BOISE, Idaho — In court on Wednesday, April 17, a financial timeline was constructed for jurors to understand Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell's spending habits in the weeks leading up to investigators finding the bodies of Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, Lori Vallow's two children.
In testimony from FBI Forensic Accountant Michael Douglass, the court heard about how Tylee Ryan, when still alive, never let her balances hit negatives and was over all "good" with her money, according to Douglass. It was after her last known date alive that her bank account began to change. Transactions that were normally done in brick-and-mortar were now being done online. Her Venmo account was also active in the weeks after her last known date of sighting.
The court also heard from Det. Chuck Kunsaitis, from Rexburg, while he built timelines showing Chad Daybell's travel records in the months leading up to his wife Tammy Daybell's death, as well as in the months leading up to finding the children's bodies.
So far in the trial, there have been a handful of witnesses, mostly from law enforcement agencies or government entities. However, in the motion hearing held on Tuesday, the court heard arguments on whether or not prosecutor Rob Wood would be called to the stand for a series of over 200 texts he sent to another witness. Wood was texting Melanie Gibb, former best friend of Lori Vallow. Gibb is also set to be called in the Chad Daybell trial.
This issue was resolved in a motion hearing on Tuesday, where Judge Steven Boyce had ruled that Wood would not be called to the stand, however, the text messages were allowed to be shown in court.
Testimony heard on Tuesday showed search history on devices belonging to both Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow. The court also heard a patriarchal prayer done by Chad Daybell to Alex Cox, Lori Vallow's brother. An agent from the Social Security Administration also testified, discussing the amount of income that Lori Vallow was receiving prior to her children's deaths.
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3:15 p.m.: Prior says he has more questions for Gibb, so she will return to the stand Friday morning. Court was adjourned for the day. The jury is excused from the courtroom.
3:14 p.m.: Prior then responds with asking Gibb if she ever asked to see JJ. "You didn't ask to see JJ, did you," he asked, Gibb replies with "it's possible." He revisits Gibb's testimony with Blake, saying she had no memory loss when questioned by prosecutors; however, now appears to not remember much.
3:13 p.m.: Prior asks about a "vision" or nightmare that David had experienced that night, which prompted Gibb to attempt to access Lori's room, but was not able to get in. Gibb says she went back to sleep, and that she and David woke up at 7 a.m. and left the house at 9:30 a.m.
3:10 p.m.: Gibb says that after looking at the property and returning to the house, she, David and Lori began recording a podcast at approximately 9 p.m. While recording the podcast, Gibb says she saw Alex carrying JJ with his head on his shoulders. She says she doesn't know where Alex had put JJ that night. Gibb and David were in JJ's room.
3:05 p.m.: Prior asks Gibb if anyone went to church on Sunday, Sept. 22 before she, David, Chad and a realter went to look at a piece of property. Gibb says she doesn't remember if Alex was there.
3 p.m.: Prior questions Gibb's recall of events, revisiting her testimony provided earlier to Blake about the last time she saw JJ. Prior asks if she was mistaken about the day she arrived in Idaho, if she arrived on Thursday and not Wednesday -- Gibb says she doesn't remember.
2:56 p.m.: "Well, yeah," Gibb says when Prior asks if she intentionally recorded Lori with intentional questions. Prior details the recorded phone call, where Lori repeatedly uses the singular term "I" and "me" rather than "we." He quotes Lori saying, "I had to move her..." and "I will do whatever the Lord needs me to do."
2:50 p.m.: Prior continues cross examining Gibb with asking her about "portals" that Lori and Chad would use to communicate, and the various levels of "light" and "dark."
2:38 p.m.: Prior to jury returning to the courtroom, Boyce comments on the defense's exhibits that inadvertently revealed information regarding Lori Vallow's trial to the jury. He says that moving forward, exhibits must be redacted as instructed, as to not influence the jury.
2:15 p.m.: Judge Boyce announces a 20-minute recess.
2:11 p.m.: Prior asks about an altercation that occurred between Lori, Charles and Alex at the Arizona home Lori moved to after Hawaii, in which a bat was involved, and Alex retrieved a gun from his bedroom.
2:09 p.m.: Prior asks if Tylee was in Hawaii during Lori's stay on the island of Kauai. Gibb says she thinks so and that JJ was with Charles during the two-month period. Prior asks Gibb if divorce papers had been filed between Charles and Lori, and if they ever considered reconciliation. Gibb says she believes that is correct.
2:05 p.m.: When asked if Gibb's relationship with Tylee could be described as "not the best," Gibb states it is best described as "no relationship."
2:04 p.m.: Prior continues with questioning. Gibb confirms she met Lori in early 2018 and began communicating regularly and says that during that time. Prior goes on to ask if it is true that Lori was moving around a lot, Gibb confirms. Prior goes on to clarify the timeline of Lori's whereabouts. He clarifies that in October 2018, Lori was in Arizona; she then relocated to Hawaii on February 1, 2019 and remained there until the end of March. Gibb confirms these statements. Gibb says during that time, she and Lori saw each other once.
2 p.m.: Judge Boyce asks the jury to disregard information inadvertently revealed in one of the exhibits.
1:56 p.m.: Prior continues cross examination of Gibb by asking when she met Lori for the first time. Blake interrupts asking to approach the judge's bench.
1:50 p.m.: When Prior asks why Gibb would exchange such text messages with the prosecuting attorney who is prosecuting Chad Daybell, Gibb says it was because she trusted him. Prior moves to admit two exhibits.
1:46 p.m.: Prior permits the bailiff to hand Gibb his laptop so she can review documentation he had obtained of 340 text messages between she and Prosecutor Rob Wood in May 2020, in which she discussed how she intended to "make sure the church is protected" in her interview with Morrison.
1:38 p.m.: Gibb discusses her interviews with Idaho journalist Nate Eaton and Dateline NBC's Keith Morrison. Prior asks Gibb if she made any efforts to protect or defend her religion prior to her interview with Morrison, to which Gibb says she does not know.
1:33 p.m.: Prior shifts topics and asks Gibb about her book, Feel the Fire, that she says she began writing in mid-2018, documenting her journey with the LDS religion.
1:27 p.m.: Prior asks Gibb to explain what "energy work" is. She says the body is asked questions about its condition, and then pauses, saying she's having difficulty explaining exactly what it is. She then resumes by explaining the concept as a detecting and utilizing "vibrations." Gibb confirms that the LDS religion has nothing to do with "light" and "dark," and she didn't possess the ability to determine if someone is "light" or "dark." She then says she doesn't remember if she ever tried teaching followers the practice.
1:21 p.m.: Prior asks about Gibb's living situation with her husband. She lives in Arizona, David lives in Utah. Gibb says Daybell believed that he was capable of having said "visions," and agrees with Prior that Chad made "revelations" about Tammy's death at conferences in or before 2018.
1:17 p.m.: Prior begins with going of the timeline of events: Gibb met Chad in the summer 2017 at Preparing the People conference. She clarifies she also met her now-husband David at similar religious conference. Gibb clarifies difference between dreams, visions and premonitions, says beliefs are "mostly" on par with the LDS religion.
1:15 p.m.: Blake concludes her questioning of Gibb. John Prior prepares for cross examination of Gibb.
1:13 p.m.: Gibb says before the term "dark" came about in reference to evil spirits, Lori and Chad referred to those spirits as "zombies." Gibb says Alex also 100% believed that the idea of people being "zombies" was true.
1:11 p.m.: Gibb testifies that Lori referred to Tammy as "dark." Also stated that Lori said Tammy was becoming suspicious of and concerned about Lori and Chad's relationship. Blake also asks if Charles was suspicious prior to his death, to which Gibb says she is not sure.
1:08 p.m.: Court reconvenes with Melanie Gibb on the stand providing testimony. Blake begins with Gibb about Tammy's death.
Noon: Court takes lunch, recess until 1 p.m.
11:57 a.m.: Gibb tells Blake that Chad had mentioned, several times, that Tammy would die at an early age. Gibb continues to expand on Chad and Lori's teachings of the gospel and belief in multiple past lives. Gibb admits she was "open" to some of the teachings and ideas but did not fully believe them.
11:53 a.m.: Blake asks Gibb why Lori thought people were "after her." Gibb says Lori claims Kay, Lori's brother and the police are after her because she considered them dark, and she was spiritual. Gibb iterates that it is Chad that determines if someone is "light" or "dark."
11:51 a.m.: The audio recording ends. Listen to the full audio recording here.
11:47 a.m.: The recorded phone call continues: Lori says to Gibb, "I'm sorry I included you...because you will be accountable for the knowledge that you do have, Mel."
11:43 a.m.: Gibb says something just doesn't feel right and that Tammy died, Charles died, and something about it feels off. Chad then gets on the phone and claims Tammy had been sick and was physically falling apart and getting sicker.
11:43 a.m.: Gibb says that, in the audio recording, Lori continues to claim that Kay is "dark" and that she changed Charles' life insurance policy. Lori tells Gibb that she loves her. Gibb says, “If you really loved me, you would not have told the police I had JJ with me.”
11:40 a.m.: In the call, Gibb asks where Chad and Lori are, they don't disclose where. She asks why police were told JJ was in her custody and asks if he was safe, to which Lori says, "he is safe and happy." Lori says that people are after her and that "dark things" are working against her. Gibb and Lori exchange scripture, blaming one another for being deceived. Lori goes on to make a statement indicating she was aware that Gibb may have been recording the phone call.
11:30 a.m.: Blake plays a recorded phone call made on Dec. 8, 2019, for the jury. The call was recorded by Gibb, where she called Chad and Lori to inquire about JJ.
11:23 a.m.: Gibb says the day she was going to talk with the police, she got a call from an old friend who is an attorney, who advised a welfare check on JJ. Gibb recalls speaking with Alex about concerns of JJ's whereabouts a day or two after Thanksgiving. She asked if she even wanted to know where JJ was, to which Alex responded, "you don't want to know," and informed her that the police had come to his apartment.
11:19 a.m.: Gibb says Alex called her and told her that the police were also "dark." Gibb admits she initially did not answer call from law enforcement. Gibb says she eventually spoke with Gilbert police and told them she did not have JJ and that he was "back with Lori."
11:16 a.m.: Prior to Thanksgiving, in November 2019, Chad called Gibb to tell her that Rexburg police were going to call her to ask about JJ. She says Chad told her not to answer the phone and that Lori told police that Gibb had JJ. On the stand, Gibb iterates that she did not have JJ in her custody. Chad also told Gibb to expect a call from Lori, but at the moment, she was busy speaking with police. During this interaction, Lori and Chad were in Idaho. Gibb asys she and Lori later spoke on the phone and Lori said she "was protecting Tylee and JJ." Lori also told Gibb to go to the movie theater and take a photo of movie "Frozen" so that it would appear she and JJ were at the movies.
11:13 a.m.: The next morning, Lori tells Gibb that JJ was with "out with Alex." Which contradicts what she had previously told Gibb, which is that JJ was with his grandmother, Kay.
11:11 a.m.: Gibb says that Sunday, September 22, 2019, was the last time she saw JJ alive.
11:09 a.m.: Gibb says she saw JJ Sunday evening before bed. During the night/early morning hours, David woke up from a nightmare, so Gibb tried calling Chad to give him a "priesthood blessing." Chad did not answer, she attempted to call Lori. Again, no answer. Gibb then knocked on Lori's bedroom door, however, it was locked.
11:05 a.m.: David asked Chad about Tammy, Chad asked David not to tell anyone about his relationship with Lori.
11:01 a.m.: During the weekend stay, Gibb says JJ was visibly upset and Chad brought him upstairs, when they returned, Chad had a scratch mark on his neck that he claimed JJ gave him.
10:59 a.m.: Gibb arrived in Idaho on Wednesday, September 18, 2019, Gibb was visiting Lori in Idaho for a conference and to record a podcast. Alex and JJ were present, as well as a man names David Warwick - Gibb's then boyfriend, now husband. Chad would occasionally stop by. During this visit, Tylee was not present, when asked, Lori said she was at the "BYU Idaho campus at school." The day before Gibb arrived in Idaho for the conference, Lori told Gibb that JJ, too, was now "dark." Lori had previously already told her that Tylee was "dark."
10:52 a.m.: Gibb says Lori had three phones she would rotate between, one of which was specifically for communication with Chad. Gibb says Lori claimed she and Chad had many relationships in several prior lives. One of which, Gibb says Lori was "Chad's wife, but he was James, and she was...I think Elaina."
10:43 a.m.: Court is called back to session. Melanie Gibb returns to the stand to continue testimony under oath. They begin with questions regarding Lori and Chad's relationship while Charles was still alive, and both parties were still married.
10 a.m.: Mid-morning recess takes place, court will readjourn at 10:30 a.m. and Melanie Gibb will be back on the stand.
9:47 a.m.: Gibb helped participate in a religious ceremony, or castings, to "remove the dark energy" from Charles Vallow before he passed away. Chad was present for some castings. Casting was also done on Tammy Daybell.
9:38 a.m.: The court hears testimony from Melanie Gibb detailing the religious beliefs of Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow. Daybell was providing Vallow a great deal of information about "light" and "dark", labels for people who either made a deal with God before coming to this earth or made a deal with the devil.
9:32 a.m.: Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell went to the temple at one point while both of their spouses were still alive, to get sealed in the temple "again" - with Lori Vallow believing they had previously been sealed in the temple in another life.
9:28 a.m.: Lori Vallow believed she had lived multiple lives, or probations. Upon meeting Chad Daybell, Daybell said that he and Vallow had been married in a previous life, which Vallow was receptive too. The line of questioning moves towards Lori Vallow's relationship with her children. Gibb said that Tylee and Lori Vallow had a more turbulent relationship, but Vallow cared more for JJ.
9:19 a.m.: Douglass is done testifying, and Judge Boyce asks him to step down. The state calls their next witness: Melanie Gibb. Gibb met Daybell in the summer of 2017 at a camping get-together. Gibb met Lori Vallow at a church event, in October of 2018. Vallow had approached Gibb, striking up a friendship and staying in touch regularly. At an event in October of 2018, Vallow and Gibb traveled to St. George, Utah to go to a conference. When they arrived, they saw Chad Daybell, selling his books and giving a talk at the conference. Gibb was responsible for helping Lori Vallow meet Chad Daybell.
9:15 a.m.: Redirect starts, as Rob Wood takes the podium. Wood asks Douglass if Douglass ever saw images of the Vallow-Daybell wedding. Douglass said yes he has. Wood asks what rings they wore, they were malachite rings.
9:13 a.m.: Prior brings up the Etsy order for malachite rings. The order was cancelled, the size of the rings were shown in court, so Prior begins to ask questions. Prior asks if Douglass was aware that Alex Cox was looking to get married at roughly the same time, so was Lori Vallow's niece Melani Boudreaux. Prior argues that the malachite rings were not ordered for Lori Vallow or Chad Daybell, based on the timelines.
8:48 a.m.: Douglass testifies that there is no signs of Chad Daybell's money going into any Lori Vallow's accounts. Prior argues that on the timelines provided to the court, there's a great deal of dates that show are irrelevant to Chad Daybell, as Daybell did not know Lori Vallow, or her children on the dates provided.
8:45 a.m.: Cross examination of Douglass begins as John Prior takes the podium.
8:43 a.m.: Etsy purchases are admitted to court. Lori Vallow had purchased two malachite inlayed rings through the popular craft marketplace. Another piece of evidence is admitted, showing the jury that on Aug 15, 2019, Lori Vallow spent over $200 on the rings. Douglass investigated the purchase, and it ended up being returned. Douglass is unsure on why it was returned.
8:35 a.m.: The windows in the courtroom are open again today, backlighting Chad Daybell and his lawyer John Prior. Prosecutor Rob Wood is asking Douglass, who is an FBI forensic accountant, about Tylee Ryan's Venmo account. A timeline of Venmo accounts and their spending is entered as evidence. It shows the Venmo activity of Lori Vallow and Tylee Ryan.
8:32 a.m.: Court is now called to order. Judge Steven Boyce comes in. All jurors are present and seated, as Michael Douglass takes the stand again. Direct examination of Douglass continues.
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