Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow have been indicted on murder charges in connection with the deaths of Vallow’s two children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow.
Daybell is also charged with the murder of his ex-wife, Tammy, who died in her sleep a few weeks before Daybell got remarried.
The bodies of Vallow’s children Tylee Ryan, 17, and JJ Vallow, 7, were found on June 9 and 10, 2020 on rural property in Fremont County, Idaho, belonging to Chad Daybell who is married to Vallow.
The couple fled their home in Rexburg, Idaho, when investigators began looking into the disappearances of Vallow’s two children.
Daybell and Vallow are both charged with first-degree murder of the children and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder against all three victims, according to court documents.
The couple were already facing charges related to the destruction or hiding of evidence in connection with the disappearance of the children.
Madison County Prosecutor Rob Wood detailed the charges against Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell. “Fremont Prosecutor Lindsey Blake and I believe all three homicides and the related financial crimes were committed as part of a continuing criminal scheme,” Wood told reporters.
“Every person who has worked on this case is to be commended for their diligence and steadfast pursuit of justice for Tammy, Tylee and JJ,” Wood said in a statement.
Tammy Daybell was found dead in her home on October 19, 2019. A medical examiner has since ruled that death a homicide.
The indictments from the grand jury in Idaho cite the couple’s “religious beliefs” as a factor in the murders.
The grand jury cites evidence that Daybell and Vallow exchanged text messages saying of Tammy Daybell “being possessed by a spirit,” and say Chad Daybell changed the life insurance coverage on Tammy just over a month before she died, increasing the death benefit to the maximum allowed.
Daybell is also charged with insurance fraud, while Vallow is charged with grand theft for allegedly continuing to draw Social Security benefits for her children after their deaths.
The penalty for the most serious charges range from life in prison without the possibility of parole to the death penalty.
Prosecutors said the murder charges would have been presented to the grand jury sooner, but the case was delayed due to the pandemic.
I hope this means justice for Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Tammy Daybell. This has been a long time coming and I hope their grieving families are now that one step closer to some kind of closure.
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