Judge Boyce calls for a mid-afternoon recess. The courtroom livestream is expected to return by 2:30 pm.

2:09 pm: Heather reiterates the concerns she raised about Chad in the letter, which followed the deaths of Tylee, JJ, and Tammy. Wixom has no further questions. Heather Daybell is released from the stand.

2:06 pm: Heather explains that Chad was uncomfortably close to Julie Rowe ahead of Tammy's death. Heather says she believes Chad was a misguided person who involved himself in inappropriate relationships, including those with Julie Rowe and Lori Vallow.

2:04 pm: Heather explains that having an affair is not consistent with the role of executive secretary in the church. She says that if the church became aware of that happening, the person would be subject to church discipline.

2:01 pm: Judge Boyce calls for a sidebar as Wixom begins his questions.

1:58 pm: Heather explains that Chad's father dismissed Heather and Matt's concerns with Chad's teachings. Prior asks Heather to define what a pot-stirrer means, which Chad's father called her. Heather says it could be someone who is involved in other people's business before Prior ends his questioning and Wixom begins his redirect.

1:57 pm: Judge Boyce warns Prior that he is cutting Heather off on almost every question and asks him to let her finish.

1:47 pm: Heather is asked about her mention of firsthand knowledge of Chad and his beliefs and if Dave Hope is the source for that, Heather says she isn't referencing the investigation but rather her understanding of the beliefs of Chad.

1:36 pm: Prior asks Heather if she recalls the content of her letter to the ward presidents, when she does not he presents Heather with a copy of the letter to refresh her memory. The letter is available here.

1:33 pm: Heather was concerned that Chad had moved so close to her property because he had talked about Heather's land becoming part of whatever impending disaster he was seeing in his visions.

1:30 pm: Chad told Heather that he had reached out to Julie Rowe, whose book he was publishing, on a website called AVOW (Another Voice of Warning). The website hosts like-minded people who discuss visions and dreams, it is a prepping website.

1:21 pm: Prior asks about Heather's conversations with Det. Mattingly, she says she was concerned that Chad was doing his writing in the LDS Church building as she often noticed his car in the parking lot.

1:20 pm: Heather explains that there was resistance from some people when she spoke out about Chad. She says some people thought she was just trying to cause problems with Chad. This damaged her relationship with Chad's children. Wixom concludes the direct and Prior initiates his cross-examination.

1:19 pm: Heather explains that, as time progressed, she became more concerned. She says there were people in the ward that she would talk to in order to try and stop what was happening.

1:14 pm: Heather says she reached out to the LDS Relief Society with her ward with concerns since some of the women in her congregation were following Chad's teachings.

1:12 pm: Wixom shows a picture of the staircase going into the "cozy cone" area of the house which Heather identifies.

1:06 pm: Heather says she has not spoken to Chad since JJ and Tylee were found dead on his property. Heather says before her death, Tammy took a trip to Utah which was unusual since she did not like travelling alone.

1:05 pm: Following the afternoon recess, Heather Daybell is back on the witness stand. Wixoms continues to question Heather.

11:57 am: Judge Boyce calls for the afternoon recess as this testimony will continue for a while longer. The stream is expected to return around 1:00 pm.

11:56 am: Heather asked Chad how he could remarry so soon after Tammy's death, Chad told her that Lori's husband had also recently died of a heart attack. Heather said she did not want to meet Lori.

11:54 am: Chad told Heather that Tammy died because she had gained 40 pounds. This shocked Heather as she had heard of a different cause of death previously.

11:53 am: Later, Heather found out that Chad remarried shortly after the funeral for Tammy. She messaged Chad's children and told them she wanted to support them through the frustrating time with their father. Chad called her shortly after and told her she had been a problem in his life for years.

11:52 am: Heather says Chad "just didn't seem upset."

11:50 am: Heather says that Chad was late to the luncheon following Tammy's funeral, which she found odd. The luncheon began before Chad arrived.

11:49 am: Heather explains that it seemed disingenuous when Chad cried at the funeral. She describes Chad turning the tears off and on.

11:48 am: Heather begged Chad to delay the funeral so that she and Matt could attend since they were out of town, when Chad declined the two hurried back to Idaho to attend.

11:46 am: Heather says the story from Chad felt scripted. Chad told Heather he would not pursue and autopsy because the foam was clearly the cause of her death and that the funeral would be in 2 days.

11:45 am: Heather recalls being told about Tammy's death by Chad. She retells the story of Tammy's body falling off the bed after a nighttime coughing fit according to Chad

11:43 am: Heather explains that following the move, Chad and Tammy were members of her ward. Heather would try to avoid Chad because she specifically asked that he not move into their ward, but she says she would talk to Tammy at church.

11:42 am: Heather describes the layout of the house.

11:36 am: Heather identifies photos of Chad and Tammy's house.

11:31 am: Chad told Heather, after the move to Rexburg, that if she had any questions, they should be directed to him. Heather says she didn't follow the instructions as Tammy was a grown woman. She asked Tammy about how she felt about the move to Rexburg, Tammy said she felt it was a good thing for her family. Tammy also told Heather that she had no confirmation that Chad's visions would come true.

11:30 am: Heather says that her oldest son approached her in 2014 and said Chad told him about the visions and said he would be a great leader in the gathering. Heather confronted Chad and told him not to discuss the subject with her children.

11:28 am: Heather says that after some time, Tammy did come to believe some of the teachings from Chad.

11:27 am: Heather explains that Chad was especially concerned with the move because she understood that Chad was trying to spread his belief system to Tammy and his children.

11:24 am: Heather learned that Chad had plans to move to Rexburg. Heather says she cried when she found out that Chad and Tammy were moving to Rexburg and tried to get Matt to talk him out of it, but the house was already being purchased.

11:22 am: Heather told Chad not to move close to her house with Matt as she didn't want him misleading people in their ward and tarnishing their reputation in the community.

11:21 am: Heather confronted Chad and told him that she didn't feel good about what he was saying and that she didn't believe him. Chad didn't argue when she told him.

11:20 am: Heather did not believe the visions from Chad and was concerned that Chad, who was not a prophet, was receiving visions.

11:19 am: Chad also told Heather that he needed to move to Rexburg to fulfill his role and teach people about visions he was having.

11:17 am: Heather recalls a discussion in the summer of 2015 where Chad gave extensive details of what he believed would happen in these impending disasters. Chad explained to Heather and Matt that they would become great leaders and that their home would become a kind of temple.

11:16 am: Chad warned the family of an earthquake he believed would happen in 2015 and wanted to prepare the family for doomsday events.

11:15 am: Heather explains that their relationship was normal for an in-law until 2014 when he began discussing "end-of-times" events and a new book he'd written. The doomsday discussions concerned Heather from the start.

11:12 am: After a brief sidebar, Wixom begins to question Heather. She's been married to Chad's brother Matt for almost 30 years and has known Chad for longer than that.

11:07 am: The State calls another member of the Daybell family to the stand. Heather Daybell is Matt Daybell's wife and Chad's sister-in-law.

11:06 am: Blake asks if it is common for someone to remarry just weeks after their spouse dies in the LDS faith, Sheila says no. Blake has no further questions and Sheila is released from the stand.

11:05 am: Sheila confirms that Chad acted like someone whose partner recently passed away after Tammy's death. Prior has no further questions.

11:03 am: Prior asks if it is common for members of the LDS faith to marry very quickly, Sheila says yes.

11:02 am: Sheila says Lori was a very different person from Tammy and that Chad's marriage to her was a shock.

10:59 am: Sheila says that Lori was upbeat, charming, and convincing when they would talk. Prior asks if she would describe Chad as an introvert, Sheila says yes.

10:57 am: Prior asks her to clarify that Lori was the source of the information regarding the children, Sheila says yes.

10:56 am: Blake has no further questions and Prior begins his cross-examination.

10:55 am: Sheila says she would talk to Chad and Lori during their vacation to Hawaii. She says the two made no mention of any children with them in Hawaii.

10:54 am: Lori told Sheila that her husband had recently died and that she also had a daughter who died. She didn't say how old the daughter was and made no mention of JJ, Chad was silent when Lori discussed the topic.

10:53 am: A month after the memorial for Tammy, Sheila learned from Chad, after noticing a new ring, that he was married to Lori, not engaged.

10:50 am: Sheila explains that she received a call from Chad in Oct. 2019 where he told her that Tammy had died. She says Chad and his children were clearly upset.

10:49 am: Sheila has five children with Jack Daybell, Chad, Paul, Matt, Brad, and Becky.

10:46 am: Following the break the State calls Sheila Daybell, Chad's mom, to the stand.

10:19 am: Judge Boyce calls for the mid-morning recess, the livestream should return at around 10:50 am.

10:16 am: During the brief cross-examination, Prior asks if the insurance is reasonable, and Yancey says it is. Prior asks why she remembers the specific encounters with Chad, and Yancey says "I believe any incident that is traumatic sticks in your memory." Wixom asks clarifying questions about the traumatic event. Yancey says the death of any employee is traumatic and that the information about Lori and the missing children was even more concerning. Following the brief redirect, Yancey is excused from the stand.

10:07 am: Prior asks Yancey if she is aware of Chad's employment and the fact that he didn't have insurance himself, Yancey says she was not aware of this.

10:04 am: Yancey explains that Chad returned on Oct. 25 to get the claim filed, but she was out of town. On Oct. 20 when she returned, Chad returned early in the morning to make sure the claim went through. It was uncommon for someone to come so quickly, and Yancey says he clearly wanted the insurance money. Wixom has no further questions and Prior begins his cross-examination.

9:55 am: Wixom shows the courtroom the documents from the life insurance claim, including Chad's request and the employer forms.

9:54 am: Yancey explains that, following Tammy's death, Chad went to the district office to ask about filing a claim. Yancey told them they needed a death certificate, and Chad said "That's okay, I've ordered 8." Yancey says this was not a normal number of certificates to request. Chad had ordered the 8 death certificates just days after Tammy's death.

9:44 am: Yancey explains the process employees go through to change their coverage.

9:41 am: Yancey recalls that Tammy did not increase her life insurance through the school during her employment until 2018, for the 2019 school year.

9:40 am: Yancey explains that Tammy enrolled in life insurance benefits at the lowest tier through the district's coverage.

9:37 am: Yancey is an Idaho Falls resident who worked with the benefits department of the school district where Tammy was employed.

9:36 am: The State calls Angela Yancey to the stand. Wixom will be questioning her on behalf of the State.

9:35 am: Wood has no further questions and Kay Woodcock is excused from the witness stand.

9:34 am: Prior finishes his questions and Wood initiates his redirect. Wood asks Kay about the Amazon searches again, asking her to clarify what she said about the search history dates.

9:30 am: Kay explains that the searches for the wedding rings and clothes were on Oct. 2, Prior asks when Lori began those searches, Kay only recalls that the browsing history was available on Nov. 8 and that she doesn't know the specific dates of each purchase. Kay also says she has no knowledge that Chad was involved in these searches.

9:28 am: Prior asks if it would be safe to say that Lori Vallow had no contact with JJ during her trips to Hawaii and that she started showing up again in April.

9:26 am: Kay discusses Lori and Charles moving to Hawaii, Houston, and Arizona.

9:23 am: Prior asks Kay to explain what she knows about the living situation of Charles and Lori when they were married.

9:22 am: After Kay confirms that she met with Rexburg Police shortly after, they informed her that the bodies of the children were found on Chad's property. Wood has no further questions and Prior begins his cross-examination.

9:20 am: When Lori and Chad were unresponsive following JJ and Tylee going missing, she put out a reward for information on their whereabouts.

9:18 am: The purchases caught Kay's attention because she found that Lori was looking at wedding rings ahead of Tammy Daybell's death.

9:17 am: Kay explains the Amazon search history on the account was "jaw-dropping." She found searches for malachite rings, women's beach wedding dresses, men's beach clothes, and a yellow bikini.

9:15 am: Following Charles's death, Kay was trying to hook up his printer to her computer, which led her to a login page with his information. Kay decided to check Charles's email where she found an Amazon receipt with an address in Rexburg, Idaho listed.

9:12 am: Kay explains that she hired a private investigator alongside Brandon Boudreaux following the attempted shooting of Brandon to gather more details.

9:11 am: Wood asks if the limited contact played a role in her concerns for JJ, and Kay says absolutely.

9:09 am: Kay says following Charles's death, she became very worried for JJ's safety. They only found out because Lori told Charles's sons that he had died.

9:06 am: Kay explains that the last time she saw JJ was via Facetime in August 2019. She says following Charles's death, it was very hard to get into contact with JJ and Lori.

9:04 am: Lori sent a text to Kay in July 2019 after Charles died asking if the money was why she wanted to take JJ into her care. Lori complained to her and said that she had 5 kids and no money.

9:02 am: Kay explains that she gave $250k to each of Charles's adult sons following his death. The other 50% from his life insurance policy was to be used for Kay and Larry to raise JJ Vallow.

9:01 am: Kay explains that Charles died on July 11, 2019 from two gunshot wounds from Alex Cox. Kay refers to Charles's death as a murder.

8:59 am: Chad's gaze is glued to his laptop in the courtroom as Kay testifies.

8:57 am: Kay says that Charles moved to Houston in March 2019 following the split with Lori to be closer to the Woodcocks.

8:56 am: Kay recalls Charles calling her after he and Lori split up. Charles wanted help with caring for JJ, Kay says he was very distraught. Nobody would tell him where Lori was.

8:54 am: Wood shows a photo of a young girl that Kay identifies as Tylee. Kay also confirms that she met Alex Cox a few times.

8:53 am: Kay says that when she would visit Charles and Lori, they would give her time with her grandson.

8:50 am: Kay explains that she was very close with her older brother Charles and says that he would send photos of JJ to the Woodcocks following their adoption of the young boy. Kay says Charles and Lori were taking steps to accommodate JJ's autism.

8:48 am: Kay explains that JJ was born prematurely with drugs in his system. After spending some time in the hospital, JJ lived with Kay and her husband Larry.

8:45 am: Kay Woodcock, grandmother of JJ Vallow, takes the stand.

8:37 am: Nate Eaton with our partners at East Idaho News caught the moment that Chad Daybell's mom entered the courtroom early this morning: