US Man Fearing 'Doomsday' Found Guilty Of Killing 2 Step Kids, 1st Wife

A man from Idaho, United States, was found guilty on May 30 of first-degree murder and conspiracy charges in the deaths of his two stepchildren and first wife between 2019 and 2020. Chad Daybell was allegedly driven by "apocalyptic beliefs", power and money, prosecutors claimed. In 2023, his current wife Lori Vallow was sentenced to life without parole for the murder of her children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow. During her trial, she revealed chilling details about religious beliefs, claiming she was a goddess tasked with 'preparing humanity for the second coming of Jesus Christ.'

How The Murders Came To Light

The tragic case unfolded when Vallow's children mysteriously disappeared in September 2019 and their bodies were later found in June 2020. “Two dead children buried in the defendant Chad Daybell’s backyard,” prosecutor Rob Wood said in his first words to the jury. Chad Daybell's first wife Tammy was found dead in October 2019, a few weeks before he married Vallow.

Tammy was initially believed to have died in her sleep, however, the autopsy later revealed "homicide by asphyxiation." According to CNN, the state is seeking the death penalty. After the verdict, JJ’s grandfather, Larry Woodcock, told reporters, “It’s a sad day. JJ would have been 12 years old. For what? What did they accomplish? What did they do? They destroyed families."

Reportedly, Daybell is a self-published author of apocalyptic novels and Vallow's fifth husband. The couple met in October 2018 at a religious conference in Utah. The defence lawyers once said Daybell’s life began to change after he met Vallow Daybell, a “beautifully stunning woman” who eventually lured him into an “inappropriate” and “unfortunate” extramarital relationship.

During her trials, Vallow justified the murder by talking about a "doomsday", zombies, and professed to have the ability to communicate with angels. Prosecutors also pointed to financial motives alongside the religious fervour, further darkening the already sinister case. “Anyone who opposed them was labelled sometimes as dark spirits or even zombies,” Wood said.

The couple was indicted in 2021 on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception in the children's deaths. They were also charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in connection with Tammy's death. In addition, Chad was charged with first-degree murder in her death.

Wood stated, “Seventeen days after the death of his wife, Tammy Daybell, this defendant is photographed laughing and dancing on a beach in Hawaii at his wedding to Lori Vallow, a woman who was his mistress and the mother of the children buried in the graves on his property. Three dead bodies," adding that Daybell was driven by a hunger for power, sex, and money.

While the conviction brings a semblance of justice for the innocent lives lost, the scars of this tragedy will undoubtedly endure, urging society to remain vigilant against the exploitation of religious convictions and to prioritise the safety and well-being of vulnerable individuals, especially children, who might fall prey to such dangerous ideologies.