Testimony continues in Chad Daybell’s criminal trial.
The 55-year-old father is accused of first-degree murder and conspiring to commit murder in the deaths of two of his wife’s children, 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, and his then-wife Tammy Daybell. He’s also charged with two counts of insurance fraud.
Daybell pleaded not guilty to the eight felonies against him.
The potential eight-week trial is expected to mirror the trial of his wife, Lori Vallow Daybell. Roughly 60 witnesses were called during her trial, and so far all of the witnesses called in Chad Daybell’s trial were also called in his wife’s trial.
Rexburg Police Det. Chuck Kunsaitis was the first witness called Wednesday, and the eighth witness overall. It’s the second week of testimony.
9:15 a.m. Vallow Daybell closed Tylee’s bank account following death
One of Tylee’s bank accounts showed that she used to spend money on a daily basis and made a considerable amount of her purchases in person, according to testimony from Kunsaitis. But he said that all stopped on Sept. 1, 2019.
Kunsaitis said Tylee used her bank card in person in St. George, Utah, and she was likely traveling from Arizona to Idaho as her family moved to Rexburg around that time. But Tylee, who was days away from her 17th birthday, stopped making in-person purchases after that stop in Utah and no one saw her after Sept. 8, 2019, at Yellowstone National Park.
“Nothing in our investigation has shown that she is living after this date,” Kunsaitis said.
Both Tylee and JJ were receiving survivor benefits from Social Security after their fathers died. By mid-September, Vallow Daybell had contacted Social Security to switch Tylee’s Social Security payments to her bank account and closed the account. During her trial, Vallow Daybell was convicted of grand theft for continuing to collect her children’s social security benefits after their deaths.
“There was no more use for it,” Kunsaitis said, referring to Vallow Daybell closing her daughter’s checking account. Vallow Daybell transferred the remaining money into her account, he added.
Chad Daybell murder trial in Boise begins. Here’s what to know about the case
The Idaho Statesman will have a reporter covering the trial at the Ada County Courthouse providing live, daily updates at idahostatesman.com. You can also follow criminal justice reporter Alex Brizee on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @alex_brizee or breaking news reporter Sally Krutzig at @sallykrutzig.
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