West
Chad Daybell verdict: Jury finds doomsday author guilty of murdering Lori Vallow's kids, his first wife
An Idaho jury on Thursday found Chad Daybell, husband of so-called “cult mom” Lori Vallow, guilty of murdering two of her children and his first wife in 2019.
The jury convicted Daybell on all counts, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, insurance fraud and grand theft.
Daybell, 55, and Vallow, 50, are at the center of multiple murder cases involving not only Vallow’s two children but both her and Daybell’s deceased ex-spouses. Last year, a Fremont County jury found Vallow guilty on multiple counts, including two counts of first-degree murder, for the 2019 disappearances and deaths of 7-year-old J.J. Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, with help from her husband.
The pair also conspired to kill Tammy Daybell, Chad Daybell’s first wife, in October 2019. They were initially scheduled to have a joint trial, but Daybell’s defense attorneys got a separate trial for the self-published author in 2022, citing “mutually antagonistic defenses” between the two cases.
CHAD DAYBELL TRIAL: LORI VALLOW’S HUSBAND SEEKS DIFFERENT OUTCOME FROM ‘CULT MOM’ OVER KIDS’ KILLINGS
The trial of Daybell, charged with the deaths of his wife and his girlfriend’s two youngest children, was set to begin in Idaho on Monday, April 1, 2024. (John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP)
But prosecutors have argued in both Vallow’s and Daybell’s cases that the desire for “money, power and sex” is what drove the duo to kill Vallow’s two children and Daybell’s first wife. Vallow and Daybell also stole J.J. and Tylee’s Social Security benefits between Oct. 1, 2019, when they disappeared, and Jan. 22, 2020, after they were murdered.
The two children were found dead in shallow graves on Chad Daybell’s Rexburg, Idaho, property in June 2020, months after they disappeared from their home in September 2019. The 16-year-old’s remains were burned while the 7-year-old was bound in duct tape.
LORI VALLOW TRIAL: ‘CULT MOM’ SENTENCED IN MURDERS OF 2 OF HER CHILDREN, HUSBAND’S FIRST WIFE
Lori Vallow Daybell sits during her sentencing hearing at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho, on July 31, 2023. (Tony Blakeslee/EastIdahoNews.com via AP)
The Ada County coroner testified that J.J. died of asphyxiation by a plastic bag and Tylee died of homicide by unknown means due to the fact that her remains were dismembered and badly burned before they were buried.
After their children disappeared, Vallow and Daybell ran off to Hawaii to get married. Authorities arrested Vallow in February 2020 and Daybell in June 2020.
LORI VALLOW TRIAL: HEAR ‘CULT MOM’ AND HER SISTER SPEAK AFTER VALLOW’S CHILDREN FOUND DEAD
Lori and Chad Daybell were accused of killing 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old J.J. Vallow in 2019. (Rexberg Police Department)
Despite prosecutors’ emphasis on money, power and sex, there is a cult-like, religious undertone to the couple’s criminal behavior. They met in 2018 at a religious conference where they bonded over their apocalyptic beliefs and the idea that they had been married in a past life, as FOX 10 Phoenix first reported.
They referred to each other as biblical figures named James and Elena and discussed their beliefs that people can have light or dark spirits – some so dark that they could be considered zombies who needed to be removed from Earth, prosecutors said, according to FOX 10.
LORI VALLOW TRIAL: IDAHO CORONER REVEALS JJ VALLOW AND TYLEE RYAN’S CAUSE OF DEATH
Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell are accused of killing Vallow’s two kids and Daybell’s first wife. (Facebook and Tony Blakeslee/East Idaho News)
Daybell has written several apocalyptic novels based loosely on Mormon theology. Both were involved in a group that promotes preparedness for the biblical end times.
Vallow was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on five separate counts in July.
HAWAII POLICE SERVE SUBPOENA TO BIKINI-CLAD LORI VALLOW RELAXING POOLSIDE: VIDEO
During her sentencing in August 2023, Vallow told the courtroom that her deceased children were “happy” and “busy.”
WATCH:
“I have had many communications with Jesus Christ, savior of this world, and our heavenly parents. I have had many angelic visitors have come and communicated with me and even manifested themselves to me because of these communications,” Vallow said at the time. “I know for a fact that my children are happy and busy in the spirit world. Because of my communications with my friend, Tammy Daybell, I know that she is also very happy and extremely busy.”
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She added that she has “always mourned the loss” of her “loved ones” and has “lost many in this mortal world” with whom she believes she is still in communication in the spirit world.
Kauai Police Department footage shows officers handing Lori Vallow a subpoena while she sits poolside in January 2020. (Kauai Police Department/FOX 10)
Judge Steven Boyce later told Vallow that she has “mental health issues.” Her current diagnosis from February states that Vallow suffers from a “delusional disorder” mixed with “hyper-religiosity” and a “continuous and unspecified personality disorder” with narcissistic features.
“You removed your children from their home in Arizona, alienated them from friends and family… and you brought them here to murder them. You had so many other options.… You chose the most evil and destructive path possible,” Judge Steven Boyce said during Vallow’s sentencing hearing. “I don’t think to this day you have any remorse for the effort and heartache you caused.”
Officials extradited Vallow to Arizona, where she faces one first-degree murder charge and one premeditated first-degree murder charge in Maricopa County, in November 2023.
Read the full article from Here
San Diego, CA
Man Stabbed 4 Times Outside San Diego Bar; Suspect Arrested
The victim was smoking outside the business when a 35-year-old man approached him, threatened to kill him and pulled a knife at around 10 p.m. Monday in the 900 block of Cardiff Street, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Police said the attacker stabbed the man twice in the chest and twice in the arm. It was unclear what prompted the stabbing.
Alaska
Alaska is celebrating America’s 250th in the fast lane… off a cliff
Alaska celebrates the Fourth of July with a unique tradition by launching cars off a 300-foot cliff.
Alaskans celebrate Fourth of July launching cars off a cliff
Alaskans celebrate the Fourth of July by launching cars off a 300-foot cliff. Watch as their celebration goes full throttle.
For a moment, everything goes quiet as hundreds of eyes fixate on a patriotic, painted car perched at the edge of a 300-foot cliff. An American flag waves in the crisp Alaskan air as spectators wait in anticipation to witness one of the nation’s most unusual Fourth of July spectacles.
Within seconds, cheers echo across the mountain valley as a vehicle soars through the sky before plummeting down below. All in the name of celebrating freedom.
In Glacier View, Alaska, about two hours north of Anchorage, celebrating America’s Independence Day makes fireworks a thing of the past. Since 2005, visitors have gathered from across the country to witness The Glacier View Fourth of July Car Launch.
Volvo and a moose
The tradition began after founder Arnie Hrncir’s wife hit a moose with her Volvo in 2003. After years of not knowing what to do with the damaged vehicle, they decided, why not just throw it off a cliff?
There it all started, a Fourth of July event that has evolved from a small community coming together to witness the Volvos plummet into one of Alaska’s most distinctive Independence Day traditions.
Hrncir said the event is a great way to celebrate freedom, especially with “that beautiful red, white and blue flag waving up there in the majestic skies of Alaska.” One could assume the best part of the event is watching the vehicles soar, but it’s really the race up the cliff to collect car scraps to take home as a souvenir.
Attendees walk away each year with car stereos, rear-view mirrors, and side doors to cherish the unforgettable day.
Hrncir expects this year’s crowd to surpass previous years with a U.S. Coast Guard flyover, brisket, and many ready to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.
Fireworks may be the traditional way to celebrate America’s birthday, but in Alaska, 250 years call for something with a little more horsepower and significantly fewer surviving vehicles.
Arizona
Arizona Chamber installs Monica Coury as board chair – Chamber Business News
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry has installed Monica Coury, vice president of external affairs at Arizona Complete Health, as chair of its board of directors, as the organization begins its new fiscal year.
Coury officially assumed the chairmanship during a ceremonial passing of the gavel at the Chamber’s June 26 board meeting. She succeeds Ted Geisler, president and CEO of APS, who served as board chair over the past two years.
As chair, Coury will lead the Chamber’s board while helping guide the organization’s efforts to advance policies that strengthen Arizona’s economy, improve the state’s business climate, and promote long-term prosperity.
“It is an incredible honor to serve as chair of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry,” Coury said. “I want to thank my fellow board members for the confidence they’ve placed in me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the Chamber’s outstanding team. The Chamber has long been one of Arizona’s most effective and respected advocates on behalf of the state’s job creators, and I look forward to building on that legacy as we continue working to make Arizona the best place in the nation to live, work, and do business.”
Coury has served on the Chamber’s board for several years. She previously chaired the Public Affairs Committee and most recently served as chair-elect. In her role at Arizona Complete Health, she oversees one of the state’s leading health plans and has been a prominent voice on issues involving healthcare access, workforce development, and Arizona’s economic competitiveness.
“Monica is an exceptional leader whose collaborative approach, strategic vision, and deep commitment to Arizona make her the ideal person to lead our board,” said Danny Seiden, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry. “She understands that a strong economy depends on smart public policy, and she has consistently brought thoughtful leadership and sound judgment to the Chamber. I look forward to working closely with Monica as we continue advancing policies that help Arizona employers create jobs, invest, and grow.”
Seiden also thanked Geisler for his leadership during a period that included significant legislative successes and continued growth for the Chamber.
“Ted has been an outstanding chairman, a trusted partner, and a friend,” Seiden said. “His steady leadership, business acumen, and unwavering commitment to Arizona’s economic future have helped position the Chamber for continued success. We are grateful for his service and look forward to his continued counsel and involvement on our board.”
The Chamber also installed the following governing board officers:
- Chair-elect: Jimmy Lindblom, Willmeng Construction
- Vice-chair, audit & finance: Don Isaacson, Isaacson Law Firm
- Vice-chair, manufacturing: Angela Creedon, Intel
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry is Arizona’s leading statewide business advocacy organization, representing employers of every size and industry across the state. The Chamber’s mission is to advance Arizona’s competitiveness through policies that foster economic growth, job creation, and opportunity for all Arizonans.
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