Major moments from Chad Daybell’s murder trial this week as defense rests

BOISE, ID (AZFamily) — It was a big week in the Chad Daybell murder trial as the defense rested its case after calling 11 witnesses.

Daybell, known as the “Doomsday Prophet,” is on trial for the murder of Lori Vallow’s two kids from Chandler – Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow - and the death of his own wife, Tammy Daybell.

Daybell’s adult children testified in his defense this week, as did a forensic anthropologist with the case inching closer to the hands of a jury.

The last order of business from the defense before they rested: would Daybell himself take the stand?

“It’s your decision to not testify?” asked Judge Steven Boyce.

“That is correct,” Daybell said, one of the only times he’s spoken during the trial.

Next up, rebuttal witnesses will continue testifying before the capital murder case goes to the jury.

Chad and Tammy’s son, Garth, took the stand and described the night he got home from his shift at a haunted house.

“I got home about 1 a.m. shortly after that,” Garth said. “As I passed their bedroom I heard my father snoring.”

He said he then watched YouTube videos until 3 a.m. and heard nothing else, and said it wasn’t until the next morning when his father came running into his room and asked for help with Tammy.

“I observed my mother had rolled partially out of bed with her legs entangled in the sheets, and my instinct was, ‘Oh she needs help.’ I immediately grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her back up to the bed,” Garth said.

“And at that point you felt she was cold?” asked defense attorney John Prior.

“Yeah, I felt she was cold and stiff and, and like, she was gray,” Garth said.

But one of Garth’s colleagues who was working at the haunted house took the stand and recalled a different timeline Garth told him.

“I remember he said he found her when he got home from work. Didn’t know where his father was. I don’t remember if he said he was in the bed or next to the bed, but her lips were blue,” MacKay Abegglen testified.

While much of the testimony revolved around Tammy’s death this week, a forensic anthropologist testified about Tylee’s burned remains.

Dr. Eric Bartelink said a large part of her remains were missing, including her arms, legs, and portion of her ribs.

“Based on the burn pattern, I do believe that the most likely possibility is that the body was burned as a whole, not in pieces,” Dr. Bartelink said.

So, where are the rest of Tylee’s remains?

He said it’s possible some of her bones are still on the Daybell property, as parts of the end of her story are still unknown.

“It’s certainly possible that she could have been burned on the property, but also possible she was burned elsewhere,” Dr. Bartelink said.

That forensic anthropologist also testified many of Tylee’s bones showed blunt force trauma.

The rebuttal witnesses will continue to take the stand back in court on Tuesday.

This is a capital murder case, which means Chad Daybell is eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

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