BOISE, Idaho — Day 14 of the trial of Chad Daybell was held on May 1, 2024. View the updates from the courtroom below.
LIVE UPDATES:
3:16 pm: Wixom says the next witness will have a lengthy testimony and moves to go into recess for the day. Judge Boyce agrees and dismisses the jurors. Testimony will begin tomorrow morning at 8:30 am.
3:15 pm: Prior asks about the discussed whereabouts of Lori's children but Ballard says there was no discussion of Lori's kids. Prior has no further questions. With no redirect, Ballard is released and not expected to be recalled at this time.
3:13 pm: Prior asks Ballard about an interview she did with Det. Mattingly, Ballard says she told the detective that the entire family was losing coverage following Tammy's death.
3:10 pm: Ballard recalls Chad wearing a different, new wedding ring at the time of his final visit to her. Wixom has no further questions and Prior initiates his cross-examination.
3:05 pm: Chad later contacted Ballard about a problem with Lori's identity being verified. After the issue was resolved on March 26, Ballard had no further communication with Chad.
3:03 pm: Ballard became worried that the life insurance money had been paid out on fraudulent claims and that Tammy's death was potentially not an accident.
3:02 pm: While reviewing his finances, Chad mentioned to Ballard that the FBI had confiscated his laptop and so he had not been able to pay himself.
3:01 pm: According to Ballard, Chad later approached her looking to insure his new wife. She told Chad that because Lori was incarcerated she wouldn't necessarily need coverage.
3:00 pm: Ballard says that Tammy had raised her life insurance policy to the maximum coverage in August or September ahead of her death.
2:58 pm: Ballard recalls later being made aware of the missing children through a discussion at work, she remembers being confused and wondering if these were the children she had helped insure.
2:57 pm: Ballard says following Chad's visit with her, she received 5 letters addressed to Chad at her address. Ballard says that this is something that never happens.
2:55 pm: Though Chad mentioned potential coverage for a new wife, he did not mention JJ or Tylee.
2:54 pm: Chad asked Ballard how difficult it would be for him to add coverage for his new wife should he choose to remarry. Ballard was not aware that Chad was married at the time. Chad followed up, telling Ballard that he would likely be married again by the end of the year.
2:51 pm: Ballard explains that Chad visited her office when he learned that he would be losing coverage from his deceased wife's policy through her employer and wanted to understand what his options were.
2:46 pm: The State calls Taylor Ballard to the stand, Ballard is an insurance agent from Rexburg.
2:45 pm: The witness is excused and released from her subpoena.
2:44 pm: Wixom asks Olson about where her classroom was in relation to the library, Olson explains how often Tammy was walking through the school which was constant throughout the day. Wixom has no further questions.
2:43 pm: Prior asks Olson about the details of Tammy's activity in the school. He asks about Tammy's preparations ahead of the book fair at the school, but Olson has no knowledge of that. Prior has no further questions.
2:42 pm: Wixom has no further questions for Olson after she testifies to Tammy's health while she worked at the school.
2:38 pm: The State calls Janice Olson to the stand, Olson teaches 1st grade and works at the same schools where Tammy taught.
2:08 pm: A mid-afternoon recess is called before the next witness takes the stand. The stream should return around 2:30 pm.
2:06 pm: Todd explains that Preparing a People is not necessarily associated with the LDS church and that some of Chad's beliefs he discussed were outside of the scope of the LDS faith. Blake asks if someone could get a temple recommendation if they disclosed an affair, Todd says no. Blake has no further questions.
2:05 pm: Prior has no further questions for Todd, Blake begins her redirect.
2:00 pm: Todd explains that Chad introduced him and his wife to Melanie Gibb at a Preparing a People conference in Caldwell, Idaho. Gilbert says Chad was an active member of the LDS church for the entire time he knew him.
1:59 pm: Todd says the whole family used the extension on the house from what he could tell.
1:57 pm: Prior initiates his cross-examination by asking Todd about more details of the house.
1:56 pm: Blake concluded her direct by asking Todd if there were stairs in the Daybell house, Todd says there were.
1:55 pm: Todd says he learned that Chad and Lori intended to move to Hawaii permanently together. Chad also told Todd that Tammy visited him in a dream to tell him she was okay with the situation.
1:54 pm: Todd says he asked about Lori's children, Chad told him she had a daughter who just recently died.
1:49 pm: Todd explains that Lori visited Chad soon after and that he was surprised when the two told him they wanted to get married soon.
1:46 pm: Todd recalls Chad telling him that he wanted to marry Lori Vallow just a week and a half after Tammy's funeral. Todd knew of Lori from the podcast with Melanie Gibb. He explains that Chad was hesitant to tell the Gilberts about Lori.
1:43 pm: Todd explains that the funeral process moved very quickly and that it seemed that someone had been preparing ahead of time.
1:42 pm: Todd recalls Chad telling him that he would be moving in with a friend in Rexburg following Tammy's memorial.
1:37 pm: Todd explains that Chad appeared "business-like" and wasn't as sad as he would have expected. Todd asked Chad about what happened to Tammy. Chad told him that he thought Tammy died following a coughing fit in the middle of the night.
1:36 pm: Todd says Chad told him that Tammy's life mission would come to an end before her 50th birthday. Todd figured Tammy was about 48 years old at the time.
1:33 pm: Todd says that Chad would tell him about his religious beliefs which weren't in line with the doctrine of the LDS faith. Todd says these beliefs didn't ring true to him.
1:30 pm: Todd explains that he met the Daybells through their church in Salem in 2017. Todd says he would see Chad weekly at church and on occasion at his house.
1:27 pm: The State calls Todd Gilbert to the stand. Todd is Alice's husband.
1:26 pm: Blake asks if Alice is aware that the bodies of the children were found on Chad's property, and she says yes. Blake has no further questions and the witness is excused.
1:24 pm: Prior has no further questions, Blake initiates her redirect.
1:22 pm: Prior asks Alice if Chad was concealing information about where he was going on his trips after Tammy's death, Alice says no. Alice says she couldn't get a straight answer about the whereabouts of the missing kids
1:18 pm: Alice explains she knew of Melanie Gibb through her podcast but doesn't recall how she found the podcast.
1:15 pm: Prior now cross-examines the witness, asking her how often she would see Tammy. Alice says that she would see Tammy weekly on Wednesdays for church meetings and also on Sundays during church service.
1:13 pm: Chad told Alice, in the past tense, that Tylee didn't like people and she didn't like him.
1:11 pm: Alice told Chad she could not help with Lori's bond and confronted him about Tylee.
1:10 pm: Alice recalls Chad crying and telling her it was killing Lori to be in jail. Chad told her that he had no family that could help with the situation.
1:08 pm: Alice explains that Chad was eager to show off photos from his wedding with Lori in Hawaii. When Chad moved back to Idaho, he asked if the Gilberts would put their house up for Lori's bond. He also asked if he could stay with them.
1:07 pm: Alice recalls asking Chad about Tylee and JJ after hearing that the two children were missing. Chad said they were Lori's kids and that the situation was a custody battle, he clarified that everything would eventually be resolved.
1:03 pm: The courtroom livestream returns following the lunch recess.
11:58 am: Blake asks if this would be a good time for the courtroom to take a lunch recess, Judge Boyce agrees. The courtroom livestream is expected to return by 1:00 pm.
11:55 am: Chad and Lori went to Gilbert's house while Lori was in town to visit. Chad and Lori were very affectionate, which Alice says was awkward. Chad told Alice that he was going to Hawaii with Lori to write his book. Neither Chad nor Lori mentioned anything about how Lori's children died.
11:50 am: Alice recalls being stunned when Chad told her he met Lori Vallow at a conference and that he wanted to marry. Chad didn't want to tell her Lori's name at first. Alice knew of Lori from podcasts she had done with Melanie Gibb.
11:45 am: Alice explains that the day after the memorial for Tammy, Chad told her that he would be moving to a condo in Rexburg. Chad told her a friend has a place there for him to stay.
11:41 am: Alice weeps as she recalls attending Tammy's funeral in Springville.
11:39 am: Alice continues, saying she was surprised by the death as Tammy was an active person. She was also confused by the details of the funeral which was moving much faster than she would have expected.
11:35 am: Alice explains that she received a call from Emma Daybell on the day of Tammy's death. At some point in the call, Alice remembers that Chad took the phone and told her Tammy had died, he also asked her to not notify anyone else about the death. Alice disobeyed his orders and told the bishop.
11:25 am: The State calls Alice Gilbert to the stand. Alice is Chad Daybell's neighbor.
11:24 am: Prior finishes his recross, and asks for another sidebar before the witness leaves the stand. Dr. Christensen is expected to be recalled by the State.
11:23 am: Prior is granted a recross, he asks Christensen about specific medical records the doctor reviewed.
11:21 am: Christensen says it is unlikely Tammy died of a seizure, overdose, or other cause besides asphyxia. With no further questions from Blake, Boyce indicates that he is ready for the witness to be released before Prior asks for a sidebar.
11:18 am: Christensen explains that though Tammy had lower blood pressure, she was not facing medical issues related to blood pressure.
11:11 am: Prior has no further questions and Blake initiates her redirect. Blake asks the doctor if he was contacted by Chad's kids at any point, and Christensen says no.
11:08 am: Prior asks if Tammy's "heavy lungs" could have resulted in her death but Dr. Christensen says he doesn't believe so since Tammy was active and exercising.
11:05 am: Christensen explains that he reviewed Tammy's medical records from Rexburg and Utah.
11:04 am: Prior asks Christensen if insufficient evidence could lead to a death being ruled as undetermined. Christensen says yes and that it doesn't necessarily mean that foul play was involved.
10:57 am: Prior asks Christensen if Tammy's death could have been caused by anything other than asphyxiation, Christensen says he does not believe it could have.
10:55 am: Prior asks Christensen about Tammy's self-treatments she used outside of medications, the doctor says that he is aware of many ointments Tammy used to treat bruises that were pictured at the Daybell residence.
10:47 am: Prior asks the doctor about Tammy's initial cause of death ahead of her exhumation. Christensen explains that the pulmonary edema, which was listed as the cause of death, was present but was not the cause of death that he determined. Christensen does not recall details of why Tammy's body was exhumed.
10:45 am: Dr. Christensen explains why he believed Tammy had not died from a seizure, an intoxicant, or arrhythmia. With no further questions from Blake, Prior begins his cross-examination.
10:00 am: Following the brief recess, the autopsy photos for Tammy Daybell are shown to the courtroom. Dr. Christensen is describing what he sees to the jurors.
9:38 am: Returning from the sidebar, Judge Boyce explains that the photos from this report are graphic and will only be shown to the courtroom. A morning break is launched to allow for the monitors in the courtroom to be fixed.
9:33 am: Lindsey Blake with The State asks to publish the toxicology report from Dr. Christensen to the courtroom, but Judge Boyce calls for a brief sidebar first.
9:16 am: Dr. Christensen says there was no indication of external injuries that would lead to Tammy being asphyxiated, as her heart, liver and lungs were normal. The doctor clarifies, saying "We have someone who has, essentially, normal anatomy who has died."
9:13 am: Christensen says that during the autopsy, he determined Tammy's cause of death to be asphyxia and the manner of death to be a homicide. The doctor explains that asphyxia can result from anything blocking the airway, including smothering, choking, chemicals that stop breathing, or drowning.
9:08 am: Christensen explains how the different colors found in bruising can be an indication of the age of the injury.
9:07 am: Dr. Christensen explains the procedure of the exhumation, and that every part of the process is documented.
8:50 am: Rob Wood has called Utah Medical Examiner Dr. Erick Christensen to the stand. Dr. Christensen was present at the time of Tammy's exhumation. Dr. Christensen says exhumations were not a common part of the job.
