Chad Daybell, the spouse of Lori Vallow, is poised to stand trial in Idaho for the killings of his wife's two children, nearly a year following her conviction for the same offense in a widely-publicized doomsday plot.
Scheduled to commence on Monday in Ada County with the selection of jurors, Daybell's triple-murder trial is anticipated to span approximately nine weeks, as indicated by court records. Both Daybell and Vallow were indicted on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the 2019 deaths of her children, 7-year-old Joshua "J.J." Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.
Their remains were discovered on Chad Daybell's property in Idaho in June 2020 after an extensive search, according to the police.
The charges allege that Daybell, aged 55, "endorsed and espoused religious beliefs for the purpose of encouraging and/or justifying" the killings of the two children.
Vallow and Daybell were also charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Chad Daybell's former wife, Tamara Daybell, who passed away on October 19, 2019, less than a month before Lori and Chad married in Hawaii. Vallow was found guilty of all charges in her trial.
Daybell additionally faces charges related to his former wife's murder and two counts of insurance fraud related to life insurance policies he held on her, for which he was the beneficiary, according to prosecutors.
Daybell has pleaded not guilty to the charges and could face the death penalty if convicted of murder.
John Prior, Daybell's attorney, told ABC Boise affiliate KIVI in an interview prior to the trial, "At this point, we're ready to go forward and he wants to tell his story."
Prior expressed eagerness to present his case to the jury after nearly four years of reviewing evidence.
It remains unclear whether Vallow will testify at Daybell's trial. She did not testify in her own trial, and her attorneys concluded their case without calling any witnesses.
Daybell's trial will be presided over by the same judge who oversaw Vallow's trial, Judge Steve Boyce.
Boyce sentenced Vallow to life in prison without parole for the murders of her two children, noting that she suffers from mental health issues and has shown no remorse for the crimes or for those who searched for her children while they were missing.
Vallow, aged 50, denied murdering her children, stating in court at her sentencing, "Jesus Christ knows the truth of what happened here. ... No one was murdered in this case.
Accidental deaths happen. Suicides happen. Fatal side effects from medications happen."
Her attorney filed a notice of appeal in the case last year.
Daybell, a prolific author of religious fiction, is Vallow's fifth husband.
The couple reportedly shared a doomsday belief system, with Vallow asserting at one point that she was "a god assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ's second coming in July 2020" and distancing herself from her family because she believed she had a more important mission to fulfill, according to court documents.
Friends of Vallow have suggested that her fourth marriage to Charles Vallow began to deteriorate after she became enamored with Daybell's books, leading to their separation in 2019.
Their blended family included Tylee from her third marriage and Charles Vallow's nephew J.J., whom they adopted.
Charles Vallow was fatally shot by Vallow's brother, Alex Cox, in 2019 during a confrontation at her Arizona home. Cox claimed self-defense, but police were investigating the incident when Cox himself died months later.
Vallow also faces charges related to the death of Charles Vallow and an alleged plot to kill her niece's ex-husband. She has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree premeditated murder charges.