BOISE, Idaho — On Thursday, April 25, there were two witnesses called to the stand, with one taking a majority of the day. The court started by recalling Vincent Kaaiakamanu, who served as a detective on the case. His testimony took most of the day.
The second witness the prosecution called was the technology director for the school district Tammy Daybell worked at before her death. Spencer Cook testified in regard to Gmail emails from Charles Vallow, warning Tammy of infidelity. Defense did not cross examine this witness, and he was excused right before 3 p.m. on Thursday. Court wrapped up shortly after, to allow the state to call a new witness Friday morning.
Wednesday saw six witnesses take the stand in the Chad Daybell trial. Their ties to the accused murderer seemed outlandish at first, but prosecution had a plan. They were arguing that Tammy Daybell, Chad's first wife, was by all means healthy before her untimely death in October of 2019.
The state also recalled a witness for the first time in this trial on Wednesday, by recalling Vincent Kaaiakamanu. The first time he testified, it was focused on the finding of the children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow. This time, his testimony focused more on Tammy Daybell and her health before her death.
There was also an evidentiary motion hearing after court hours on Wednesday, with Judge Steven Boyce hearing both sides of the argument. He provided his rulings on Thursday morning, before the jury was brought in.
Tuesday, however, was the first day Chad Daybell was visibly emotional in court, as the testimony and images from Officer Alyssa Gerenhalgh showed Tammy Daybell deceased, with pinkish foam coming from her mouth. Chad Daybell appeared to cry a bit upon this testimony, showing some semblance of care for her.
Court left off on Thursday with the state needing to call another witness. However, the state had warned Judge Steven Boyce that the next witness will take some time, so they waited to call until the next day. Court is expected to wrap up about an hour earlier on Friday, April 26.
The trial is expected to last another four to six weeks.
Live Updates:
11:48 a.m.: Redirect starts. Before prosecutor Wixom takes the podium, John Prior asks what the topics would be covered during the redirect. Garner may be recalled at a later date, but is excused for the day. The witness steps down. As the witness walks out, Judge Boyce states that the state is requesting that they break for the day. They want to come in fresh on Monday. They are breaking for the day and will start again on Monday with a new witness from the state.
11:39 a.m.: Garner is asked questions about Tammy's service. The Daybell's asked if Garner could help organize it. He felt that was a bit weird, since he wasn't part of their family or church. Garner got no help from Chad Daybell during this time. Cross examination starts with John Prior asking Garner about Garner's interview with police in May of 2020.
11:16 a.m.: Another witness was called to the stand, Richard Garner, principal of the elementary school Tammy Daybell worked at in 2019 before her death. He testifies about how frequently she was moving about the school and how involved she was in all school duties. "Only time I saw her sitting was at lunch count," he said. Garner feels that based on his observations, she must have been pretty healthy. He also doesn't recall her ever taking a sick day.
11:10 a.m.: Redirect starts, and prosecution immediately asks if Huff thought the marriage to Lori Vallow was quick. Prosecution then asks about Daybell's emotions. "That's a hard question. I love Chad as a friend," testifies Huff. He reiterates that question is hard to answer. They excuse Huff from the witness stand, as neither party is planning on recalling this witness. Judge Boyce asks for a quick sidebar to discuss scheduling.
10:56 a.m.: The state calls another witness. Craig Huff takes the stand, he is a member of the same church as the Daybell's and claims he was friends with them. Huff testifies about Chad Daybell obtaining passwords to all the accounts of Tammy and Chad's, with Chad Daybell calling it a "miracle." His testimony with prosecution was short, Prior takes the podium for cross examination.
10:53 p.m.: The Arnold's had opened their home to the Daybell's and their children. Whitney Arnold testifies about asking Chad Daybell about doing an autopsy on Tammy Daybell after her death, and Chad just said he wouldn't do it. Whitney Arnold also goes on to say she was "frustrated" by his behavior following Tammy's death, such as marrying quickly. The Arnold's, Chad Daybell, and Lori Vallow all had dinner together in November of 2019, where Lori Vallow stated she had seven children. It's unclear if she was claiming Chad Daybell's children as her own. There is no cross examination.
10:39 a.m.: Court is back on the record. The jury is not present at this time, as Judge Boyce touches on Arnold told the jury about Prior owning Daybell's property. The jury has been instructed to disregard the comment. They are going to start with redirect on Arnold. After a brief redirect, Ron Arnold is released from the stand. The state calls another witness, Ron Arnold's wife, Whitney.
10:09 a.m.: Mid-morning recess takes place, slightly shorter today. Instead of the usual 30 minutes, Judge Boyce wants to keep it to 20 minutes. Before break, the state asked for a brief sidebar. They are streaming an evidentiary hearing during the mid-morning break.
9:58 a.m.: Testimony from Ron Arnold continues, with Arnold describing October 19, 2019 - the day Tammy Daybell had passed away. It was the first day that Arnold had been in the house, despite having previous conversations about splitting the property up. John Prior asks the witness how many acres the Daybell property is. Arnold responds with "I don't know, you're the one who owns it," revealing to the court that Daybell had given Prior the property, most likely as collateral.
9:32 a.m.: Ron Arnold is called to the stand from the state. He lives in Fremont County, and is married to Whitney Arnold. He's lived there for roughly 9 years. He knows Chad and Tammy Daybell. Arnold met them through church, with Chad Daybell being Arnold's home teacher for years. He didn't have much interactions with Tammy however.
9:25 a.m.: Schultz talks about the emotions at the funeral. Chad Daybell appeared distraught over Tammy's death. Cross examination wraps up, as prosecution begins re-direct. A small re-cross takes place, with Judge Boyce reminds Prior to stay specific. They excuse the witness shortly after.
9:10 a.m.: Cross examination kicks off with defense attorney John Prior taking the podium, asking Schultz questions about his connection to the Daybell family. Prior asks a great deal of questions about policies and routines of Schultz's job and how he handled the Tammy Daybell funeral.
9:00 a.m.: Schultz, with all his work in mortuaries, suggested to Chad Daybell that Tammy should have an autopsy done on her. Schultz came to Rexburg to help the family organize Tammy's funeral service. "Things happened very quickly," Schultz testified. Schultz testifies further about Chad Daybell's "business-like atmosphere" during the organization of Tammy's celebration of life.
8:49 a.m.: Court is in session. They were running a few minutes late, due to an evidentiary hearing that they wanted to hear outside of the jury's presence. The state calls another witness to kick off Friday. They call Steven Schultz. He lives in Springville, Utah. He retired in 2022, but before that he was a state employee in Utah, working for mortuaries. He knows Chad Daybell because they were neighbors. Schultz said he would consider the Daybell's friends. Schultz talks about Chad Daybell's work as a sexton - or cemetery worker.
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