UPDATE: 12 p.m.: BOISE, Idaho (ABC4) — The first full week of the Chad Daybell murder trial kicked off with patrol car and body cam footage of the day two bodies were found on the Daybell property.
Prosecutors brought more detectives to the stand in the morning portion of the trial as they attempted to paint a picture of Chad Daybell’s behavior while law enforcement officers investigated his property on June 9, 2020. On that day, investigators discovered the bodies of Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16.
Finding JJ and Tylee’s bodies
Prosecutor Rocky Wixom called Rexburg Police Department Det. Eric Wheeler to the stand. Wheeler’s main job on the morning of June 9 was crowd control, traffic control and security at the Daybell property. He testified that he kept an eye on Daybell throughout the morning.
As investigators combed Daybell’s property, Chad Daybell was allowed free rein to move about as he chose. Wheeler testified that Daybell spent a large portion of the morning in his vehicle. Some of that time was spent on the phone, but Wheeler testified that Daybell “awkwardly” kept looking toward the fire pit where Tylee Ryan’s remains were found and a pond where JJ Vallow’s body was discovered.
Wheeler testified that later in the morning, Daybell drove next door to where his daughter, Emma, lived. Chad Daybell spent around two hours in Emma’s home before he got back into his vehicle and drove off.
Wheeler testified that at the same time Chad Daybell left, detectives had discovered JJ’s remains. They instructed Wheeler to intercept Chad Daybell, which he did near the Fremont County and Madison County lines.
Wheeler testified that he felt Chad Daybell sped away from the scene, but defense attorney John Prior noted that Daybell was leaving the scene to meet his lawyer. Body cam footage shown to the jury showed that when Wheeler pulled Daybell over, detectives informed Daybell that he could have his lawyer come to the property instead.
That traffic stop appears to be the first time anyone had told Chad Daybell that bodies had been discovered on his property. Wheeler testified that Daybell was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car but was not placed under arrest at that time.
An in-car camera in the patrol car showed Chad Daybell speaking to his daughter Emma, instructing her on how to handle certain finances. Prosecutors seemed to attempt to paint the picture that Chad Daybell knew he was caught at this time, as he mentioned that he “wouldn’t be coming back,” even though he hadn’t been arrested yet.
Prior, meanwhile, countered with the idea that Chad Daybell was nervous because over two dozen law enforcement officers were combing his property. Also, he noted that being pulled over by police is a natural reason to be nervous.
A portion of Wheeler’s testimony was focused on times Chad Daybell looked over his shoulder while in the patrol car. Prosecutors pushed to say that Daybell was looking at the areas where the bodies were found, while the defense countered that he was simply looking over his shoulder as his daughter walked away.
Tammy Daybell’s death
The court called Lt. Joe Powell, of Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, to the stand. They asked him questions regarding his decision to exhume the body of Tammy Daybell after the death was originally determined to be from natural causes.
Prosecutors asked Powell what his reasons were to reopen the investigation into Tammy Daybell’s death. He pointed to medical records saying she didn’t have any serious medical conditions and didn’t go to the doctor often.
The defense, however, challenged that by having Powell read a document from the time of Tammy Daybell’s death that says she had anemia, noting anemia can become serious, and was having fits and seizures at the time of her death. The document said she had vomited prior to going to bed that night.
The document also says she did not like the doctor and preferred to use home remedies and essential oils. It ruled Tammy Daybell’s death as natural saying it was due to a “cardiac event and pulmonary edema.” The defense noted that the medical records said Tammy Daybell’s dad had a history of heart issues.
“You didn’t take that into consideration when you decided to dig up Tammy Daybell, did you?” Prior said.
The prosecution then combated the defense pointing out that much of the information in the document came from Chad Daybell. Wixom also asked if other reasons besides her medical records prompted him to exhume Tammy Daybell’s body.
Powell said the death of Charles Vallow and Lori Vallow Daybell’s brother Alex Cox being implicated in an attempted murder contributed to his decision to exhume the body. Prior countered that by noting that Chad Daybell was not implicated in Charles Vallow’s death or the attempted murder incident.
The court is on recess and will return shortly.
