Law&Crime Sidebar - 'Doomsday Cult’ Prophet Chad Daybell Laughs as Investigators Search His Property in Newly Released Video

Episode Date: April 16, 2024

Chad Daybell is accused of killing two of his second wife’s children, as well as his own first wife, because he believed they were possessed. Two weeks after his wife Tammy’s unexpected death, Chad married Lori Vallow. Vallow was convicted last year of her role in the triple homicide. This week, prosecutors unveiled new footage of Daybell sitting in the back of a police car as investigators searched his property. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber analyzes the new footage as Daybell’s first week of trial continues.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: If you’re ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: https://www.forthepeople.com/LCSidebarHOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael DeiningerScript Writing & Producing - Savannah WilliamsonGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping Audible Original series. When a reunion at an abandoned island hotel turns deadly, Russo must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the grand. View Shadows. Joshua Jackson delivers a bone-chilling performance in this supernatural thriller

that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. I've had a lot of success with all of stuff to sing, will you help me? My mom die. I'm pretty sure will you help me my dad's in jail. I'm just saying, yeah, I talked to Lori for like two minutes. So she's aware they were searching. Was she surprised? She seems bothered and serves.

I think they'll have them back. There's nothing in that. Never before seen footage was just released during the Idaho trial of Chad Daybell that once again provides more questions than answers. We're going to break down what this footage can mean in the case for the man accused of murdering his first wife and his current wife's two children.

Welcome to Sidebar, Presented by Law and Crime, I'm Jesse Weber. We had quite a few moments in the Idaho trial of Chad Daybell that we want to talk to you about right now. Of course, Daybell is the second half of the alleged doomsday cult duo story. This is the husband of Lori Valo Daybel. She was convicted, sentenced to life in prison for her role in the murders of her two children, seven-year-old Joshua J.J. Valo and 16-year-old Tiley Ryan. and their bodies were found on Chad's property.

And we can't forget that Lori Vallow Debel was also convicted of conspiracy to commit the murder of Chad's first wife, 49-year-old Tammy Daybell, who died in the family home. After her body was exhumed, it was determined by authorities that she did not die of natural causes, as was first believed, but that she died from homicidal asphyxiation. Well, now we have the trial of Chad Daybell, this religious author who wrote about The End of Days

and dark spirits. He's charged with the murders of the kids. He is also charged with the murder of Tammy. He's facing also a slew of other financial-related charges as well. And prosecutors allege that Lori and Chad, they used religion as a motivation to kill. They also say that they were having an affair. And after killing these three people,

they look to benefit financially through insurance and social security payouts. Now, let me tell you, this is a case that I have personally covered since 2019. I know it pretty well. I've covered a lot of different facets. of it. But having said that in court during Chad's trial just now, we saw something that we have never seen before. New police video of Chad Daybell. And it centers primarily around when Chad was

arrested on June 9th, 2020. This remember is when those kids, their bodies, their burnt, decomposed bodies were found in his backyard. Tiley found near a fire pit. JJ found near a pond. Now, before we even get to the new footage, this jury that's currently seeing this trial, this jury heard what we and Lori Valo-Dabell's jury have already heard. This recorded phone call between Chad and Lori when she was locked up in the Madison County jail in charges of failing to produce the children who went missing. And in this call, again, this is the day when authorities are searching Chad's property. Hi, babe.

Hello. Are you okay? No, they're searching the property. The house right now? Yeah. Yeah. Mark means we'll be talking to you. Okay.

Well, are they in the house? No, they're out in the property. Are they seizing stuff again? They're searching. There's a search warrant. So the moment I just did Emma's with the kids. Okay. we'll see what transpires.

Okay. I don't... What do we to do? Pray. What do you want me? Yeah, pray. Pray. Yeah.

Okay. What can I do for you? I'm feeling pretty calm. I would call Marko, Katie. I love you so much. Okay. I love you. Should I try to call you later?

Um, I don't know. I don't know. He can try. Yeah. I'll answer if I can. That is such an important piece of evidence because we know that they find the kids' bodies on that property. And does Chad say, I don't know what they're doing. Why are they looking there? Or do you hear Lori saying, what on earth is going on? No, it's almost as if they aren't that surprised and are like, well, let's see what happens. they're probably going to find the bodies and probably going to be arrested. That's my interpretation. That's how I see it. And I have to tell you, I think that is a fair interpretation.

By the way, Mark Means was the attorney for the day bells at that time. Hey, everybody. So one of my favorite things about being a host here on law and crime is how passionate our audiences. You guys, you don't just sit back and watch. No, you engage. You leave comments. You give us feedback.

You make your opinions known. can't tell you how much we appreciate that and value that. And one of the most popular opinions that we have seen is how much you love our police interrogations. And I have to agree because they are so unpredictable. They let you see firsthand how detectives uncover the truth behind a crime, the strategies they use, what suspects defendants say. It is so important at trials.

Can't tell you enough. Well, I am excited to tell you that we hear at Long Crime, we have heard you loud and clear. And we have launched a whole new YouTube channel. dedicated only two interrogation videos. It is aptly named Law and Crime Interrogations. And it is your new destination for all of the most gripping and unique interrogations on the internet. We're talking the moments when killers crack, false confessions, the most elaborate cover-up schemes that still seem to fail.

You can check it out. Go subscribe. Let us know what you think. Click the link in the description to step inside the interrogation room on law and crime interrogations. Now let's move on to this new footage. Okay. So Rexberg Detective Eric Wheeler, he takes the stand.

And he explains that on the day of the search of Chad's property, he was tasked with maintaining the security of the scene. And at one point, when it appeared Chad may be leaving, Chad was ultimately detained, handcuffed, and placed in Wheeler's patrol car. Chad was told that human remains had been found. Okay? So at one point, Emma, Chad's daughter, shows up. And she starts talking to Chad while he is in the back of that patrol car. And this video and audio is recorded on Wheeler's patrol car camera. But before we even get into that footage, Wheeler testified that Chad was looking awkwardly at the search,

even suspiciously near that pond area, remember where J.J. was found. And then listen to this. Detective, what direction is Mr. Daybill looking when he just turned his head and looked back? It appears to me he's looking over to the fire pit area. And that is, in fact, where Tiley's remains were found. Yes. And you were present when her remains were found. Is that correct?

I was. Suspicious. Suspicious, right? And you know why that's bad for the defense, other than the fact that the bodies were found there? Because the defense, in their opening statement, seemed to suggest that Chad had no idea the bodies were there, that perhaps Alex Cox, Lori Valo DeBell's deceased brother, the purported hit man in this case, that he was the one who deposited the bodies on Chad's property without him knowing. So why would Chad be looking at those specific locations? Something to think about. Okay, I've teased it enough.

Now let's get into this footage. This footage of Chad's daughter, Emma, shows up. Again, starts talking him while he's in the patrol car. Again, we have never seen this before. Let's check it out. You understand why that? So you just stay here with them. Okay.

Thank you, and I didn't want you to be able. Thank you. I love you so much. I love you. God, you can't move. Don't they've taken you down down already? I got them out to the Fremont County line. I gave them the food.

We'll try to get a car before us, for you. You can eat it. So Eric, say you're wrong. Select my wallet. Will that be able for her to pick up? Or could I turn that over to her right now? Is that in the car?

It's right here. It's up to you. I don't see. Can I look through it? Sure. There's going to get Mark. Is there anything you're going to need in that? Well, she'll be running my finances, I suppose.

So that has a little money on it. You could. So these are credit cards, so you're good if she just takes them? Yeah. In the middle drawer on the left side in Mark's room, there's about $9,000 in the two white envelopes. Emma, clearly emotional, says she loves her father, Chad, appears to give him a hug,

and then they immediately start going into preparing finances, what she needs to do. And I'm not going to lie to you. It is a bit of a strange conversation in my mind. I mean, he was told remains were found on his property. Where is that shock? Emma's reaction, I have to tell you, I think is interesting too. But let's continue on as he appears to go through his wallet. I believe the Hawaiian first Hawaiian bank, if you use that same password for this account,

It's Chad Abel. That's what else is going to be the producer there. This has nothing on it. It's like $6.00 that has to go away. So this, okay, in that same drawer is a piece of this that was good in here. And it's got a company card, company business card. And so just make sure you. skip that.

And this is all in March, yeah, I put that in there. There's a, like, a pamphlet with a guy who's sitting in a card for the Wells Fargo Auto Loan. That's the loan that they can go to. Yeah, and so that will talk about. So this has, if you go to Tellmate, this is the card that's used. Okay. And so all you really do, you could probably just sign in as Chad. day bell or start your own i have an account that i've been talking with lori on okay but you could use

this card yeah and to her if needed okay so yeah she'll need to still have commissary money usually that's 30th week in there and you can probably talk to her too did you catch that did you hear that communication between Lori and Emma and that Lori needs money too now you might be saying well what is this relationship between Lori and Chad's children well that is interesting to explore as well because at one point in time it was discovered that Emma allegedly wrote on Reddit in a now deleted post and let me read that to you it says quote my mother passed away October 19th 2019 the coroner told us natural causes it looks like the textbook definition of heart failure.

The death was unexpected and my family has taken it hard. My dad has already remarried. A friend of the family lost her husband earlier this year. And for whatever reason, she and my dad decided to tie the knot. It feels weird, but I already had a positive relationship with my new stepmom and she has helped our family grieve. It's definitely a weird marriage. Both still talk of their former spouses frequently.

My dad misses my mother terribly. A few neighbors, led by my aunt, in our small town, have decided that since my dad remarried so quickly, he murdered my mother. This started out as a benign, though hurtful rumor. It has escalated to the point, however, that they exhumed my mom's body for an autopsy. The family had no warning. We went to visit her grave, and her body had been dug up. I don't know the results of the autopsy yet, but I feel extremely violated. I just want to grieve.

I'm hurt that my aunt would cause so much trouble. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? feel so alone. Now, I should tell you that John Pryor, when questioning a witness at this trial, really honed in on that, that this was a rush to judgment, that it was a rush to exhumed Tammy's body, that the investigators didn't look at even her death certificate, that there were other explanations for how she could have died. And remember, John Pryor teased in his opening statement that they would call the kids to talk about the different health ailments of Tammy Daybell and that these kids didn't know that their mother's body was being exhumed. So that's

something that is definitely going to be explored or seem to be explored by John prior in this trial. Now, is it strange? Yes, it's a bit strange. But listen, we don't know really what's going on with the Daybell's children, their feelings on all this. We understand they may testify at this trial, and we'll focus on that when it happens. By the way, I know we cover some very difficult stories here on Sidebar, but we also do on our intense body cam videos. I really appreciate you watching those, by the way. So the world is scary. I think all of that makes it clear. The world is scary. It really is hard to be prepared for what happens. But having said that, there is one thing you can do, and that is be prepared if you get hurt. That brings me to

Morgan and Morgan, the largest injury law firm in America and our proud sponsor. If you should get injured, it is so vital that you understand your legal rights and whether you're entitled to be compensated because that injury could be worth millions of dollars. Morgan and Morgan's a firm that's not afraid to take on big insurance companies that sometimes low ball off. No, Morgan and Morgan will take a case to trial if it's necessary. And you know what? They win big. Verdicts of $12 million in Florida, $6.8 million in New York, $26 million in Philadelphia.

All of these, by the way, were significantly higher than the highest insurance offers in these cases. And since Morgan and Morgan is so client-focused and they want to make the process as easy for you as possible, they've completely modernized it so it's all done from your smartphone, from submitting your claim to signing documents, to uploading materials, to talk to your whole legal team. Seeing if you have a case, only takes a few minutes. So if you're injured, you can submit a claim at for the people.com slash LC body cam or by dialing pound law. That's pound 529 on your phone. In the meantime, let's focus a little bit more on chat. Now, let's move on with the video because then they talk about John Pryor, as I mentioned, Chad's attorney, and they focus a little bit more on the finances.

I texted John Pryor, so he has my number. He said, thank you. A lot of the company stuff that pays for the house should just auto pay still out of that company account. I left $5,000 and I here. Okay. You need some compliance. Okay. Thank you.

Any other questions you have? I think, well, it sounds like you're not going to be out. Right. So I think I'm going to. My landlord's texted me just to feel bad for me. I think I'm going to come over here. That's what I do, did you just take? By the way, you know what's important to note about that comment?

Sounds like you're not going to be out. He hadn't formally been put under arrest or what charges he could face. He wasn't told. But then again, he was detained and put in the back of the car and was told that human remains were found. So maybe not that surprising. And whatever Mark wants to do, he should stay with either. I will take care of me. I will, dad.

You'll take care of me. We'll take care of you. Sorry to interrupt. So keep paying the mortgage out of the company. No. You can probably set it up, though. Okay. It's Wells Fargo.

In that same pamphlet, I'll look, but I've had a lot of success with mom's stuff just saying, will you help me? My mom died, I'm pretty sure. Will you help me? My dad and jail has the same. It should be paid through July 1st. Okay.

And I think the car is paid through July 15th. So you shouldn't have any bills to worry about. Yeah, I'm not coming back. So all that stuff that's in the baby room is Lori. in mine, the suitcases you'll see in the box just in the garage I guess. Okay, let's break that down.

Him saying, I'm not coming back. A jury could look at that and say, yeah, he knows the jig is up. I mean, where is the, get my lawyer on the phone, this is wrong, I don't know what they're doing. No, we don't hear that.

It's almost like, and again, this is how I see it. Well, had a good run. Now you've got to take care of yourself. Here's all my finances. Here's what you have to do. Look, again, I don't know the dynamics here between Emma and Chad. I can imagine this must be a very difficult time for Emma, but it is a little weird, at least to me, how she's talking about calling up this company and saying almost jokingly, oh, my mom died, will you help me? Oh, my dad's in jail. Help me. I get it. I understand completely what she's saying, what she's talking about, how she can work through

the red tape here. It's just a bit of an odd statement. That's all. Now, as we can continue to break down this new footage of Chad Daybell. Let's continue on with a couple more odd statements. We're going to make it through. I'm glad we could talk. You're glad they let you take over. He's heard of Craig. Do you want to talk to?

Do you want to talk to it? Like, Hannah? He said, he's just over there. Oh, that changes. You probably saw us on. Yeah, I've watched you. And so things will slow down for you guys to get left alone. But, yeah, they'll let you move out of there.

You just get over here. It's still better. I keep moving down up with some spare in telling me, but I didn't know how it all. I felt like I needed to learn more. And now I get it. So, yeah, this is essentially how we'll talk to John Pryor about the financial arrangement.

But you should be playing for a lot. I think strong enough to get on our speed. We're okay, Dad. We're okay. You raised us that we're independent with your wallet. Glad you've got that. We're not going to get that money out of there. Probably just put it in your own personal account.

I don't have the cash link. Yeah, I talked to Lori for like two minutes. So she's aware they were. searching. Was she surprised? She seemed bothered or disturbed. I mean, yeah, but, but so yeah, I'll be fine. I don't know what they told you because I asked Lieutenant Bull, where did you find the human remains? That's what they told me, because they found human remains.

And I said, well, there are several dogs that have been buried there. And you said, respectfully, I can tell the different. it's a human room and I asked where was it and he said over by the pond under that tree and it was in the ground he had boards over it but that that didn't face and I have walked all over there yeah that and I can see in your face that surprised here that because they asked do you want to know what he's charged for and then they went well actually we don't have they said we don't want to tell you something wrong yeah I don't know how they're going to And so he told me that the, what they're looking at is that they found one body with the probable cause there's likely to.

So I asked, are you going to search the property forever until it's found? And he said, well, no, but we're going to look. And he said, because I said, what about, this is the home for my siblings and there's a baby. And he said, if you're not able to get back in tonight, we'll hook them up to the hotel. but you're not in trouble. I think so let him back. There's nothing in the house. Odd statement.

Odd statement, no. Chad says nothing in the house. This discussion of human remains found on the property and no surprise. Seems confident. Nothing in the house. And you also hear about a little bit with Lori there too. All right. Let's close this out.

You're going to hear how this conversation ended between Chad and Emma. I love you. Thank you very much. Thank you for having me speak with her. Yes. Just going to tell me once I am available to talk, we can talk. Thank you. Love, man.

So look, any time we hear a defendant, particularly any time we hear the defendants in this case, it's illuminating. It provides context. It provides clues. It provides evidence. We will see what the jury takes away from this discussion, if anything. On the flip side, I'm sure the defense could suggest that there's nothing incriminating about this, that he knew police were out to get him from the beginning so he wasn't that shock that this was happening and wanted to prepare his family for him going away.

Not sure that John Pryor, his attorney will argue this or even really bring up this footage in a closing argument, but nevertheless, this is a new detail that we can't ignore. That's all we have for here on Sidebar. Everybody, thank you so much for joining us. As always, please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify. YouTube, wherever you get your podcast. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time. You can binge all episodes of this long crime series ad free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.