An Idaho jury on Thursday found Chad Daybell guilty of first-degree murder in the 2019 deaths of his first wife and two children with his current wife, a case that drew widespread attention because of the couple's “endtimes” religious beliefs.
Daybell, 55, maintained a neutral expression as the verdict was read Thursday, standing next to his lawyer, John Pryor.
In addition to three counts of first-degree murder, Daybell was convicted of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, two counts of theft by deception, one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and two counts of insurance fraud.
In 2021, prosecutors charged Daybell and his wife, Lori Vallow Daybell, with participating in the murders of Vallow Daybell's two children, 7-year-old Joshua Vallow, known as JJ, and Tylee Ryan, 16. Daybell was also charged with murder in the death of his ex-wife, Tammy Daybell.
The jury began deliberations Wednesday in Ada County District Court in Boise, Idaho. Judge Stephen W. Boyce of the 7th Judicial District said after the verdict was read that the prosecution had given notice that it intended to seek the death penalty. After a short recess, the judge said the sentencing hearing would begin Friday morning.
Daybell and Vallow Daybell, now 50, have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Vallow was sentenced in July to three consecutive life sentences without parole.
The couple's religious beliefs have drawn significant attention to the case over the years. The indictment alleges that the couple “espoused and taught religious beliefs with the intent of justifying the deaths of their children.” News headlines have dubbed Vallow Daybell the “End of Life Mother.”
Daybell has written end-time novels, and both he and Vallow Daybell were associated with a group called Preparing a People, which aims to prepare believers for the second coming of Jesus Christ, according to the group's website.
Daybell and Vallow Daybell married after the death of his wife, Tammy Daybell, in 2019. Her death was initially ruled a natural death, but was later reconsidered after Vallow's children went missing and authorities investigated whether there was a connection.
An autopsy determined that Tammy Daybell died of asphyxiation, about a month after Daybell increased her life insurance coverage.
Vallow Daybell was arrested in Hawaii in February 2020 after authorities allegedly failed to cooperate with the search for her missing children. The children's bodies were discovered buried on Daybell's property in Idaho in June of that year. Daybell was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence.
The case has attracted widespread attention for being rooted in extreme religious beliefs and has been the subject of a Lifetime movie and a Netflix documentary series, “Sins of Our Mother.”