Closing arguments set as Chad Daybell's murder trial nears jury decision

BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) — The capital murder trial of Chad Daybell is moving towards the final phase before the case is handed over to the jury.

Chad Daybell is charged with murdering his wife, Tammy Daybell, and his then-mistress Lori Vallow's children, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan. Chad and Lori were married on a beach in Hawaii just a few weeks after Tammy died.

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday morning. After the conclusion of closing arguments, the case will be handed over to the jury. There are 18 jury members, but that number will be whittled down to 12 by a random lottery.

Chad Daybell's defense attorney, John Prior, rested his case on Thursday last week, providing a long Memorial Day weekend for everyone involved. Tuesday morning, the trial resumed with the prosecution presenting the final rebuttal witnesses, and after recalling three witnesses the State rested.

Prior contends there simply isn’t enough evidence to conclusively tie Daybell to the deaths, or even to prove that his late wife, Tammy Daybell, was killed instead of dying from natural causes.

Chad Daybell’s son, Garth Daybell, testified that his mother had been fatigued and sickly before she died. He told jurors he was home the night his mother died and that he heard no disturbances from his bedroom next to his parents' room. He said he later felt like police officers and prosecutors were trying to pressure him to change his story, even threatening him with perjury charges at one point.

Prosecutors also presented testimony from Lori Vallow Daybell's niece, who said the couple believed that people could be possessed by evil spirits, rendering the person a “zombie.” They said that zombies would eventually be overcome by the dark spirit and die, Melani Pawlowski told jurors. Her testimony echoed that given last year by another friend of the couple, Melanie Gibb. Gibb testified during Lori Vallow Daybell's trial that she heard Vallow Daybell call the two kids “zombies” before they vanished.

Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty of similar charges in her own trial last year and sentenced to life in prison without parole. She is awaiting trial in Arizona for conspiracy to murder her former husband Charles Vallow, and for the attempted murder of her niece's husband Brandon Beaudroux.

Lt. Hermosillo, a Detective with the Rexburg Police Department who has testified extensively about his investigation into the search for JJ and Tylee was the final witness called by the State.

Lt. Hermosillo was asked if he knows where the bodies of JJ and Tylee were found, he responded by saying that they were found buried on Chad Daybell's property. The State then asked if Lt. Hermosillo knew where Tammy Daybell died, and he responded by saying that she died in Chad Daybell's bedroom.

____

Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uLbAnKuvZpOkunC6xLCqaKaRqbawuoywpquklGSwrbvSoqWgZZGntLa5xKerrGWjmsFurdJmmqGZlGKxosXBnqOlq12iwrOwxKtkraqZlrluusSaqaxlmqq%2FunnDnpqiq5mku265yKyrq52jqHqtu9GiZK%2BZnKG8uHnJo2SvmZyhvLh507Kjnp1dp8aiuoytmKalqWKxosXBnqOlZZOWvarAwKVkpq2imbKzedOroJqkXa%2B8rq7Inqpmm5%2BjwLG10ZqasmWSpLGqsdJmma6qmZqx