Chad Daybell’s attorney has filed a motion to withdraw from his case and requested that the accused murderer be appointed two public defenders qualified to work the death penalty case.
John Prior wrote in his motion that his client had confirmed that he cannot pay for his services and that he is withdrawing with Daybell’s “full consent.”
011124 Motion to Withdraw as Counsel by kc wildmoon on Scribd
Prior has been Daybell’s sole attorney since he was hired three years ago to defend him against charges that he killed his wife, Tammy Daybell, and his second wife’s children, 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. Lori Vallow Daybell was convicted on the same charges last year and sentenced to three consecutive life terms with no parole.
Prosecutors filed their intent to seek the death penalty in Daybell’s case in August 2021, and Judge Steven Boyce last month denied Prior’s attempts to have the death penalty taken off the table, as CrimeOnline reported.
Noting that Daybell was declared indigent a year ago, Prior wrote in his motion that Daybell “does not have the ability” to continue to pay for his services.
“Remaining on this case would require undersigned counsel to work around the clock, more than full-time, for more than four months without compensation and without the assistance of any other counsel,” Prior wrote.
Prior requested a hearing on the request on January 30, but Boyce set it for January 18.
If Boyce grants Prior’s motion to withdraw, it would likely mean a delay in the scheduled April 1 trial start date while new counsel are put in place.
Vallow Daybell, meanwhile, awaits trial in Arizona on conspiracy charges in the murder of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and the attempted murder of her niece’s ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux.
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[Featured image: John Prior, Chad Daybell’s attorney, and Daybell at a hearing last year/Nate Eaton/EastIdahoNews.com]
