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Judge refuses to separate Daybell trials

Posted at 3:46 PM, Nov 17, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-17 18:12:12-05

ST. ANTHONY, Idaho — A judge denied a motion to sever the trials of Chad Daybell and his wife Lori Vallow Daybell, meaning the couple will be tried together for the murder of Lori's two children.

Judge Steven Boyce made his ruling Thursday, saying that that a joint trial "will promote the administration of fairness for each case," and will avoid forcing witnesses to appear twice in court to give the same evidence.

Boyce ruled in May that both Daybell and Vallow Daybell would be tried together and set the trial to being in January. However, the trial has since been delayed and no new date has been released.

The ruling comes the day after Vallow Daybell was found to once again be competent to stand trial.

Both defendants are charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of two of Lori's children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as Chad’s first wife, Tammy Daybell.