Murder trial for Chad Daybell underway

 On Monday, five witnesses took the stand including Colby Ryan, Lori Vallow's son from a previous marriage. He told the court he believed his mother was influenced by Chad Daybell.

Jurors also heard from a former FBI agent, Doug Hart, who studied thousands of emails and text messages. Hart said Chad Daybell's greatest desire was to be with Lori, and he sent those messages while his ex-wife Tammy Daybell was still alive.

Testimony in the case will continue today at the Ada County Courthouse.

It has been an emotional several days at the Ada County Courthouse, with season law enforcement officers choking up while on the stand.

On Wednesday, jurors heard about how Tammy Daybell's life insurance had been increased and a good deal about Chad Daybell's finances, particularly his multiple transfers of cash.

Testimony continues this morning.

Starting Monday morning, there will be no reserved or priority seating in the courtroom for the press or public. It will be a first come, first serve for as long as courtroom seats remain available.

Testimony resumed Thursday in the Chad Daybell murder trial. As expected, it was a grim day as jurors heard a Rexburg police detective testify about the discovery of the bodies of Lori Vallow's children.

During the trial, jurors heard graphic descriptions of the decomposition of the children's bodies. The detective testified through the morning and afternoon.

Jurors have been given Friday off and the trial will resume Monday at 8:30 a.m.

Prosecutors began their opening statements on Wednesday with a largely similar theme to last year's trial of Chad Daybell's current wife, Lori Vallow. They accused the pair of killing two of her children and his former wife in pursuit of sex, money and power.

Fremont County prosecuting attorney Rob Wood handled the opening statement, framing Daybell as a manipulator whose fringe religious beliefs and thirst for attention led him to work with Vallow to create a way they could be together, unencumbered by responsibility or financial worries.

"Once their calculated plan was devised, it only took months to execute to remove perceived obstacles to Chad Daybell's path to a new life," said Wood.

The defense opening statement, from Daybell's attorney John Prior, indicated they will argue Daybell was manipulated by Vallow, and plan to call experts to try and poke holes in the state's use of DNA evidence tying Daybell to the murders.

Vallow, whose murder trial began exactly one year ago today in the same Ada County courtroom, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Daybell faces the death penalty if convicted.

A jury of 10 men and eight women has been seated in the capital murder trial of Chad Daybell.

East Idaho News reports the 12 jurors and 6 alternates were chosen today from the larger pool of prospective jurors identified last week. Opening arguments in the case are scheduled to begin Wednesday, April 10 at 8:30 a.m. at the Ada County Courthouse.

Daybell is accused in the murders of two of his wife’s children, the remains of which were found on his east Idaho property, and of killing his former spouse. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.

Daybell’s wife, Lori Vallow was sentenced to life in prison for her involvement in the killings, and is appealing. She was recently extradited to Arizona, where she faces two charges of conspiracy to commit murder against other family members.

Initial jury selection continued Frday in the case against Chad Daybell being tried in Ada County.

At the conclusion of proceedings Thurday, 52 potential jurors had been moved forward in the process, two more than needed according to what Judge Steven Boyce indicated on Monday. East Idaho News reports voir dire continued to provide a buffer above the minimum potential juror pool if anyone previously moved forward would need to be excused before attorneys begin their striking process.

After adding five additional jurors to the preliminary pool, court was dismissed for the weekend, and attorneys for both sides will begin the striking process Monday morning, to reduce the pool of 57 potential jurors to a 12 member jury and six alternates for the 8-10 week capital murder trial.

Jury selection in the trial of Chad Daybell is now on day two in Ada County. 18 total jurors are expected to be selected for the months-long death penalty case.

Judge Steven Boyce instructed prospective jurors to avoid speculating about any information of alleged co-conspirators. Daybell’s wife Lori Vallow was convicted last year of killing her two children and her ex-spouse. That trial attracted a massive media following, which Prosecutor Rob Wood noted in his questions this morning to potential jurors for Daybell’s trial.

"Is there anyone here who has any concerns that what they’ve heard before is going to cause them to not be able to give this defendant a fair trial?" asked Wood.

Because of the expected length of the trial, most of the jurors dismissed Monday were because of scheduling or financial hardships. A few were dismissed for impartiality concerns.

Daybell’s attorney, John Prior, attempted to leave the case this winter, saying the defendant was no longer able to pay him, but Judge Boyce ordered him to stay so the trial could move forward.

Day one of jury voir dire began on Monday in the Chad Daybell case. This is the preliminary examination of a witness or a juror by a judge.

District Judge Steven Boyce ordered that juror questionnaires be distributed and completed before going into the courtroom to streamline the selection process.

This process could take days or weeks. A total of 18 jurors will be picked - 12 jurors and six alternates.