Investigator's timeline, paintball shooting incident discussed in Daybell trial

BOISE — Day 24 of the Chad Daybell triple murder trial Wednesday brought several witnesses to the stand — some who have already testified in this trial.

Daybell is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree murder, insurance fraud and grand theft in connection to the deaths of his wife Lori Vallow’s children — 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old J.J. Vallow — and Daybell’s late wife, Tammy Daybell. Lori Vallow was charged with the same crimes last year and was found guilty on all counts. Daybell faces the death penalty if he’s convicted.

J.J. was last seen alive on Sept. 22, 2019 and his sister Tylee was last seen alive on Sept. 8, 2019. Tammy Daybell died on Oct. 19, 2019. Vallow and Daybell were married shortly after, on Nov. 5, 2019. J.J. and Tylee’s remains were discovered in Daybell’s backyard when it was searched on June 9 and 10, 2020.

During court proceedings on Wednesday, Attorney General Investigator Nicholas Edwards and Rexburg Police Detective Ray Hermosillo both testified, Edwards focusing on a timeline of the case and Hermosillo discussing recorded phone calls between Daybell and Vallow.

Both Daybell and Vallow were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Daybell wrote several books loosely based on LDS teachings, his later works focusing on the “last days” or the end of times, which he believed would come before the second coming of Jesus Christ. Daybell was excommunicated from the LDS church in 2019.

A TIMELINE Edwards worked for the Attorney General for five years and has experience with rifles and paintball guns. Edwards’ investigation focused on Tammy Daybell’s death.

During his investigation, he created a timeline beginning with Daybell and Vallow’s introduction in Oct. 26, 2018.

Daybell’s Google account searched “Lori Vallow photos” four days later, on Oct. 30, 2018. About a month later, on Nov. 16, Daybell went to Mesa, Arizona, and stayed with Vallow. Two months later, Daybell traveled back to Arizona on Jan. 6, 2019. Divorce proceedings between Vallow and her then-husband Charles Vallow began about a month later in February 2019, Edwards said.

Daybell also visited Arizona in March 2019 and Vallow traveled to Idaho Falls on April 2 that same year. The two both searched up malachite rings (wedding rings) in May 2019, when both Tammy and Charles were still alive, Edwards said. At the end of June 2019, Charles sent emails to both Tammy and Daybell about the affair between Vallow and Daybell. Charles told Vallow that he was going to travel to Idaho Falls to meet with Tammy, Daybell’s wife.

Charles was shot and killed by Alex Cox, Vallow’s brother, on July 11. On July 18, Vallow texted Daybell about Charles’ life insurance policy beneficiary, Edwards said.

“Tonight I figured out who I feel like. I’m a grown-up version of Harry Potter, who has to live with the Dudleys in his little space under the stairs. Every few weeks I get to escape and have amazing adventures with my Goddess lover, but then I have to return to my place under the stairs, feeling trapped. But I sense permanent freedom is coming!” a July 26 text from Daybell to Vallow said.

In another July text from Daybell to Vallow, Daybell wrote that his wife Tammy was feeling lightheaded as if her spirit and body were being separated. On Oct. 9, the day of the attempted shooting of Tammy, Daybell texted Vallow about Tammy being “in limbo” and her body being taken over by a demon.

On Oct. 7, Cox signed in at the St. Anthony gun range and on Oct. 8, he searched “6.5 Grendel drop from 100 to 200 yards.” On Oct. 9, the day Tammy was shot at with a paintball gun by a masked person, Cox purchased several items from a Sportsman’s Warehouse in Idaho Falls, Edwards said. Cox and Daybell texted between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Daybell and Vallow texted between 5 p.m. and midnight that day. At the time, Vallow and Zulema Pastenes (Cox’s girlfriend), were doing a casting ceremony in Arizona.

The 911 call about the attempted shooting on Tammy was made at 9:41 p.m. The call was made by Tammy’s son-in-law Joseph Murray and Tammy relayed that the shooting happened around 9:15 p.m. Four days later, Tammy emailed her son Mark about the incident, writing that she was in her driveway after coming home from clogging and a masked man was standing by the back of her car. When Tammy asked what they were doing, they shot at her with a paintball gun, which she initially thought was a rifle. Cox owned a 6.5 mm Grendel AR.

Tammy Daybell died on Oct. 19, 2019. She was found dead in her bed. Her cause of death, according to the autopsy performed on her, was asphyxia.

The morning after Tammy’s death, Oct. 20, Vallow and Daybell exchanged messages about spending a night together and Daybell told Vallow to look for a condo for them to stay in. Vallow was in Hawaii at the time.

When Tammy died, Daybell received money from her life insurance policy ($300,000) and another life insurance policy from the school district she worked for ($130,000).

On Nov. 24, Daybell gave Cox a patriarchal blessing, which is a special blessing in the LDS Church to be given by patriarchs, which Daybell was not. In the blessing, Edwards noted the last line, where Daybell said that Cox had “already assisted us in many ways that can never be repaid.”

Cox was found dead on Dec. 12, 2019 and died of natural causes.

HERMOSILLO TESTIFIES AGAIN

Lori Vallow was arrested on Feb. 20, 2020 and was sent to Madison County Jail, where she called Daybell from. Hermosillo listened to the phone calls between Daybell and Vallow and says they talked up to 10-12 times every day.

In one call, a recording of which was played for the court, Vallow and Daybell talked about the second coming and “new Jerusalem.” The call was made on June 8, 2020. Less than a day later, law enforcement was searching Daybell’s backyard for J.J. and Tylee.

Daybell believed he had an ability to speak with people who were dead, Hermosillo said.

Cox occasionally went by Ray LeMar, who Daybell spoke about during the phone call, saying that Ray was optimistic and wanted Vallow to stick with it.

Vallow asked Daybell for reassurance and he gave it.

“What I need from you is the project is going to be finished and everything is going to be fine and it’s going to work out,” Vallow said. “I need you to tell me that every day.”

“My sweet, lovely Lola,” Daybell said in reply. “Things are going to work out. Not just because he says so but because I know so. It’s a marvelous plan.”

These kind of reassurances between the two happened often, Hermosillo said.

The Daybell trial will continue on Thursday, May 16 at 8:30 a.m. The trial is expected to last eight-10 weeks.