Idaho v. Lori Vallow Daybell: Trial day 7

Publish date: 2024-07-28

CBS2 is covering the trial and updates will be added to this story throughout the day.

3:20 pm update: April Raymond, Lori's friend from Hawaii testifies.

April Raymond who has been interviewed on several publications about the case takes the stand. Raymond was friends with Lori from when she and Charles Vallow lived there and attended the same LDS ward. Raymond testifies that Lori returned to Hawaii, saying that she and Charles were splitting up and asks her not to tell him that she is in Hawaii if Charles reaches out to her.

Raymond says that Lori told her she was a "goddess" and one of the chosen 144,000 with a greater purpose. Lori told Raymond that she should "leave her children with their father, she has already fulfilled her purpose in their lives, and she has a greater mission." Raymond says that Lori's beliefs changed from 2018 to 2019 where she started speaking of zombies, light and dark, and being chosen to lead the 144,000 after meeting like minded people that have had similar experiences in the temple.

1:30 pm update: Scott Cowden, a fire engineer, paramedic and firefighter for the Chandler Fire Department, takes the stand.

Cowden was dispatched to the shooting of Charles Vallow on July 11, 2019.

Cowden said he entered the home and found Charles Vallow laying on his back in the entry room, unconscious. He said he was the first one to make an assessment and evaluation of Charles. Cowden had to lift a bloodied shirt on Charles to perform CPR and saw two gunshot wounds.

Cowden said he was led to believe CPR had been performed before he arrived, that the person who called in Charles' injuries, Alex Cox, started CPR.

Usually a compression would be left where the hands would have been doing compressions, but Cowden did not see that initially. Cowden heard a crack or crunch during the first couple of compressions. He said he would not have expected to feel that crack if someone had started doing CPR.

Cowden said when he finished CPR, there was blood on his hands.

The defence originally objected to Cowden testifying, so there was no cross-examination.

11:20 am update: Forensic accounting sheds new light.

Special Agent Douglass continues his testimony on the financial actions taken by Lori and now Chad. Testimony and the timelines presented show evidence that Lori changed both JJ and Tylee's Social Security deposits to be deposited into accounts that she controlled, and continued receiving the deposits for months after both kids were dead. Lori wrote on her apartment application when moving to Rexburg that she made more than $5,000 per month in income from Social Security benefits.

Douglass testified that Chad upped Tammy Daybell's life insurance policy on September 8th, Tammy Daybell died October 19, 2019. Chad started receiving payments from Tammy's life insurance police on November 1, and Chad and Lori were married on November 5, 2019.

On the day of the search that recovered JJ and Tylee's bodies from Chad Daybell's backyard, Chad Daybell transferred $8,000 to each of his children between 9:50 am and 10:00 am while police searched his property.

10:20 am update: Forensic accounting.

Mike Douglass who is a Forensic Accountant Special Agent with the FBI is on the stand this morning. Agent Douglass has brought with him multiple exhibits that show various timelines based off of his investigation. So far he has shown timelines that follow Tylee from the time her father, Joe Ryan died until she died, and another that follows JJ from the time his father, Charles Vallow died until JJ died. The timelines show key dates, a history of deposits and spending habits. The timelines and testimony so far seems to aim at the Grand Theft charges that Lori Vallow Daybell faces, in addition to the First Degree Murder charges.

9:00 am update: Larry Woodcock on what shocked him most from yesterday.

Larry Woodcock, JJ's Grandpa spoke with CBS2 and other reporters as he entered the courthouse this morning. Larry clarified that he has been allowed to be in court every day because the prosecution does not plan to call him as a witness any more. Larry was originally barred from hearing other witness testimony and would not be allowed in court during that time by order of Judge Boyce.

Larry Woodcock says that in a day full of surprises yesterday, that the phone call between Lori and Colby was most shocking to him, but he was reluctant to elaborate any further.

Idaho v. Lori Vallow Daybell: Trial day 7 -

Yesterday Lori Vallow's son Colby Ryan took the stand as a witness for the prosecution. In an emotional testimony Colby said "that is my brother, and that is my sister," when shown pictures of JJ and Tylee. Colby testified that the day Charles Vallow was shot and killed, Lori called Colby at work and said that Charles had died from a heart attack. A recorded phone call between Colby and his mother Lori show a distraught Colby attempting to draw out any meaningful explanation from Lori as to how his two siblings and his father are now dead and she is on trial because of it. Catch up on what happened yesterday here.

Listen to the CBS2 original podcast Gem State: The Trials of Chad and Lori Daybell. Click the link to find it wherever you listen to podcasts or you can listen below:

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