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ST. ANTHONY, Idaho — A judge has granted a request from prosecutors in the Chad Daybell case to bring in help from the Idaho Attorney General's Office.
Fremont County prosecuting attorney Lindsey Blake filed a petition to have deputy attorney general Ingrid Batey appointed as special assistant attorney general in the murder case, which is set to begin in two and a half weeks.
"I seek assistance in this case in order to utilize the expertise and additional resources of the office of the attorney general," Blake wrote in her petition. "The attorney general's office has agreed, in writing, to assist the Fremont County prosecuting attorney's office in this matter."
A written agreement between the offices says the attorney general will pay the salaries of its personnel who assist in the prosecution, according to the petition. EastIdahoNews.com has submitted a records request for the agreement.
District Judge Steven Boyce granted Blake's request Monday afternoon and appointed Batey to the case.
This is the second high-profile murder case Batey will be participating in. Last year, she and deputy attorney general Jeff Nye were appointed to assist in the prosecution of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022.
Batey worked as a law clerk in the 3rd Judicial Court of Idaho before becoming the deputy prosecuting attorney in Canyon County in 2017. She now serves as the lead deputy attorney general of special prosecutions for the Idaho Attorney General's office.
Her appointment comes two weeks after special prosecutor Rachel Smith stepped down following nearly three years of service on the case. The Missouri attorney, who has worked on more than 100 homicide, death penalty and other complex criminal cases, declined to comment on why she was leaving but said she was proud of her efforts.
Smith is the second prosecutor to leave in recent months after former Fremont County deputy prosecuting attorney Tawnya Rawlings was sworn in as a magistrate judge in Bonneville County at the end of last year.
Daybell, who married Lori Vallow two weeks after his wife Tammy Daybell died in October 2019, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder in relation to the deaths of Tammy and two of Lori's kids — 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and has been in the Fremont County Jail since June 2021.
Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty of similar charges last year and is serving three life sentences without the possibility of parole. She is currently in an Arizona jail on charges of conspiracy to commit the murder of Charles Vallow, her fourth husband, and Brandon Boudreaux, her former nephew-in-law. She has pleaded not guilty.
Jury selection for Chad Daybell's trial is set to begin April 1 in Ada County. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty. EastIdahoNews.com will be in the courtroom and plans to livestream the trial every day.
