The murder trial of Chad Daybell will be broadcast live by the court, an Idaho judge ruled Wednesday.
Daybell is charged with murder and conspiracy to murder in the death of his first wife, Tammy Daybell, and two of his second wife’s children, Tylee Ryan, 16, and JJ Vallow, 7. Lori Vallow Daybell was tried and convicted on the same charges earlier this year.
Judge Stephen Boyce originally barred cameras from the courtroom when Daybell’s trial was still joined with that of his wife, as CrimeOnline reported. The ban remained in place when the trials were severed, and Vallow Daybell’s trial was not broadcast earlier this year.
Daybell’s attorneys, however, filed a motion to allow broadcast of the proceedings, and they were joined in a hearing on the matter by an attorney representing a coalition of media outlets.
Prosecutors argued against broadcast, citing concerns about a tainted jury pool and issues with witnesses possibly watching live streams, KTVB reported.
Boyce ruled that the trial would be streamed on the court’s website by the court’s audio and video equipment. No still cameras will be permitted, or any other third party recording.
Boyce also heard arguments on a prosecution motion to move the trial from Ada County closer to eastern Idaho, where the crimes occurred and where witnesses and family members live, East Idaho News reported. Prosecutors say the argument that publicity was too strong in Fremont County when the proceedings began is now true for Ada County, where Vallow Daybell’s trial took place.
“During the trial, there was daily coverage, daily reports, interviews being conducted on the courthouse steps daily…and crowds were gathered to hear the verdict,” Fremonth County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Blake said. “The coverage in Ada County is pervasive.”
Daybell’s attorney, John Prior, argued that the population of Fremont County is considerably less than that of Ada County, making it difficult to draw an unbiased jury with so many relatives and witnesses in the area.
Boyce said he would issue a written ruling after he has reviewed the arguments.
Boyce also heard arguments from prosecutors seeking to amend parts of the indictment, which he granted, and from the defense seeking to limit prosecutors to presenting the exact same case for Daybell that they presented for Vallow Daybell. The judge denied that motion, saying he’d seen no evidence that prosecutors planned to present a substantially different case.
A final motion under consideration was one from the defense asking to have the death penalty taken off the table, as it was for Vallow Daybell. Again, Boyce said he would issue a written ruling on the motion later on.
Daybell is due in court for another hearing on December 28. The trial itself is set to begin on April 1, 2024.
Vallow Daybell is also facing conspiracy charges for the murder of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and an attempt on the life of her former nephew-in-law. Governors of both Arizona and Idaho have signed extradition papers, but officials in Maricopa County, Arizona, say they won’t proceed until Vallow Daybell’s appeal of her Idaho conviction plays out.
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[Featured image: FILE – This Aug. 4, 2020, file photo shows Chad Daybell during a court hearing in St. Anthony, Idaho. Prosecutors in Idaho say they will seek the death penalty against Chad and Lori Daybell in connection with the deaths of Lori Daybell’s two youngest children and Chad Daybell’s previous wife last year. The prosecutors made the announcement in court filings on Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021. (John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, Pool, File)]
