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BOISE — At the start of Wednesday's Lori Vallow Daybell trial, the judge granted a request from prosecutors to end early for the day. The day's testimony ended about two hours later at 10:41 a.m.
"There has been a death in the family of one of the prosecutor's lead attorneys. The court and defense have been gracious in allowing the prosecution to adjust to this personal situation," a statement from the prosecutors said.
Lori Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, are charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, murder and grand theft in the deaths of her two children: Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan. Lori Daybell also faces charges in the death of Chad Daybell's previous wife Tammy Daybell.
Lori Daybell was ordered to remain in court while graphic testimony and photos of the discovery of her children's bodies was presented to the jury Tuesday.
The defense argued she should be excused out of concerns for her mental health, but the judge denied the request, requiring she stay in court to preserve due process in the case.
Rexburg police detective Ray Hermosillo then described the excavation of the bodies of the children, and prosecutors showed images taken from the Ada County Coroner's office, taken in June 2020, that showed 7-year-old JJ's decomposing body.
Investigators also described serving a search warrant on Lori Daybell's townhome in Rexburg, where they found silencers, a mask, several guns and camouflage suits, as well as personal protective equipment often used for cleaning up hazardous materials.
On Wednesday Hermosillo's testimony continued — he spoke about sifting through dirt at the fire pit and finding "teeth, charred bone (and) little burnt pieces of flesh" and dropping the bodies of Tylee and JJ at the coroner's office.
The detective said they photographed weapons found in the home, because they were aware of attempted homicides connected to the Daybells at the time.
Madison County Sheriff's Lt. Jared Willmore testified about a call between Daybell and her husband on June 9, 2020, as officers were searching their home with a warrant. "What do you want me to do. Pray?" "Yea, pray," the Daybells said in a recording played for the jury.
Lt. Joe Powell spoke about Tammy Daybell's health, saying investigators exhumed her body because she had been healthy for her age and her husband was with another woman so quickly after her death. On Monday, prosecutors said publicly for the first time that Tammy Daybell died from asphyxiation — at the hands of another person.
