MADISON COUNTY, IDAHO, Idaho — Chad Daybell's attorney wants to withdraw from the case after more than three years of working with the defendant.
Daybell is facing a slew of charges in Idaho, including three counts of first-degree murder in the death of his first wife, Tammy Daybell, and the deaths of his current wife's children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow. Chad Daybell has been in Idaho custody since June 2020 after investigators found the children's bodies buried in his backyard.
The children and their mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, used to live in Arizona. Vallow Daybell was convicted Tylee, JJ and Tammy's deaths in May 2023 and sentenced to life in prison without parole in Idaho in July 2023. In November 2023, she was extradited to jail in Maricopa County to face conspiracy charges in Arizona.
RELATED: 'Denied': Judge denies Chad Daybell's motions to strike the death penalty as possible punishment
In a motion that was unsealed Friday, Chad Daybell's attorney John Prior wrote that he "moves to withdraw" as Chad Daybell's counsel. The filing states that Chad Daybell was found indigent by the court and doesn't have the ability to pay for counsel's continued services. It also states that Chad Daybell seeks to be appointed two capital-qualified attorneys as he's facing the death penalty.
"Remaining on this case would require undersigned counsel to work around the clock, more than full-time, for more than four months without compensation and without the assistance of another counsel."
Prior has been representing Chad Daybell in the current murder case since May 2021. He also represented Chad Daybell in a previous, related case in 2020.
Chad Daybell's triple murder trial is scheduled for April 2024 in Ada County, Idaho, but might be subject to change if there's a change in counsel.
Judge Steven Boyce, who oversees this case, set a hearing for the Motion to Withdraw as Counsel for January 18 at 10 a.m. in Madison County, Idaho.