CRIME, POLICE + COURTS
Trial venue for Lori Vallow Daybell moved to Ada County
Apr 20, 2022, 5:52 PM | Updated: Apr 3, 2023, 5:47 pm
Attorneys for Lori Vallow Daybell have filed a motion requesting that she be allowed to meet with her husband. Her trial is set for April. via AP, Pool)
ST. ANTHONY, Idaho — Lori Vallow Daybell’s trial will take place at the Ada County Courthouse instead of in Fremont County, according to court paperwork filed Wednesday.
The decision comes a day after Chad Daybell’s attorney, John Prior, argued with prosecutors about the trial location.
A motion hearing on Tuesday saw Prior and prosecutors arguing about whether the trial should take place in Ada County or whether jurors from Ada should be transported to Fremont County.
Vallow Daybell’s attorney had District Judge Steven Boyce enter not guilty plea on her behalf to multiple murder charges including the deaths of Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow during her arraignment Tuesday. Additionally, she did not waive her right to a speedy trail during the court proceedings. Legally, that means the trial must occur within six months.
The Idaho Supreme Court already said the trial would be moved to Ada County. But the prosecution filed a motion to consider bringing the Ada County jury to Fremont County where the murders allegedly happened. But notice for the trial confirms it will be in Boise.
According to court paperwork, Vallow Daybell’s trial is scheduled to begin October 11. It is expected to run through December 16. A pre-trial conference is set for September 6.
Currently, the trials for Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell are conjoined with a trail scheduled to begin in January 2023. However, if Vallow Daybell’s trial is to proceed in the fall, Boyce would need to sever both cases. Boyce shut down a motion by Prior to separate the cases last month.
If prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty in the Vallow Daybell case, they have 60 days from Tuesday to file notice with the court. Chad Daybell, whose trial will also be in Ada County, pled not guilty to the charges against him on Tuesday. Prosecutors have already announced their intentions to seek the death penalty in his case.
