The trial for so-called "Doomsday Prophet" Chad Daybell has begun in Idaho, starting with jury selection.
Daybell is charged with conspiracy and first-degree murder in the Oct. 2019 death of his first wife, Tammy Daybell. He's facing those same charges in the deaths of 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, children of his wife Lori Vallow. Daybell is also charged with one count of grand theft and two counts of insurance fraud.
Last year, a jury convicted Lori Vallow on conspiracy and first-degree murder charges in the deaths of her children and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Tammy Daybell. She was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without parole.
Lori Vallow Daybell booked into Arizona jail on murder charges
Earlier this year, Vallow Daybell was found guilty of killing her two youngest children, 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.
An indictment accuses the couple of espousing religious beliefs to justify the murders. The remains of Vallow's children were found on Daybell's property in June 2020, nine months after they were last seen alive. By then, Lori Vallow was sitting in an Idaho jail on charges stemming from the children's disappearance. She was arrested in Hawaii in Feb. 2020, where she and Chad Daybell had relocated amid a cloud of suspicion.
Jury selection, which began April 1, is expected to last a week in Chad Daybell's trial, while the rest is expected to last up to 10 weeks. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
This story was originally published on Court TV.
