Chad Daybell’s mother, sister-in-law drop bombshells against him in court
This is a developing story. Check back as ABC4 will update this article as more information becomes available.
BOISE, Idaho (ABC4) — Chad Daybell’s family members testified against him in court this morning, including his own mother and his sister-in-law.
Chad Daybell’s mother, Sheila Daybell, testified about the first time she met Lori Vallow Daybell, while sister-in-law Heather Daybell spoke about her distress over Chad’s end-of-days “visions.”
CONTEXT: A complete timeline for the Daybell, Vallow murders
Lori admitted daughter was dead
Sheila Daybell took the stand this morning, telling the court that the first time she met Lori Vallow Daybell in November 2019, she admitted that her daughter, Tylee Ryan, was dead.
It is believed Tylee Ryan was killed in early September 2019. Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell, died Oct. 19, 2019. Chad and Lori got married in Hawaii on Nov. 5, 2019.
Sheila Daybell testified this morning that she met with her son at a Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Idaho Falls on Nov. 13, 2019. She said it was the first time she had ever met or heard of Lori. During that meeting, Sheila said she noticed Chad and Lori were wearing wedding rings. When asked if the two were engaged, they said they were, in fact, already married. Sheila Daybell said the information was “surprising” and “shocking.”
During that first meeting, Sheila testified that Lori said her previous husband had died of a “heart attack,” and that she had a daughter who had died. Sheila said Lori never mentioned other children.
In cross-examination, defense attorney John Prior asked Sheila about her son’s personality, seeming to continue with an effort to paint Chad Daybell as being manipulated by Lori. Sheila said her son was mostly introverted and had not been a “worldly” man before getting married to his first wife, Tammy. Meanwhile, she described Lori as “friendly and upbeat” on their first meeting and agreed with Prior that Lori could be “persuasive,” “charming,” and “convincing.”
Sister-in-law looked to escape from Chad
Following Sheila Daybell’s testimony, Heather Daybell took the stand. Heather Daybell is the wife of Chad’s brother Matt. In her testimony, Heather Daybell explained her distress over Chad’s “end-of-days” visions.
Heather Daybell noted that starting around 2015, Chad Daybell began talking more and more about how he’d had visions about end-times destruction coming to the Utah area. Specifically, he mentioned an upcoming earthquake that he said would cause massive destruction.
Heather said at the time, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she had concerns about Chad’s obsession with the end times. When asked why she was concerned, she replied, “Because in the belief system I had at that time in the LDS church, some average person doesn’t get information like that to share with others. We have a prophet who would let us know if we needed to prepare for something like that.”
Heather testified that Chad’s beliefs caused a rift between them. Any time she tried to confront Chad over the situation, Heather said he wouldn’t respond with anything more than a nod. Heather and her husband live in Rexburg, Idaho, and when Chad began talking about moving to be near them, she testified that she even asked her husband to try to talk Chad out of it. She said she told Chad they would appreciate if he didn’t live close to them so that he wouldn’t be part of their neighborhood or their church ward.
Chad would eventually move within a half-mile of Heather, she said.
She also testified that when she found out Tammy Daybell was dead in October 2019, Chad insisted on having her funeral within two days. Heather testified that she and her husband were in Las Vegas at the time, and they asked if the services could be moved back. She stated that Chad refused and wanted to “just get it done.” She said she did make it to the funeral.
Heather said when she asked Chad what happened, his responses “felt scripted,” and that during her funeral, it appeared he “turn it on and off,” in relation to his grief.
Like Sheila Daybell, Heather Daybell also testified that Lori originally told her Charles Vallow had died from a heart attack.
This story is being updated. Refresh for more. Court is currently adjourned for lunch until 1 p.m. MT. Heather Daybell will return to the stand this afternoon.
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