Boise, Idaho – Mother accused of her triple murder youngest of two As with her new husband’s former wife, prosecutors were willing to “remove any obstacles to getting what she wants” for jurors Monday morning.

Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsay Black said, “Defendants used money, power and sex to get what they wanted. It didn’t matter what it was.”

Prosecutors have charged Lori Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell with multiple counts. Intrigue, Murder, Grand Theft Joshua “JJ” Varrow, 7, and older sister Tyree Ryan, last seen days before his 17th birthday in 2019, in connection with the deaths of Varrow Daybell’s two youngest children. October 2019 Chad Daybell’s late wife, Tammy Daybell, passed away today.

Both defendants have pleaded not guilty, but are being tried separately. Chad Daybell’s trial is still months away. Vallow Daybell faces a life sentence if convicted.

The children have been missing for months their bodies were found buried In Chad Daybell’s Eastern Idaho garden, Blake told the jury.

“The charred remains, that’s Tyree’s remains,” prosecutors said, showing jurors a photograph of a human corpse partially exposed in patches of dirt. That’s what this beautiful young woman is left with.”

JJ’s body was wrapped in garbage bags and duct tape, Blake said — tape tied his arms in front of him and wrapped around his head.

The children and Chad Daybell’s former wife, Tammy Daybell, were all killed for interfering in the couple’s relationship, Blake said.

“Remember, the defendant removes obstacles to get what she wants, and she wanted Chad Daybell,” Blake said.

Defense attorney Jim Archibald told the jury that he described Varrow Daybell as a “kind and loving mother to her children” who happened to take a special interest in biblical prophecies about religion and the end of the world. bottom.

“Some people don’t really care about Bible prophecies, some people really care,” said Archibald. “Thankfully, in this country, we can worship as we please.”

Valor Daybell was presumed innocent, and Archibald reminded the jury that although the criminal charges themselves accuse Valor Daybell of directing, encouraging, assisting, or participating in the murder, what prosecutors did in the case. This indicates that you really don’t know what happened.

“Did she kill, help, encourage, direct? They’re not sure,” said Archibald.

Archibald also attributed Valor Daybell’s religious beliefs to Chad Daybell, a religious writer who wrote a fictional book focused on the Book of Revelation and loosely based on the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said it was after they met.

But these beliefs took it to an extreme, according to Blake, with couples referring to people as “dark” or “light,” and telling friends and acquaintances that “dark” people were possessed by evil spirits. If the spirit was strong enough, the person became a “zombie” and the only way to free the person’s soul was to kill them.

A friend of Barrow Daybell would testify that she said it was “dark” before the children and Tammy Daybell died, Blake said. , Vallow Daybell said he called his two children “zombie” before disappearing.

“A common theme was that the body must be destroyed. Defendants and Chad used self-proclaimed religious teachings to justify their actions to others. From cheating to murder.”

JJ Burrow’s grandmother, Kay Woodcock, was the first witness to take the stand after opening the altercation. She cried after Madison County prosecutor Rob Wood showed her a photo of JJ taken around age 5 or 6 sitting in her car with her seatbelt on.

“That’s my beautiful grandson, JJ,” she said.

Woodcock said that Varrow Daybell was once a “doting mother,” but her opinion of the defendant changed after Charles Varrow filed for divorce in early 2019.

According to Woodcock, she only communicated with JJ three times after her father died, and it was over short FaceTime video calls. Her last call, she said, happened a month before JJ was last seen alive, just 35 seconds or so.

“He just said, ‘Hi Mama, Hi Papa,'” Woodcock said, referring to JJ’s nickname for his grandparents. “Go, Mama. Go, Daddy. Goodbye!'”

Woodcock eventually contacted law enforcement and asked them to check JJ’s health. When police found neither child, they filed a missing persons case.

Rexburg Police opened an investigation in November 2019. Meanwhile, police say the couple lied about their children’s whereabouts.

Prosecutors say the couple planned to use life insurance money from Tammy Daybell’s death, and that Valor continued to collect and spend Social Security and survivor benefits for their children after they died. Said Tylee’s father died after he and Vallow Daybell divorced several years ago. JJ’s father Charles Varrow (who Varrow Daybell was married to when he met Chad Daybell) was shot dead by Alex Cox, Varrow Daybell’s brother.

Vallow Daybell has been indicted in Arizona in connection with Charles Vallow’s death, but has not yet entered the petition. Cox, who told police the shooting was in self-defense, died months after the shooting and was never charged.

The couple married two weeks after Chad Daybell’s ex-wife passed away unexpectedly.

The couple eliminated “all obstacles that prevented them from getting exactly what they wanted.”

The trial is expected to last up to eight weeks.