Chad Daybell: Jurors, prosecutor reflect on guilty verdict and death sentence
PHOENIX - For the first time since Chad Daybell was found guilty for murdering Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow, Tylee Ryan, and his first wife Tammy, we are hearing from jurors who also sentenced the so-called 'Doomsday Prophet" to death.
Among the 12 jurors who found Daybell guilty of murdering Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow, Tylee Ryan, and Tammy Daybell are Juror 12, known only as Daynna, and Juror 11, who we now know as Tracie Bradley. For them, it was the sentencing phase that took longer, deliberating on life and death.
"Definitely harder, and it did take us longer," said Daynna. "You wanna make sure you get it right."
The jury was sequestered after closing arguments, lasting a few days.
"It was really interesting, when you think about what you would do if you were put in the room and you didn’t have your cell phone, didn’t have a TV, didn’t have music. I think I ironed," said Tracie.
For prosecutors, they have been here before, as they presented their case against Daybell’s second wife, Lori Vallow, in spring 2023. Vallow was eventually found guilty of killing JJ and Tylee, who were her children, and conspiring in Tammy's murder.
"We were better prepared for having one done before," said Madison County Prosecutor Rob Wood.
"At what point do you think you fully understood this case?" we asked Wood.
"That’s a really good question," Wood responded. "I gotta be honest: I don’t know if I’ve ever really actually thought about that. Obviously, before we got the Grand Jury indictment, I think we had a really good handle at that point. At the beginning, it was like drinking from a fire hose."
Wood took the lead on the Vallow-Daybell case, stacking evidence on the couple that believed they could identify dark spirits and zombies, including their family.
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"How much did you take away from what was happening here in Arizona?" we asked Tracie.
"Well, it was the beginning," Tracie replied. "That’s the only way this whole thing could start."
Evidence from Chandler and Gilbert was brought into both trials. According to police, Vallow and Daybell plotted the murder of her fourth husband, Charles, and tried to get her former nephew-in-law, Brandon Boudreaux, shot and killed.
Investigators say life insurance money is a potential motive. Vallow has been charged with murder conspiracy in those cases, but not Daybell.
Wood says he has never prosecuted a case with so many law enforcement agencies involved.
"The teamwork was amazing," said Wood. "The willingness of people to work with each other and share information, it was really neat to watch that happen."
Daybell chose not to address the court on two opportunities in trial, never showing remorse.
"Seeing autopsy photos and photos of the children when they were dug, and seeing photos of his wife lying there, he never shed a tear, he never showed remorse, never the whole time," said Daynna.
"At that point, it’s like there was no mitigating circumstances to not justify the death penalty after what he did," said Tracie. "It was very shocking that he wouldn’t say anything."