Chad Daybell Trial Liveblog Day 1: Opening statements expected

EDITOR'S NOTE: We will be following the trial, streaming it in the video player above and liveblogging it below. Refresh throughout the day for updates on opening statements.

BOISE, Idaho (ABC4) — Opening statements are expected Wednesday in the trial of an Idaho man charged with killing his wife and his then-girlfriend’s two youngest children in an unusual case rooted in extremist religious beliefs.

Chad Daybell, 55, is facing charges of first-degree murder, insurance fraud, and conspiracy to commit murder and grand theft in connection with the deaths of Tammy Daybell, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. Last year, their mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, received a life sentence without parole for the killings.

Prosecutors say the couple justified the three killings with doomsday beliefs, part of an elaborate scheme to eliminate any obstacles to their relationship and to obtain money from survivor benefits and life insurance. Vallow Daybell referred to her two youngest kids as zombies, one friend testified during her trial.

Chad Daybell was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he self-published fiction loosely based on its teachings.

In fall 2019, he tried to fraudulently collect on his late wife’s life insurance policy, and Vallow Daybell continued to collect both children’s social security benefits after they died.

Chad Daybell has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the trial is expected to take more than two months. Prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty if Daybell is convicted.