RECAP: The Trial of Chad Daybell Day 18

BOISE, Idaho — Day 18 of the trial of Chad Daybell took place on May 7, 2024. Below is a record of live updates from the courtroom.

LIVE UPDATES:
3:30 pm: Noting the time, Wood moves to break for the day and Judge Boyce agrees. The courtroom livestream will return tomorrow at 8:30 am.

3:27 pm: Warren says Tylee was dismembered and set on fire which fits the criteria of homicide by unspecified means.

3:25 pm: Larry Woodcock, JJ's grandfather, is seen leaving the courtroom as Warren continues his testimony.

3:22 pm: Dr. Warren moves to describe the autopsy of Tylee Ryan. He explains that this autopsy took much longer, about a week. Warren explains that this was because they did not recover an intact body.

3:15 pm: Warren notes that there was bruising present on JJ's arms, which they determined to be from trauma, not decomposition, in their analysis at the Coroner's office.

3:13 pm: Warren describes the state of decomposition in great detail and explains the various swabs that were taken of the body during the examination.

3:09 pm: Warren determined that JJ's body was in a state of decomposition.

3:08 pm: Warren explains the state of JJ's body when they opened the black plastic bag he was buried in.

3:07 pm: Wood asks Warren about the cause of death for JJ Vallow, which the doctor determined to be asphyxia via the covering of the head with a plastic bag and duct tape covering the mouth.

3:03 pm: Warren explains his training and says his job is to determine the cause of death during an autopsy. He's performed over 1,500 autopsies in his career. He is also a published author in the field of neuropathology.

2:59 pm: The State calls Dr. Garth Warren to the witness stand. Dr. Warren is a forensic pathologist with the Ada County Coroner's Office.

2:54 pm: Blake asks if Tammy, Charles, JJ, and Tylee were deemed dark and are now dead, Zeluma says yes. This concludes the testimony from Zeluma, she is released from the stand but remains under subpoena.

2:53 pm: Blake asks Zeluma to clarify the effects of castings on the body again for the courtroom.

2:47 pm: Zeluma says the statement was regarding things she said on the night that Alex Cox went to the emergency room. She says she recalls that he had stopped breathing but explains that she doesn't recall the specifics of what she said.

2:46 pm: Blake asks if the statement in question was something that Zeluma has no recollection of, she confirms this.

2:44 pm: Prior asks if there had been situations where Zeluma had given inconsistent statements regarding the situation. Zeluma says that during the meeting, the officers were asking about something she said that she had no recollection of. Prior asks if she recalls Det. Hermosillo telling her that she had been inconsistent, and Zeluma agrees. Prior finishes his cross-examination and Blake initiates a re-cross.

2:43 pm: Zulema says she does not believe the interview was serving the purpose of molding her testimony in a specific way.

2:38 pm: Zulema says that her understanding was that Hermosillo was looking to clarify inconsistencies in her statements before a trial could begin.

2:30 pm: A recording is played for the courtroom, without the jurors, in which Det. Hermosillo can be heard telling Zulema that they want to get ahead of all inconsistent statements to make sure her testimony is credible. The jurors are brought back into the courtroom following the recording and Zulema confirms that there was a discussion with the police about ensuring her statements were consistent.

2:21 pm: Prior asks if there was ever a discussion about attempting to make her testimony credible, Zulema says she doesn't remember. Prior calls for a sidebar following the answer.

2:20 pm: Prior asks Zulema if she was interviewed ahead of her testimony today, Zulema says she gave many interviews with prosecutors when she arrived in Boise but she doesn't recall how many.

2:16 pm: Zulema says she was not aware of the attempted shooting of Brandon Boudreaux by Alex Cox and was not involved in that. She says she was aware of the shooting of Charles Vallow and that it was deemed self-defense.

2:05 pm: Prior asks about a message Zulema received while praying where she felt that she was being called to protect Lori Vallow. Zulema says she got a divine message through prayer meditation.

1:57 pm: In the message, Zulema references removing records that were being kept of her but she doesn't recall who was specifically keeping these records.

1:52 pm: Prior asks if Zulema recalls talking with Lori and Chad about cutting worldly cords, Zulema doesn't remember this so Prior refreshes her memory with an exhibit which she reads privately. The exhibit is a message that references cutting ties to negative energy and influences through an "energy session."

1:45 pm: Zulema also says that Lori and Gibb explained what zombies were to her in 2019.

1:44 pm: Prior asks about the portals mentioned by Chad, he asks what her knowledge of the portals was, Zulema says prior to their discussions she knew nothing about portals.

1:37 pm: Zulema says the email was probably used frequently. She confirms that Lori Vallow told Chad that the casting had been successful following the gathering. Prior asks if Zulema noticed that Charles died following the casting, Zulema says that Chad had been teaching that Charles was already dead when he became possessed.

1:35 pm: Prior asks about the castings for Charles Vallow which Zulema was a part of, Zulema explains that the group of 7 women had not organized as the 7 gatherers at this time. Prior then asks about the 7 gatherers email.

1:27 pm: Prior argues that Zulema's testimony about the body dying was inconsistent with her interview with police. With the police, Zulema said there was no mention of the body being killed, but in court, she said the body would die from having dark spirits expelled. Judge Boyce disagrees with the two being inconsistent and allows the jurors to be brought back into the courtroom.

1:17 pm: The jurors are outside of the courtroom while the portion of the interview is played, the clip is being shown to refresh Zulema's memory.

1:14 pm: A portion of the interview Zulema gave to police is being played in the courtroom. In the interview, she indicates that she believes that by expelling demons from a person's body, the body would die. She says there was never talk of killing the body outright.

11:55 am: Judge Boyce says it would be premature to admit the exhibit and denies the admission. The judge then sends the courtroom into recess for lunch.

11:53 am: Prior moves to admit the exhibit again, he says he is looking to admit the entirety of the 3+ hour interview but says he will only use certain clips where there are references to killing and its relation to castings.

11:51 am: A video from an interview between Zulema and detectives is being played for the courtroom outside of the presence of the jurors. Zulema identifies the detectives and herself in the video.

11:50 am: The exhibit is an audio recording where Zulema discusses the case with detectives. The audio appears to indicate that Zulema was describing details of a killing.

11:49 am: There is an objection to the presentation of the exhibit that Prior is looking to admit.

11:44 am: Prior moves to admit a piece of audio evidence. The jurors are dismissed to lunch while an issue is decided outside of their presence.

11:43 am: Zulema says she believed the death of the body from a successful casting to be different from actually killing someone.

11:42 am: Zulema says she never discussed the topic of killing anybody with Lori or Chad.

11:41 am: Prior asks about the castings, and asks if an unsuccessful casting would result in the death of the person. Zulema says the demon would remain in the body if the casting failed. She also says that a successful casting would result in the demon leaving, and the body dying.

11:39 am: Prior asks if Zulema believes she has special abilities to predict the weather, she says no. Prior asks if that was ever told to her, she says Lori and Chad told her she could predict the weather and that Chad asked her to practice this gift. Prior asks how she would practice this, and Zulema says she would imagine it but that she never really predicted anything significant.

11:36 am: Prior asks about the basketball incident she witnessed between the couple. She says she concluded that Chad was playing it safe as Lori was flirting much more aggressively.

11:33 am: Prior asks about when Chad and Lori met and asks if Lori was the aggressor in the flirting. Zulema says Lori was the one initiating the flirtation between them.

11:30 am: Prior asks if Zulema has been granted some kind of immunity by cooperating with law enforcement, she says yes. He continues asking her about conversations she's had with law enforcement officers about the case. Zulema says she's spoken to many officers.

11:29 am: Prior asks Zulema if she's a good judge of character, Zulema says she believes she has been an overly-trusting person. Prior asks if Chad and Lori somehow tricked her into believing things about the faith, Zulema says she trusted and believed them.

11:25: Zulema recalls meeting Chad through the Preparing a People conference in Mesa after buying some of his books. There were classes on preparing for the second coming at the event.

11:18 am: Zulema explains that she met Gibb when she moved into the same LDS ward in 2017. When she met with Lori through Gibb, she spoke to Zulema about visions of Christ and the angel Moroni.

11:16 am: Prior begins by asking Zulema about the Seven Gatherers, and emails sent by the ladies in the group. Zulema says there was never a formal meeting or discussion about the group. She clarifies that it wasn't a club, but an email address shared among the group.

11:14 am: In another reading, Chad told Zulema that she and Lori had been with Jesus when he came to the Americas and that the two were killed in a gruesome fashion. Blake has no further questions, now Prior will cross-examine.

11:13 am: Zulema says that after the call from the couple, Alex's demeanor changed drastically. He told her that he felt he was "Going to be their fall guy." Zulema asked him what he meant, and he said, "Either I am a man of God, or I am not."

11:11 am: The night before Alex died, he was called by Chad and Lori who warned him that Tammy's body was being exhumed. Zulema says she thought it was strange that they would tell Alex this news. She confronted Alex, asking if he would be tied to anything that happened to Tammy, Alex said no.

11:09 am: The Saturday before Alex's death, he told Zulema that he would be going to Mexico for a day. He left in the morning but came back sick that night.

11:08 am: Zulema learned from Gibb that Tylee and JJ were missing. When she asked Alex what happened, he didn't say anything. The last information Zulema got from Lori was that JJ was with Kay Woodcock, who would later send the missing person report for JJ.

10:59 am: Zulema says that Alex depended on Lori and Chad "for everything." Chad told Alex that he was sent to Earth to be a protector for Lori. Alex and Chad became very close after the move to Rexburg.

10:14 am: Judge Boyce calls for a mid-morning break, the courtroom livestream will return in 20-30 minutes.

10:10 am: Zulema says there was a blessing from Chad during the trip where he said that Jesus Christ was right next to him and he was washing away all of the sins of the group. Chad also claimed that Jesus was telling them to move to Rexburg.

10:09 am: Zulema recalls taking a trip to Rexburg in Sept. 2019 where she learned that JJ had become a zombie. Tylee was also missing during the trip, prompting Zulema to ask about her. Lori said Tylee was dark and "had to be freed." When Zulema asked for an explanation, Lori put her hand on her face and said "Don't ask."

10:02 am: Zulema recalls asking Lori how she would be able to support herself in Rexburg without a job. Lori told her that she was receiving social security after Charles died and so were the children. Lori later told Zulema that the beneficiary of the life insurance for Charles had been changed, which upset her.

10:00 am: Alex told Zulema that if he ever turned into a zombie, she should shoot him in the face.

9:59 am: Alex bought it 100% and bought a ticket to Rexburg to visit the area with Chad shortly after receiving the blessing.

9:57 am: Chad said that his mission with Lori was to gather the 144,000. He gave Zulema a blessing when he told her she would need to move to Rexburg. Alex also received a blessing from Chad where he was instructed to move to Rexburg.

9:53 am: Shortly after Charles died, Chad and Lori were physically romantic. Chad told Zulema not to worry about him still being married because Tammy would die early. Chad also said there was a portal in his house where he would communicate with the spirit world.

9:50 Zulema says that Alex 100% believed what Chad was telling him about Charles being a zombie.

9:48 am: Zulema says that Lori then told her about the fight and the shooting that followed, killing Charles.

9:47 am: Zulema explains that the day after Charles died, Lori asked her to come over and talk about it. Lori seemed sad, but Alex Cox seemed normal.

9:37 am: Chad and Lori explained to Zulema that Alex Cox had a lower light rating because he hadn't lived any past lives, but later they "discovered" that he had actually lived many past lives and they were wrong. Alex was designated as a warrior by Chad. Lori called Chad and Alex after the casting to perform another casting to try to expel a demon in Charles.

9:32 am: A meeting was held at Zulema's house in late March of 2019. There was a group of women present, including Gibb and Lori. Serena, the woman who Chad would later deem dark, was also present. The group was performing a casting on Charles Vallow.

9:29 am: Zulema explains that Chad had been questioned about his teachings that he didn't need repentance, and that she was later labeled as dark.

9:25 am: Zulema explains that Chad told her that if you were exalted in a previous life, you did not need to repent for sins and you didn't need to prove yourself in your life. If you did something wrong, it simply didn't count for you.

9:18 am: Another diagram is displayed in the courtroom, it's the diagram that Lori drew at the lunch. Lori drew it on the receipt at the restaurant and Zulema kept it. It breaks down the population by ratings of darkness and light ratings, indicating that fewer and fewer people have light ratings at level 4 or above. Zulema clarifies that all of this information came from Chad.

9:16 am: Zulema recalls Lori leaving Arizona following a lunch with Chad, Gibb, and herself. Lori made a similar diagram to the one in Zulema's notes. Blake moves to admit more diagrams from Chad's teachings and ensures that Chad has a copy of them.

9:15 am: Zulema explains that Chad was the one who could determine light and dark ratings. She says Chad gave her a rating of 4.2 light.

9:14 am: The next page in Zulema's journal is a diagram of how souls can ascend through the kingdoms in the realm of creation.

9:12 am: Zulema says the journal entry describes what Chad was teaching about translation, the emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects as well as the scale that was used to determine dark and light.

9:10 am: Zulema explains the next document is a journal entry she made in 2019 which contains information she got from Chad and Lori.

9:08 am: Lindsey Blake ensures Chad has a copy of a new document in the courtroom.

9:07 am: Zulema says she had never heard any teachings like Chad's, but explains that she was still open to the ideas after learning these details.

9:02 am: The diagram below is displayed in the courtroom, Zulema explains she drew this as a recreation of Chad's teachings. She explains that Chad said he was the brother of Jesus Christ and was the Holy Ghost in a past life. The diagram depicts one realm of creation and five different worlds you could exist in within that. Zulema explains how demons and darkness can lead to someone leaving the realm of creation and going into limbo.

8:58 am: Zulema says that she was a guest on the podcast with Melanie Gibb and Lori following the conference. She recalls Chad asking her to go to lunch with him to discuss something. Gibb and Lori also attended the lunch. During the lunch, Chad told her that he had some things to share with her over the phone. Chad told her he was able to read people's spiritual histories and wanted to give her a reading of her previous lives.

8:56 am: Zulema says she was open to the ideas from Chad at the time. She says she saw the pair after the conference as well and that Lori told her not to tell anyone that they attended together.

8:54 am: She explains that all of the people at the gathering later sat on the floor, all of the people in attendance were women besides Chad. Chad taught the group about the doctrine of translation. Chad explained to Zulema that there were 3 phases to translation, a physical part, a spiritual part, and another phase she can't remember. These are used to determine some kind of spiritual ratings.

8:52 am: Zulema says that she later received a blessing from Chad at this gathering. She says it was almost as if Chad was looking into the future and explaining her purpose rather than a normal blessing.

8:50 am: Zulema explains that she attended a gathering at Lori's house where she watched the two play basketball. She describes feeling like a third wheel and wanting to go back inside. When Chad wanted to follow inside, Lori Vallow asked him if he was scared of her.

8:49 am: Zulema was told by Lori that Chad said they were both married in past lives as significant figures in the LDS faith.

8:47 am: Zulema says she was present when Lori and Chad met. She describes Chad laughing a lot and enjoying her attention. She says they were both married at the time.

8:45 am: Zulema explains that she met Lori Vallow through Melanie Gibb, and through Lori, she met Alex Cox. She also met Chad Daybell in the summer of 2018.

8:42 am: The State calls Zulema Pastenes, who was married to Alex Cox, to the witness stand.