Idaho doomsday author Chad Daybell, who was found guilty of murder in the deaths of his first wife and his second wife’s two youngest children, was sentenced to death Saturday.
Jurors on Thursday found Daybell guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the slayings of his first wife, Tammy Daybell, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16. Daybell was also found guilty found. of insurance fraud.
During the more than month-long trial in Boise, Idaho, prosecutors portrayed Daybell as someone infatuated with apocalyptic thoughts and calling people “zombies” and “dark spirits.”
The children’s remains were found in June 2020 on Daybell’s property in Fremont County, Idaho. Police said they believed Daybell hid the remains between September 2019 and June 2020.
Tammy Daybell died in 2019, weeks before Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow got married. Her death was initially believed to be from natural causes, but her remains were later exhumed. An autopsy revealed that she died of asphyxiation in a homicide.
In 2021, Daybell and Vallow were charged with murder and theft by deception in the deaths of Vallow’s two youngest children.
They were also charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in connection with Tammy’s death.
Vallow was convicted last year and received multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.
After Thursday’s guilty verdict, State Court Judge Steven W. Boyce instructed the jury on the death penalty phase.
Several family members read the victim statements on Friday before the verdict was pronounced. Ron Douglas, Tammy’s father, said the case had made him “angry.”
“It kills me to know that Tammy was treated the way she was treated,” he said.
Matthew Douglas, Tammy’s brother, recalled how she was the “heart and glue” of the siblings. Benjamin Douglas shared how his sister’s death affected him.
“My children only know their Aunt Tammy through photos, stories and a gravestone they are allowed to visit regularly,” he said. “They only know their father as someone who is dealing with great amounts of grief and fear.”
Joshua’s grandmother, Kay Woodcock, also addressed the court.
“There is a hole in my heart and in the hearts of every member of my family that can never be filled and will remain for the rest of our lives,” she said.
The case began in 2019 after concerned family members told Rexburg police they had not seen or spoken to Joshua and Tylee. Police began searching for the children in November.
Authorities had accused Daybell and Vallow of lying to police and failing to cooperate in the investigation into the children’s disappearance.
They initially told officers that Joshua, who was adopted and had special needs, was in Arizona with a family friend, but police determined it was a lie.
The couple abruptly left Rexburg for Hawaii. In February 2020, Vallow was taken into custody by police in Hawaii after failing to turn the children over to authorities in Idaho.
Court documents revealed that Joshua was buried in a pet cemetery and Tylee was dismembered and burned in a fire pit.
This story was originally published on NBCNews.com.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
