BOISE, Idaho — Day 8 of the trial of Chad Daybell took place on April 22, view live updates from the courtroom in the thread below.
LIVE UPDATES:
3:32 pm: Prior asks Warwick about his faith-related teachings before finding a place in questioning to stop for the day. Judge Boyce sends the courtroom into recess for the day. Warwick is expected to take the stand again tomorrow morning at 8:30 am.
3:12 pm: Warwick explains that he discussed aspects of these visions at conferences.
3:10 pm: Warwick confirms that he would discuss visions he had at the fireside chats, Warwick says no and clarifies that his talks were mostly about his conversion to the LDS faith, to assist others to seek out the faith. Prior asks if Warwick has visions, Warwick says yes.
3:09 pm: Prior asks Warwick about a group called the Seven Gatherers, Warwick says he is not aware of the group. Prior asks if his wife, Melanie Gibb, is a member of the Seven Gatherers, Warwick says he is not aware of that.
3:06 pm: Prior asks Warwick about his marriage to Melanie Gibb and then about his issues with Lori and Chad's relationship. Warwick says his divorce was being finalized as he started his relationship with Gibb, and clarifies that he believed that Chad and Lori's relationship was inconsistent with what they preached.
3:04 pm: Wixom has no further questions for Warwick, Prior prepares to cross-examine.
3:02 pm: Warwick says Lori's description of JJ's behavior was dramatic, claiming that JJ climbed on the cabinets and pushed over a picture of Jesus and that JJ was acting possessed. Warwick says he didn't believe the story but asked to see JJ which Lori declined, saying that Chad was already taking care of him.
3:01 pm: Wixom asks if Warwick ever saw Tylee during his weekend stay at Lori's house, Warwick says he did not.
3:00 pm: Warwick says that he, Lori and Melanie Gibb were recording a podcast that night and finishing it as Alex carried JJ up the stairs.
2:58 pm: Wixom continues questioning Warwick. He begins by asking Warwick if he had any interaction with JJ the day after viewing a nearby property with Chad Daybell. Wixom asks him to recall the last time he saw JJ, Warwick says Alex carried JJ through the front door and upstairs to his room.
2:56 pm: The courtroom livestream returns from a mid-afternoon recess.
2:27 pm: Judge Boyce calls for a mid-afternoon recess.
2:26 pm: Warwick says that Chad told him he was being called to assist Chad in the gathering of the 144,000. Warwick says his life was not in order for that and that the call would come from a prophet if he were being called for that.
2:13 pm: Warwick says that Chad came to Lori's house at least twice while he was staying there. Warwick says that Chad had a conversation with him while he was at the house. The two discussed the mission that Chad believed he and Lori to be on, gathering the 144,000.
2:12 pm: Warwick says he tried to get to know JJ when he met with Chad and Lori for an LDS gathering, but says that JJ was very preoccupied with his toys.
2:09 pm: Warwick says he disagreed with Chad about Satan's abilities after Chad told him that Satan had the power to possess people and take over someone's body, leaving their soul in limbo.
2:06 pm: Warwick says that Chad had a conversation with him about Warwick's reaction to some of his ideas relating to the LDS faith and specifically the gathering of the 144,000. David Warwick did not believe that Chad was ordained by God to fulfill some kind of role in this plan. He disagreed with the teachings Chad was spouting, including his designation of Alex Cox as an angel referenced in the Book of Mormon.
1:56 pm: Warwick says that he attended a meeting in Rigby, Idaho. "The darkness of this world" was the main point of discussion at the meeting.
1:54 pm: Warwick says he declined Chad's proposals to write together.
1:52 pm: The State calls David Warwick to the stand. Warwick, now Melanie Gibb's husband, was contacted by Chad Daybell in around 2015 about writing a book together.
1:47 pm: Prior has no further questions for Colby Ryan, though he is expected to be recalled at a later date by the State.
1:46 pm: Colby says he was not aware of Chad Daybell when Lori mentioned being married again soon.
1:45 pm: Prior launches a re-cross following the question of influence on Lori Vallow by Chad, which he objected to twice before Boyce overruled and allowed the question.
1:43 pm: Wood asks if Lori had a strong personality, Colby says yes but says she could be influenced. Colby says he believes Lori was influenced by Chad Daybell, Colby says yes.
1:41 pm: Colby says Lori never told him that JJ and Tylee were with Melanie Gibb. Prior has no further questions and Rob Wood initiates a brief re-direct.
1:38 pm: Colby says he would text Tylee a couple of times a month via text leading up to their move. Colby says he would frequently go and see the two children when they lived nearby.
1:36 pm: Colby confirms that Tylee was involved in the incident which resulted in Charles Vallow being shot.
1:35 pm: Colby says he never spoke to Melanie Gibb, but says that she was Lori's best friend.
1:34 pm: Prior asks if Colby was lied to by Lori about Charles's death. He says yes, and that Lori lied a lot to him.
1:33 pm: Colby is asked about the money he had been receiving from Tylee. Prior asks why he was being sent money, Colby says Tylee was a caring person helping to support him through the financial troubles. Prior asks if Tylee was caring or protective of JJ, Colby says yes and that Tylee cared for him very deeply.
1:32 pm: Wood has no further questions for Colby, Prior prepares to question him.
1:31 pm: Colby says he called Lori after the Gilbert Police left his house looking for Tylee and JJ, she dismissed his concerns and said she would handle it. Colby did not know Lori was in Rexburg at this point.
1:30 pm: Colby says Lori told him that she would be married again soon just a month after Charles's death. He dismissed the comment, thinking that she was referring to the next life. There was no mention of Chad Daybell at this point.
1:28 pm: Colby says that after he stopped hearing from Tylee directly, he began receiving money from a CashApp account instead of Tylee's Venmo account.
1:27 pm: Colby says the last time he directly spoke with Tylee on the phone was also on August 30, the last day he saw the two kids. He continued receiving texts from Tylee after that, which is when he noted her change in texting habits.
1:25 pm: Colby says he was contacted by the Gilbert Police after Lori and the kids moved. The officers were looking for JJ and Tylee. Colby says he was already concerned about Tylee, saying that she was not contacting him, and when they texted he noticed a shift in her tone and cadence.
1:23 pm: Colby says he had a conversation with Lori about money, asking how she would be able to care for the two children now that Charles was dead. He learned of social security money that was going to Tylee but he doesn't recall if JJ's money was discussed.
1:20 pm: Colby explains that he saw Tylee for the last time in Arizona outside of his work on August 30, Lori brought Tylee and JJ to see Colby and explained that they would be leaving. Colby says Lori was vague about where they were going and why they were leaving, but notes that Tylee was crying.
1:19 pm: Colby explains that Tylee would send him money, he asked Tylee for money a few times which would be transferred via Venmo. Lori would often send money to Tylee and ask her to send it to Colby.
1:16 pm: Colby understood that Lori expected to receive the life insurance money for Charles.
1:15 pm: Colby says he felt like he was going crazy because Lori didn't seem bothered by the death, giving him a brief version of the story leading up to Charles's death. She didn't explain why she lied about Charles's death initially.
1:14 pm: Alex told Colby that he had been hit with a bat by Charles and that he had shot and killed Charles in self-defense. This was the first time Colby knew about how Charles actually died.
1:13 pm: Colby describes the scene when he went back to the house following Charles's death. His voice breaks again as he describes Tylee opening the door and hugging him. He notes that his uncle, Alex Cox, was present with a bandage on his head.
1:12 pm: Wood asks Colby if he had any reason to believe that Charles died any other way.
1:11 pm: Colby is asked about Lori's marriage to Charles, Colby says he was close to Charles and considers him to be his father though the two were not blood-related. Colby recalls when Charles passed away. He heard the news from Lori, who said he had a heart attack.
1:09 pm: Colby is asked to identify Tylee, he says she is his half-sister on his mother's side. Colby then identifies JJ, prosecuting attorney Rob Wood offers him some water as his voice breaks.
1:07 pm: Colby Ryan, Lori Vallow's oldest son, is called to the stand by the State.
11:29 am: Boyce calls a lunch recess as the morning has moved faster than the State anticipated. The courtroom livestream should return in around an hour.
11:26 am: Prior asks if there was ever a mention of a Chad Daybell, Dr. Wilson says no. Prior has no further questions and the witness is excused, he will not be recalled.
11:23 am: The State calls Wynn Hill, who works at BYU-Idaho as a therapist. Before that, he was the dean of students in 2019. He was asked to do a check for a Tylee Ryan, but there were no records of her ever being a student or even applying to the school. With no further questions, Prior questions the witness.
11:21 am: Prior asks if there was ever a mention of Chad Daybell, Dr. Wilson says no. Prior has no further questions and the witness is dismissed, he will not be recalled.
11:21 am: Prior questions Dr. Wilson, he asks about the length of JJ's enrollment and Wilson reiterates that JJ was enrolled for 3 weeks.
11:18 am: Dr. Wilson says that JJ's behavioral problems were disclosed to him over the phone. When JJ left the school, Lori informed Dr. Wilson that they would be homeschooling JJ.
11:17 am: Dr. Wilson notes that Lori told him that JJ was moving from Arizona following the death of JJ's father. Dr. Wilson says JJ was only enrolled in the school for 3 weeks.
11:15 am: The State calls Dr. Josh Wilson to the stand. Dr. Wilson is employed at Madison School District in Rexburg, Idaho. He was employed as the principal of the school JJ attended in 2019.
11:14 am: Prior asks if the word zombie was ever used to describe JJ's behavior. Shank says no and Prior has no further questions. The State and Prior both have no further questions and the witness is released.
11:12 am: Shank says Lori was not very corrective of JJ's behavior, instead she was over-nurturing.
11:10 am: Shank describes JJ acting out following the argument with the other kids, explaining that JJ even threw a mirror upstairs in the house.
11:08 am: Prior asks about the friend that Lori left to get, Shank doesn't recall who it was but notes that Lori came back to the house with no luggage.
11:06 am: Shanks says that Lori left with her brother, Alex Cox when she arrived to take care of JJ.
11:05 am: With no further questions from the State, Prior begins to cross-examine Shank. He asks when Lori Vallow returned home, Shank says it was about 3-4 hours after she arrived.
11:03 am: Lori worked with Shank to calm JJ, but Shank left before JJ had fully relaxed from the situation. Shank never heard mention of a Chad Daybell.
11:02 am: Shank says she remembers JJ playing with the neighbor kids and that she fed him dinner, noting that JJ was upset after arguing with some of the other kids.
11:00 am: Shank says she was aware of JJ's autism and that she began to make contact with Lori about caring for JJ in Rexburg in 2019. Lori hired Shank to watch JJ while she was picking up a friend.
10:57 am: The State now calls Sidney Woodbury Shank to the stand, a Care.com nanny from Arizona who took care of JJ Vallow.
10:54 am: Blake now questions Hart, asking the former agent if Charles was ever deemed dark. Hart says he was. Hart indicates that Tylee and JJ were both also deemed dark, noting that JJ was referred to as a zombie. Hart says it was Chad Daybell who labeled these people as dark. Hart notes that the four people labeled as dark, including Tammy, are all now dead. Blake has no further questions at this time but both the defense and prosecution indicate that they plan to bring the former agent back to the stand. Hart leaves the stand.
10:52 am: Prior finishes questioning Hart after asking about various spiritual practices that Chad and Lori referred to, Hart explains that a sealing is when two people are married.
10:36 am: Prior asks if Lori's messages about her being a distraction to Chad were sarcastic, Hart says it doesn't seem like Chad responded like they were anything but serious. Prior asks if Lori is indicating that unless Tammy is killed or the two divorce, Chad and Lori can not be together. Hart agrees. Prior asks for the message where the two agree to kill Tammy, Hart says there is no explicit message.
10:34 am: Hart explains that he believes Lori was fully confident in Chad's teachings about spirituality. Prior asks if the books Chad wrote, which contained some of these beliefs, were made to be marketed toward LDS believers. Hart agrees.
10:18 am: Prior asks if there are texts where Chad or Lori say that they want to "kill the kids," Hart says there are no texts that say that in plain language but that there are texts that allude to a plan to take the children and other texts which describe details of the deaths.
10:16 am: Prior asks Hart if the line referring to heaven striking Chad and Lori down could be explained by Chad feeling guilty about leaving Tammy, Hart says he doesn't know what was in Chad's mind when referring to heaven striking him down for being with Lori.
10:14 am: Hart says that he was aware that some of Chad's books were about or inspired by events in his actual life. Prior asks if it would be unusual for Chad to be writing about this relationship, and that there could be some artistic liberties taken to make the story more appealing, Hart says it would depend on the facts. Hart continues, explaining that they were able to verify several details and facts from the story.
10:12 am: Prior brings up the texts chain presented last week which detailed a story between James and Elaina, which Hart said was an autobiographical story about Lori and Chad's relationship. Prior asks if the story could simply be explained by Chad's career as a writer, Hart says that he believes it lines up with the facts of the case and was important to investigate.
10:09 am: Prior displays a chain of texts for the courtroom, the document is difficult to read from the courtroom projector, but Hart begins to read the messages revealing that they are from the message thread between Chad and Lori where Chad says being with her is his greatest dream.
10:06 am: Prior begins his cross-examination of Agent Hart. He opens by asking the retired FBI agent about the nicknames and alternative names that were used to refer to people, including Lori and Chad but mostly fixated on Melanie Gibb, whose alternative name is Phoebe, and Alex Cox, whose nickname was Al.
9:56 am: The courtroom livestream returns and Judge Boyce clarifies that redactions were made to parts of the next exhibit including personal information.
9:18 am: Following the sidebar, Boyce calls for the mid-morning recess to approve additional exhibits.
9:15 am: Judge Boyce calls for a brief sidebar to discuss an exhibit outside the presence of the jurors.
9:13 am: Lori asks Chad if this is what he really wants, Chad says it is his greatest hope and dream. Chad says "We are surrounded by telestial relatives that are simply obstacles."
9:10 am: Hart says that the messages demonstrate Lori's impatience with the timeline of their plan to be together and complete their holy missions as a pair. Chad never indicated that he was going to divorce or separate from Tammy.
9:09 am: Lori tells Chad that the pain of being apart is excruciating and that she needs to do something to pull herself out of this deep despair.
9:04 am: Hart explains the next messages were posted one month after Charles had been killed. Lori tells Chad that she's frustrated about the two having to wait for each other forever. Lori says that she is just a distraction and that Chad should be spending time with his family, that Lori does not want to be in the way anymore. Chad says this crushes him, and says that his love for her is deep and real.
9:01 am: The next messages show Chad telling Lori he was sick of spending time with his family and that he wished the two could be together. Hart says this is the beginning of a long text string where they discuss Chad's vacation.
8:59 am: The next message from Lori is a picture of her at the beach, telling Chad that surprises are waiting.
8:53 am: Another text exhibit shows Chad complaining about Lori cutting off communication for the day, he calls it the saddest day of his life and says that without communicating with him, Chad might not be able to protect her. He says he is discussing with Keith, Lori's deceased grandfather.
8:48 am: The next exhibit slide shows Lori and Chad discussing how upset they were about the change.
8:46 am: Hart discusses two documents, the life insurance policy of Charles Vallow before and after he changed the beneficiary from Lori to JJ's grandmother, Kay Woodcock.
8:44 am: The courtroom livestream returns from recess after the weekend. Agent Doug Hart, who was on the stand before the end of last week, returns for further questioning. Lindsey Blake with the State will question Hart.
