Chad Daybell trial begins in April, murdered child's grandfather speaks out
The trial for Chad Daybell, the husband of the so-called ‘doomsday mom’ Lori Vallow Daybell, is expected to start on April 1.
He is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of Lori’s two kids, JJ and Tylee, and his late wife, Tammy Daybell. A jury found Lori Vallow Daybell guilty in May 2023. She’s serving three life in prison sentences.
"The reality is… there's two dead children, and there's one dead mother," said Larry Woodcock, JJ’s grandpa.
Woodcock was in Boise for the entire six-week trial for Lori Vallow Daybell. FOX 13 talked with Woodcock on Monday, ahead of Chad Daybell’s trial.
"I still ask myself constantly why this happened," Woodcock said.
In June 2020, investigators found the remains of 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan buried in Daybell’s backyard in Eastern Idaho.
Chad Daybell is Lori Vallow Daybell’s fifth husband. She never reported the kids missing. The couple got married in Hawaii, just two weeks after Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, died.
For the loved ones of the victim, like Woodcock, who will have to re-live the horrific moments surrounding his grandson’s death once again, he has some strong words for Daybell.
"I haven't seen anything change in his demeanor," Woodcock said. "I think that he's pretty much a wimp of a man."
In addition to murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges, Daybell also faces charges of grand theft and insurance fraud. He has pleaded not guilty. If he is found guilty, he could also face the death penalty in Idaho.
"Sometimes living is worse than dying, and in Chad’s case, I’m not going to be the judge of that, I’ll let those 12 jurors decide that fate," Woodcock said.
Twelve — the same age Woodcock said JJ would have been, if he were still alive.
"Mama and papa love you," Woodcock said. "We always have, we always will, and one day I’ll meet JJ in heaven, because I know that's where he’s at."
The trial is expected to last eight-to-10 weeks and, unlike Lori Vallow Daybell’s trials, where cameras were banned from the courtroom, Daybell’s will be livestreamed.
MORE COVERAGE OF THE LORI VALLOW-CHAD DAYBELL CASE
'Cult mom' Lori Vallow appeals conviction after being found guilty of murdering her 2 children
Idaho mom Lori Vallow Daybell sentenced in deaths of 2 children and her romantic rival
Child killer Lori Vallow primps for new mug shot with styled hair, makeup
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As for Lori Vallow Daybell, while she was convicted last year and sentenced to life in prison in Idaho, she is now in an Arizona jail on charges of conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and her former nephew Brandon Boudreaux.