Idaho murder trial shifts from child victims to Utah mother and wife Tammy Daybell
Apr 28, 2023, 3:36 PM | Updated: 3:41 pm
A courtroom sketch of Tammy Daybell's sister Samantha Gwilliam testifying in court with a picture of her sister displayed. (Pool)
(Pool)
BOISE, Idaho — Testimony in the murder trial of Lori Vallow Daybell Friday, shifted from the death of her children to the death or her current husband Chad Daybell’s late wife, Tammy Daybell.
Previous trial days this week focused on the grisly discovery and manner of death of Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, children of the defendant. Friday testimony came from a variety of witnesses including a Fremont County coroner and Tammy’s sister. Her death wasn’t initially ruled a homicide but that changed after her body was exhumed and early in the trial it was revealed she died of asphyxiation.
THREAD (2): Testimony about the death of Tammy Daybell, pictured below, continues. #LoriVallow #LoriVallowTrial #LoriVallowDaybellTrial pic.twitter.com/iERVa38bjq
— KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) April 28, 2023
Vallow Daybell is charged with conspiring to murder Tammy. She’s also charged with other felonies including the murder of her two children, Tylee and JJ.
Tammy Daybell’s sister testifies
Samantha Gwilliam, Tammy’s sister, testified first Friday, carrying over from end-of-court Thursday. She highlighted the strange series of events leading up to and immediately following Tammy’s death.
She told the jury that she found it odd that Chad Daybell married Lori Vallow right after Tammy’s death.
Gwilliam testified that later, she asked Daybell about his new wife’s kids. According to Gwilliam, Chad said there were no kids and said they would be “empty nesters.”
Masked man
Jurors then heard testimonies and two 911 call recordings about an incident Tammy had with a masked man less than two weeks before her death.
On Oct. 9, 2019, Tammy was in front of her home, taking groceries out of her car. A man in a ski mask approached her. He appeared to be carrying a paintball gun and shot twice before running away. Police didn’t find any paint or shell casings at the scene.
911 call reporting Tammy Daybell dead
Christine West, a dispatcher at the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, testified that she took a 911 call on Oct. 19, 2019, reporting 49-year-old Tammy’s death.
The full 911 call was played for the courtroom. In it, wailing can be heard in the background. The Daybell’s son Garth Daybell both spoke to West during the call.
Garth Daybell told West he had found his mom’s body. Chad then took over the phone call to give his address.
At one point, Chad Daybell told the dispatcher that Tammy was clearly dead. He cried throughout the call.
The morning of Tammy’s death
The prosecution then called three witnesses that had responded to the scene the morning of Tammy’s death. All three reported that Chad Daybell was distraught. He reportedly told responders that Tammy vomited and coughed the night before.
At 5:40 a.m., Chad Daybell said he noticed that Tammy had partially fallen onto the floor. Tammy’s body was laid on the bed when first responders arrived. Chad Daybell said she had been moved.
New thread 🧵after murder trial of #LoriVallowDaybell continues after a break.
If you need background, we have plenty here, including who is who and a timeline leading up to trialhttps://t.co/X4k5vtxlSJ
— KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) April 28, 2023
A Fremont County coroner Brenda Dye testified that Tammy’s body indicated that she died laying down and not halfway on the floor. Dye testified that Chad Daybell reported Tammy a history of seizures in the past — but hadn’t mentioned this until Dye asked him about seizures.
Testimony and photos showed reddish-pink foam on and around Tammy’s mouth, which raised red flags for one witness. Dye determined that Tammy died of natural causes, testifying that Chad Daybell convinced her that nothing was suspicious about the death.
Chad Daybell did not want an autopsy done, a decision that worried Tammy’s friends and coworkers. Dye decided not to perform one.
Tammy was buried three days after her death in Springville, Utah, but her body was exhumed in December of 2019. An autopsy report released by prosecutors in April 2023 found that she died of asphyxiation.
Coworkers and friends testify
The final pieces of testimony on Friday came from three employees of the Sugar Salem School District. Tammy worked for a middle school within the district.
Jurors heard about a deleted email in Tammy’s school account from Charles Vallow. Charles’ email address. Tammy didn’t have anyone else blocked.
Cook testifies an email from Charles to Tammy was located in her “deleted” folder.
His email account was blocked from Tammy’s account, the only one blocked.
Cook is dismissed, state calls Kelsey Harris, a cook at school where Tammy work & in Tammy’s clogging dance class.
— KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) April 28, 2023
Two friends of Tammy’s, who also worked for the district, told the jury Tammy was fit and appeared in good health.
One of those friends, Shanna Miller, testified that she saw Tammy the day before she died. Miller said she looked happy and healthy and had no cough.
Testimony continues on Monday.
