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'Doomsday prophet' Chad Daybell has been found guilty of killing his ex-wife and co-conspirator Lori Vallow's two children in a chilling triple murder case that rattled the state of Idaho.
Daybell showed no emotion as the verdict was read on Thursday, standing beside his attorney as the judge revealed the jury had found him guilty on all counts. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty and a decision is expected later today.
The verdict comes after a nearly two-month trial after Daybell, 55, was accused of killing Tammy Daybell, Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16.
During the summer of 2020, the remains of the children were discovered on Daybell's Fremont County, Idaho property.
Police said they believe the bodies were buried by Daybell sometime between September of 2019 and June of 2020.
The jury reached the verdict Thursday in the bizarre and horrifying case of the doomsday author (pictured) who was charged with murdering his ex-wife and her two youngest children
Last year, Lori Vallow Daybell, pictured here in February 2024, the mother of the deceased children, received a life sentence without parole for the killings
Tammy Daybell died in 2019, mere weeks ahead of Chad and Lori Vallow's wedding.
Though her death was initially believed to be due to natural causes, her corpse was later exhumed and following an autopsy, it was determined that she had been suffocated to death.
Daybell and Lori Vallow were indicted in 2021 on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and grand theft by deception in the children's deaths.
The pair were slapped with a handful of additional charges relating to Tammy's death.
Last year, Vallow was convicted and handed a sentence of multiple life sentences behind bars without the possibility of parole.
During his trial, Daybell was accused of crafting an alternate reality so that he could fulfill 'his desire for sex, money and power.'
'When he had a chance at what he considered his rightful destiny, he made sure no person and no law would stand in his way,' prosecutor Rob Wood said.
Prosecutors, who called 67 witnesses throughout the trial, said the couple justified the three killings by creating a detailed and apocalyptic belief system, part of an elaborate scheme to eliminate any obstacles to their relationship and to obtain money from survivor benefits and life insurance.
Joshua Vallow, 7, left, and Tylee Ryan, 17. They were last seen on Sept. 23, 2019 in Rexburg, Idaho, before their remains were discovered on Daybell's property nine months later
Tammy Daybell with a grandchild in a photo from her Facebook page. Tammy Daybell died mysteriously in her sleep in Idaho on October 19, 2019. Her death was first believed to have been of natural causes, but after an autopsy was conducted, it was determined she died by asphyxiation
Lori Vallow Daybell, center, sits between her attorneys for a hearing at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho, on Aug. 16, 2022. She was sentenced last year to life in prison without parole
In this aerial photo, investigators search for human remains at Chad Daybell's residence in Salem, Idaho, on June 9, 2020 - they found the remains of Vallow's two youngest children, JJ and Tylee
Daybell's defense attorney John Prior presented a different picture to jurors - noting that Chad Daybell was a religious person but suggesting that his belief in things like premonitions were fairly mainstream.
Prior also explained to jurors that Lori Vallow Daybell's brother, Alex Cox, had a violent history. He had previously been convicted of attacking Vallow Daybell's third husband, and he shot and killed her fourth husband.
'Whenever there was a problem with Lori Vallow, Alex Cox ran to the rescue,' Prior said in opening statements.
Daybell's attorney also argued that his client lived a normal, faith-focused life before he met Lori Vallow Daybell, who he said showered Daybell with attention.
His legal team described her as a 'beautiful, vivacious person' who drew Daybell into an extramarital relationship.
Daybell's attorney also said he would present several experts in DNA, forensics and pathology who would testify that it's impossible to determine what caused Tammy Daybell's death and that none of Chad Daybell's DNA was found with the children's bodies.
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