Jury selection began this week in an Idaho murder case that authorities say was related to a religious doomsday sect.
Lori Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell have been charged with conspiracy, grand theft and murder in connection to the deaths of Mrs. Daybell’s two children and Mr. Daybell’s ex-wife.
Both have pleaded not guilty.
Mrs. Daybell’s trial began Monday but, since the two cases have been separated, Mr. Daybell’s trial isn’t set to begin for months.
Mrs. Daybell is also charged with conspiracy to commit murder in Arizona in the death of her ex-husband Charles Vallow who was killed by her brother Alex Cox who claimed self-defense.
The Arizona trial is on hold while the Idaho proceedings take place.
Attorneys began questioning potential jury members in a process that is likely to take several days.
The case gained national attention after the bodies of the two children, 7-year-old Joshua Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, were discovered in June 2020 buried at Mr. Daybell’s home in eastern Idaho.
The cause of death for the two children has not been released. Authorities found Tylee Ryan’s remains burned and Joshua Vallow’s wrapped in plastic.
Authorities say that the couple believed in religious theories that led to the deaths of the two children. According to police documents and family members, she believed that she was a “resurrected being of God” and that her children were “zombies.”
Mrs. Daybell believed that prayer would destroy the physical bodies of the “zombies,” allowing the souls trapped inside to be freed.
Police began investigating the couple in November 2019 after several family members reported that the children were missing.
According to the investigators, the two lied and misled authorities about the children’s whereabouts until the bodies were finally uncovered. Authorities say the two also collected the children’s Social Security benefits after their deaths.
The couple married two weeks after the death of Mr. Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell. Police initially believed she died of natural causes but have since exhumed her body.
Mr. Daybell and Mrs. Daybell met in 2018 and bonded over their shared religious views. They appeared for the first time publicly on a podcast discussing theories about the end of the world.
Mr. Daybell also authored several novels focusing on a religious apocalypse. They married in Hawaii in 2019.
The two face life in prison if convicted.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.