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ST. ANTHONY — EastIdahoNews.com and a handful of other Idaho media outlets have filed a brief in support of cameras in the courtroom during the upcoming Chad Daybell murder trial.
The brief, submitted by EastIdahoNews.com, The Idaho Statesman, the Idaho Press Club, and Idaho Capital Sun, argues that allowing cameras will enhance the public's understanding of court proceedings and should be permitted during the court proceedings.
"For many high visibility criminal trials and trials that have had a significant impact on the communities where the crimes occurred or where the victims lived, camera coverage of the trials is the only way to provide the large numbers of people in the interested communities with public access," attorney Wendy Olson wrote in the brief. "Camera access permits the press to report fully on judicial proceedings, serving as a surrogate for the public, most of whom cannot attend personally."
Daybell is charged with multiple crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder. His wife, Lori Vallow Daybell, was found guilty of similar charges in May and is serving a life sentence. The charges are in relation to the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan — two of Lori Daybell's children — and Chad Daybell's first wife, Tammy Daybell.
District Judge Steven Boyce banned cameras during Lori Daybell's trial but allowed the verdict and sentencing to be livestreamed with court camera equipment. In Idaho, judges have complete control over whether still or video cameras are permitted in their courtrooms.
John Prior, Chad Daybell's attorney, filed a motion asking for cameras and said his client wants a "public trial." Fremont County prosecuting attorney Lindsey Blake and Madison County prosecuting attorney Rob Wood object to video recording, photographs and livestreaming of hearings saying cameras "complicate" jury selection and create a high amount of pretrial publicity.
"Removing cameras from the courtroom will not impede or diminish media coverage of Mr. Daybell's case, but it may lead to a significantly less accurate portrayal of the justice process," the media outlets responded in their brief. "It will allow the pot stirrers on social media platforms to promote made-up claims with no video coverage that can be used to dispute them with the truth of the proceedings."
The brief notes that modern technology makes cameras less intrusive in courtrooms and "the prevalence of video documentation of almost every aspect of modern life has trained a public that wants to see it with their own eyes." EastIdahoNews.com News Director Nate Eaton and Idaho Associated Press supervisory correspondent Rebecca Boone filed declarations in support of the brief.
"Public access through cameras in the courtroom will allow members of the public in communities throughout Idaho, and particularly in the communities where the crimes occurred, to see firsthand and with their own eyes how justice will be done in such a sad and tragic case. There is simply no substitute for a firsthand account," Olson said in a statement Monday to EastIdahoNews.com.
Daybell's trial is scheduled to begin April 1, 2024, and is expected to last up to eight weeks.
A hearing on the camera issue and other motions is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in Fremont County. Boyce is permitting court cameras in the hearing, which EastIdahoNews.com will livestream.
